What Are Some Common Hardwoods

Some of the more exotic species can be too expensive to use for anything more than an accent.

What are some common hardwoods.

Homing in on hardwoods. Pennsylvania s forests grow some of the most valuable hardwoods in the world. Hardwoods have a more complex structure than softwoods and are often much slower growing as a result. Hardwoods grow slower than softwoods.

This guide features 20 of the most abundant and most often used hardwood species. Some may actually be softer than many coniferous softwoods. The downside to hardwoods is their price. About 90 percent of all the trees in pennsylvania s forests are hardwoods.

The remaining 10 percent are softwoods. Trees with broad flat leaves as opposed to coniferous or needled trees. Most woodworkers love to work with hardwoods. The variety of colors textures and grain patterns makes for some beautiful and interesting looking furniture.

As a resource american hardwoods are abundant renewing and sustainable and an excellent choice for eco effective design and building. Here is a quick leaf identification key of the common hardwoods in north america. Wood hardness varies among the hardwood species and some are actually softer than some softwoods. The most common test for testing wood hardness is known as the janka hardness test.

Although these trees are often called hardwoods wood hardness varies among the hardwood species. Common walnut juglans regia wenge millettia laurentii panga panga millettia stuhlmannii willow salix black willow salix nigra cricket bat willow salix alba caerulea white willow salix alba weeping willow salix babylonica zingana african zebrawood microberlinia brazzavillensis hardwoods. Each species of hardwood has its own set of properties however they have some properties in common. The actual number listed in the wood profile is the amount of pounds force lb f or newtons n required to imbed a 444 11 28 mm diameter steel ball into the wood to half the ball s diameter.

In addition to the basics where they grow general description and abundance each hardwood profile includes working. Let s take a look at the most common angiosperms otherwise known as deciduous hardwoods. The wood of these trees is generally hard and dense but there are exceptions. Hardwood from deciduous species such as oak normally shows annual growth rings but these may be absent in some tropical hardwoods.

Some hardwoods are excellent for carving. Hardwoods normally have broad leaves and come from deciduous or broad leafed evergreen trees.