Hardwood Facts for Kids

A small group of hardwood trees.

Hardwood is a type of wood that comes from deciduous trees. These are trees that usually lose their leaves in the fall. It also comes from broad-leaf evergreen trees, which keep their leaves all year. All hardwood trees are flowering plants, also known as angiosperms. This is the largest group of plants on land.

Hardwood is different from softwood. Softwood comes from conifers, which are trees that grow cones and have needles. You might think hardwood is always harder than softwood, but that's not true! For example, balsa wood is a hardwood, but it's very soft. Hardwood trees are much more varied than softwoods. There are about 100 times more kinds of hardwood trees than softwoods.

The difference between hard and soft wood under a microscope. Oak (hardwood) is on top, pine (softwood) is underneath.

Hardwood trees usually have wide, flat leaves. Their seeds are always inside a fruit or a hard shell. Softwood trees, on the other hand, are gymnosperms, meaning their seeds are "naked" or not enclosed.

Each kind of hardwood has its own special features. But they all share some things in common. Hardwoods generally have broad leaves and come from trees that lose their leaves or broad-leaf evergreens. Hardwood trees also grow slower than softwood trees. Evergreen softwoods grow faster and can get much bigger. Some hardwoods are great for carving beautiful shapes.

One of the hardest hardwoods is black ironwood. The Guinness World Records says it's the heaviest wood. Ironwoods are so heavy that they sink in water instead of floating!

A close-up view of vessel elements in Oak wood. The top image is from a scanning electron microscope, and the bottom is from a light microscope.

The special features of wood come from its structure. Hardwood has a denser structure. This is why it's usually harder and heavier. Hardwood has tiny tubes called xylem vessels. These tubes help transport water throughout the tree. Their cell walls are very strong because of a material called lignin. Lignin is a tough substance that helps plants stand tall. The amount of lignin is a big reason why hardwoods are so strong.

Softwoods have a structure that looks a bit like many drinking straws held together. They also have lignin, but it's a slightly different type. They also have less lignin than most hardwoods.

Types of Hardwood Trees
How Hardwood is Used
Gallery
Related pages
Images for kids
See also

Types of Hardwood Trees

Here are some common types of hardwood trees found in places like the United States and Europe. Many of these are also found in other parts of the world. This is not a full list of all hardwood trees.

How Hardwood is Used

A sofa made from mahogany, showing detailed carving.

Today, hardwood is used less often than it used to be. This is because cutting down too many trees in tropical and temperate forests has made it expensive and hard to find. Many things once made of hardwood are now made from ceramics, plastic, or softwood.

Hardwoods are often used for items that get a lot of use. This is because they are very strong and dense. These items include furniture, flooring, and kitchen utensils. They are also used in construction. Hardwoods are also less likely to rot or decay than softwoods. Furniture made with hardwood joinery (how pieces are put together) is usually more expensive than furniture made from softwoods.

Kitchen tools made from hardwood can include things like a mortar used to grind corn. Other examples are spoons, chopsticks, bowls, plates, and cups. Because the wood is so dense, these items can last for many years without breaking. The handle of a Luzon knife, seen in the gallery, is another example. Hardwood is also great for making musical instruments. This is because of how well it carries sound. Instruments like violins, guitars, pianos, and hand drums like the Djembe drum are often made from hardwood.

Flooring is often made of hardwood because it can handle many years of people walking on it. An example is the tiger-wood flooring shown in the gallery. Hardwoods are also used to make thin layers called veneers. These veneers are glued over cheaper woods. This makes the item look like solid hardwood but costs less. This is a common way to use tropical hardwoods, which are in limited supply because of deforestation. In Europe, hardwoods make up 29% of wood used, while softwoods make up 71%.

Hardwood has very short fibers, about 1 millimeter long. This makes it good for making fine paper like writing paper, tissue paper, and printing paper. Paper with longer fibers, such as paper bags, cardboard, and shipping containers, is made from softwoods.