What is the difference between hardwoods and softwoods?

Answer 1

In general, hardwoods come from deciduous trees that lose their leaves annually, and softwood comes from a conifer, which remains evergreen throughout the year.

Hardwoods tend to be slower growing and are usually more dense.

Softwood usually grows in huge tracts of trees which may spread for miles, while hardwoods tend to be found mixed with a variety of other species, except in North America where HUGE stands of hardwood trees can extend across entire states.

Softwood comes from a type of tree known as a gymnosperm. Gymnosperms reproduce by forming cones which emit pollen to be spread by the wind to other trees. Pollinated trees form naked seeds which are dropped to the ground or borne along the wind so that new trees can grow elsewhere. Some examples of softwood include pine, redwood, fir, cedar, and larch.

A hardwood is an angiosperm, which means that it makes enclosed seeds or fruits. Angiosperms usually form flowers to reproduce. Birds and insects attracted to the flowers carry the pollen to other trees, and when fertilized the trees form fruits such as apples or nuts and seeds like acorns and walnuts. Hardwoods include maple, balsa, oak, elm, mahogany, and sycamore.

Hardwoods are more difficult to work because they are hard, but they are also more durable than soft woods.

Soft woods are typically harvested from conifers Soft wood varieties include: pine, cedar, and fir. Spruce is also a soft wood, but is not typically used for construction or cabinet making. Hardwoods are typically harvested from deciduous (leaf-bearing) trees. Common hardwoods are oak, ash, maple, walnut, cherry, poplar, and elm. While balsa wood and cork are relatively soft, they are still hardwood products. Balsa is the wood harvested from the balsawood tree, while cork is the bark harvested from cork oak trees.

Answer 2

Hardwoods are from deciduous trees and softwoods are from conifers.

To expand on that further, hardwood seeds have a hard shell like an acorn or walnut, while softwood trees seeds have no casing as they are normally in a fruit.

Later it began to refer to the solidness of the wood itself, or it's resistance to sawing.

Funny though that Balsa wood is considered a hardwood even though it is about the softest one anyone can think of.
If a tree grows slowly and loses its leaves each winter the harder part of the peristem is more dense.

If a tree grows fast, especially evergreens, then the peristem is less dense

Hard wood is not necessarily hard and soft wood is not necessarily soft. Hard wood is primarily deciduous trees, which are trees that lose their leaves in Autumn, Trees like Maple, Oak, Birch etc.

Soft woods are coniferous trees. Trees that keep their leaves in the winter. Examples would be evergreens - pine, Douglas fur, spruce etc.

Answer 3

The difference is found in the structure of the wood. Softwood contains only two types of cells, longitudinal wood fibres (or tracheids) and transverse ray cells. Hardwoods have an additional feature: pores. These pores carry water, whereas in softwoods, water is transported via the tracheids.

Answer 4

Hardwood is a term used to describe wood that comes from deciduous trees or evergreens. It is harder than softwood and has a higher density. Hardwood is also more varied than softwood.

On the other hand, softwood comes from coniferous trees. Softwood is more commonly used than hardwood. It is water-resistant and doesn't crack when squeezed in a vice.

Answer 5

Hardwoods come from deciduous trees that have broad leaves, while softwoods come from evergreen trees that have needles or scale-like leaves. Hardwoods are generally denser and harder than softwoods, making them ideal for furniture, flooring, and cabinetry. Softwoods are typically less expensive and are commonly used for construction, framing, and paper production.