Softwood facts for kids
Softwood is the wood that comes from trees like pines and spruces. These trees are called conifers, and they usually have needles and cones. Softwood is different from hardwood, which comes from trees that have flowers and often lose their leaves in winter, like oak trees. One big difference is that softwood doesn't have tiny tubes called "vessels" or "pores" that hardwood does. Many softwoods, like pines and spruces, also have special channels that carry sticky sap, called resin canals.
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What Makes Softwood Special?
Softwood comes from trees that are often called conifers, such as pines and spruces. Even though it's called "softwood," it's not always softer than hardwood! The very hardest hardwoods are much tougher than any softwood. But there's a huge range of hardness in both groups. For example, balsa wood, which is a hardwood, is actually softer than most softwoods. On the other hand, some softwoods like longleaf pine, Douglas fir, and yew are much harder than many hardwoods.
People in the construction industry use softwood a lot. It's also used to make paper pulp and cardboard. Some types of softwood are also good at resisting bugs like woodworm, which prefer damp hardwood.
Common Softwood Trees and Their Uses
Here are some examples of softwood trees and what they are often used for:
- Douglas fir - Used for making joints in wood, doors, and strong parts of buildings.
- Eastern white pine - Great for making furniture.
- European spruce - Used widely in building, for walls, and outside coverings.
- Larch - Used for outside coverings on buildings and for making boats.
- Lodgepole pine - Good for roofs, floors, and making chipboard and particle board.
- Monterey pine
- Parana pine - Used for stair steps and wooden joints (this tree is critically endangered).
- Scots pine - Mostly used in building for inside work.
- Sitka spruce
- Southern yellow pine - Used for joinery, flooring, and outdoor decks.
- Western hemlock - Used for doors, joinery, and furniture.
- Western red cedar (or red cedar) - Used for furniture, decks, outside coverings, and roof shingles.
- Yew - Used for both indoor and outdoor furniture (like chairs and gate posts) and for turning wood on a lathe.
Where Softwood is Used Around the World
Softwood makes up about 80% of all the timber (cut wood) produced in the world. The main places where softwood is produced are the Baltic region (which includes countries like Scandinavia and Russia), North America, and China.
Softwood is typically used in building for the main frame or "skeleton" of a structure. It's also used for finishing touches like floors, walls, and trim inside buildings.
See also
- List of woods
- Hardwood
