Types of Wood and Manufactured Wood

Study Notes

Softwood comes from evergreen, needle-bearing trees.
- Examples: Pine, Cedar, Spruce
- Softwood grows faster than hardwood.
- Often used in building material and manufactured wood.
Hardwood comes from deciduous (leaf-shedding) trees.
- Examples: Ash, Oak, Mahogany
- Hardwood is generally slow-growing with distinct wood grain.
- Used in high-quality furniture, flooring, and decks.

Made from leftover wood waste from conversion or construction.
Developed for industrial production, allowing for large, consistent sheets.
Uses:
- Plywood: Thin wood sheets
- Blockboard: Small wood blocks
- Chipboard: Wood chips
- Fibreboard: Wood fibres

There are two main categories of natural wood: Softwood and Hardwood.
Softwood comes from evergreen or needle-bearing trees known as conifers.
Softwoods grow faster than hardwoods and are often used for construction and manufactured wood products.
Some common Softwood types include Pine, Cedar, and Spruce.
Each type of softwood has unique properties influencing its preferred uses and cost.

Hardwoods originate from deciduous trees.
They grow slower than softwoods and are renowned for their strength, durability, and attractive grain patterns.
Hardwoods are commonly utilized for high-quality furniture, flooring, decks, and other applications.
Examples of Hardwood types include Ash, Oak, and Mahogany.
Each hardwood has unique features influencing its uses and cost.

Ash is lightweight, flexible, tough, steam-bendable, and varnishes well, making it suitable for tool handles, cricket bat handles, ladders, and veneers.
Oak is hard, tough, heavy, durable, and light brown, often used for furniture, garden furniture, boat building, and veneers. It becomes harder with age.
Mahogany is reddish, medium weight, strong, durable, and prone to warping, commonly used for high-quality furniture, shop furniture, boat fittings, and veneers.

Manufactured wood is created using natural wood as raw materials – typically wood scraps and waste.
This form of wood is designed for industrial production and creates consistent, large sheets.
Common manufactured wood types include plywood, blockboard, chipboard, and fiberboard.