Hardwood vs Softwood

We explore the difference between hardwood and softwood, to help you choose the right timber.

30.01.2025

What is the difference between hardwood and softwood?

Before we look into the difference between hardwood and softwood, let’s take stock of timber today as a whole.

The term ‘timber’ covers material from a wide spectrum of different species, each with very different performance characteristics.

‘Performance’ is the key word which helps differentiate hardwoods from softwoods.

However, there is third category of wood we also need to consider… high performance wood.

Created using modern advanced treatment techniques, this different bread of wood outperforms both the properties of hardwood and the properties of softwood. More about high performance treated wood later.

Properties of hardwood

Before we explore the properties of hardwood, we need to know where hardwoods come from.

Hardwoods are sourced from trees with broad leaves which grow comparatively slowly compared to softwood trees. This is why hardwoods are denser than softwoods.

More condensed, hardwoods have a complex structure which makes them stronger and more durable than softwoods.

Because hardwoods are so string and resilient, they are usually used for construction that needs to be durable and last.

Hardwoods are seen as an investment due to their strength, lower maintenance and ability to resist weather.

Properties of softwood

 

The properties of softwood are quite different to hardwood.

 

Softwoods, which derive from conifers, are much more prolific and conifers grow at a much faster rate than hardwood trees.

 

One of the key properties of softwood is its flexibility, ease of cutting and lighter weight. This makes them ideally suited for interior mouldings, window frames, construction framing and creating sheet woods such as plywood and chipboard.

 

When used outside, exterior softwoods are impregnated with biocides to improve their durability.

 

Compared to hardwoods, softwoods have a shorter lifespan when used outdoors as even with treatment, they aren’t as durable and need more regular maintenance.

Examples of softwoods and hardwoods

Hardwoods

Common types of hardwoods include;

  • oak
  • teak
  • sapele
  • iroko
  • meranti

Beech, maple and walnut are also hardwoods that are used for more bespoke joinery projects; crafting furniture, wooden flooring and fine veneers.

Softwoods

Softwoods are the source of 80% of the world’s timber and come from conifers which are cone-bearing trees.

These include:

  • pine
  • spruce
  • cedar
  • fir
  • larch
  • redwood
  • hemlock
  • cypress.
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Why are softwoods cheaper than hardwoods?

There are five reasons why softwoods are cheaper than hardwoods:

Growth rate – softwood trees grow far faster than hardwood trees. This means there is a much greater supply of softwoods and therefore it costs less.

Processing – because softwoods aren’t as dense as hardwoods, they are much easier to cut and finish. With lower energy and labour costs, processing softwood is much cheaper than hardwood.

Availability – softwoods are usually found growing in much larger forests than softwoods. More trees creates greater availability, resulting in lower prices.

Harvesting – hardwood trees can take decades to mature, whereas faster growing and maturing softwood trees result in more regular harvesting and replanting. This shorter cycle generates a more consistent and cost-effective supply.

Demand – as softwood is more commonly suited to and used for construction, paper manufacture and less durable products. Softwood is therefore in greater demand than hardwood which is usually preferred for quality furniture and flooring due to its strength and durability.

How to identify hardwood from softwood

Apart from the price, how exactly can you tell the difference between hardwood and softwood by simply looking at it? Well unless you know whether the tree it came from had needles and cones or not, you need to take a closer look at the wood itself.

  • Firstly, look at the colour. Hardwoods tend to be darker than softwoods and have a more prominent grain.
  • Next, pick up similar pieces of hardwood and softwood. Hardwood is denser, therefore it should weigh more than the softwood. When you look at the cell structure, hardwood has pores which are tubes that transport water and nutrients around the tree – softwoods’ cell structure is much simpler.
  • As the name implies, hardwoods are also harder, which means softwoods are much easier to scratch.
  • Finally, softwoods are much more flexible than hardwoods, so try bending each to see how they compare.

Treated woods – softwood and hardwood alternatives:

As we touched on earlier in this guide, there is also a third category of wood used in construction called treaded woods. We’ve established that hardwoods in general are much harder and more durable than softwoods. There is, however, an exception to this rule.

Treated woods are softwoods that have had their chemical make-up altered to improve their performance. The world-leading example of treated woods is Accoya®. Manufactured using a cutting-edge patented acetylation process, the durability, stability and hardness of the wood is increased to actually exceed the qualities of tropical hardwoods. Other benefits include minimal maintenance, guarantees up to 50 years and also higher sustainability due to it being softwood and also lasting considerably longer than softwoods and some hardwoods.

Where to Buy

You can buy Accoya and Accoya products from our selection of distributors or manufacturers in your region. Use our map search tool to find your nearest Accoya supplier.

Where to Buy
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