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The properties of their wood are as diverse as the optical characteristics of different trees. Especially when using it, it is important to consider the peculiarities of the wood species.

In a nutshell

  • Differences between hardwood and softwood
  • around 30,000 different tree species worldwide
  • Properties depend on the type of tree
  • partly from natural stock, partly from plantations

Types from A - C

maple

Origin:

  • America, Europe

Color and grain:

  • broad rays
  • finely wavy annual rings
  • sycamore: almost white
  • Norway maple: yellow to grey
  • field maple: reddish

Resistance:

  • very susceptible to fungal attack
  • not weatherproof

Particularities:

  • light but firm
  • tough
  • elastic
  • Maple syrup is made from the maple tree

Use:

  • Living room and bedroom furniture
  • parquet floors
  • violin making

Apple

Origin:

  • native wood species
  • Balkans, Greece

Color and grain:

  • clear demarcation between heartwood and sapwood
  • fine, scattered pores
  • noble optics
  • no wooden strips
  • wavy structure of annual rings
  • red-brown pith spots
  • Sapwood light red

Resistance:

  • resistant to insects
  • susceptible to fungi

Particularities:

  • hard and tight
  • therefore difficult to split
  • high yield
  • replaces tropical types of wood in this country

Use:

  • rarely used
  • art objects
  • formerly for the manufacture of wine presses
  • tool handles

balsa

Origin:

  • Tree species: Ochroma pyramidale
  • Southern Mexico, Central America

Color and grain:

  • Hardly any annual rings (only for trees that grow in unfavorable locations)
  • broad, clearly visible medullary rays
  • clear vascular grooves
  • light yellow to white
  • sometimes with a slight pink tinge
  • reddish or brown coloring is an indication of an old tree (sapwood is still white)

Strength and Durability:

  • very flexible
  • very pressure resistant
  • susceptible to insect infestation
  • not weatherproof
  • frequent blue stain fungus

Special feature:

  • Split and heartwood do not show any color differences
  • Type of wood with the lowest density and lightest weight (comparable to polystyrene hard foam)
  • excellent insulation abilities (more than 90% pores in the wood)
  • high pulp content

Use:

  • ideal handicraft wood for model making
  • Heat, sound insulation
  • raft building
  • papermaking
  • cork substitute
  • Rotor blades for wind energy

bamboo

Origin:

  • Asia, South America, Africa

Color and grain:

  • yellow, green or grey
  • partially striped or spotted
  • no rays

Resistance:

  • susceptible to fungi and insects
  • requires comprehensive protective measures

Particularities:

  • renewable, high-yield raw material
  • actually no wood, but a species from the genus of grasses

Use:

  • outdoor area
  • kitchen utensils
  • Furniture
  • parquet
  • saunas

birch

Origin:

  • North America, Asia (Himalayas), Europe
  • only certain genera used: common/common birch, paper birch, black birch, yellow birch
  • silver birch, silver birch, warty birch and silver birch for firewood

Color and grain:

  • no differences between sapwood and heartwood
  • no pores visible
  • fine rays
  • clearly recognizable medullary rays in reddish color
  • Irregular fiber flow in a wavy structure, typical of birch wood (called "flamed birch")
  • creates an elegant look
  • overall white to pale reddish

Resistance:

  • very susceptible to fungi, especially the squirrel, a Polyporus species, or the bark beetle (Xyloterus)
  • not weatherproof
  • Only suitable for outdoor use with comprehensive protection

Particularities:

  • accepts glazes and varnishes ideally
  • darkens strongly
  • hard
  • tough but elastic
  • flexible
  • difficult to split
  • still editable
  • great properties as firewood: smells pleasant, generates a lot of heat, is easy to light

Use:

  • veneer and plywood
  • parquet
  • Furniture
  • Sports equipment such as javelins and discus discs
  • serves as an imitation of valuable types of wood
  • firewood
  • guitar making
  • handicrafts

pear

Source: Anonimski, 16 wood samples, edited from Plantopedia, CC0 1.0

Color and grain:

  • hardly any differences between sapwood and heartwood
  • many fine pores, very inconspicuous
  • Annual rings also difficult to see
  • partly small pith marks
  • homogeneous
  • pale gray to reddish brown
  • darkens depending on the location

Resistance:

  • very brittle
  • tends to jump
  • not weatherproof
  • very susceptible to fungi and pests
  • very susceptible to core rot

Particularities:

  • hard, firm and not elastic
  • can be processed comparatively well
  • ideal for carving

Use:

  • high quality musical instruments
  • luxurious interior

Types of D - G

rowan

Source: CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=46640, Ash common wood, edited from Plantopedia, CC BY-SA 3.0

Origin:

  • Central Europe

Color and grain:

  • distinct red colouration
  • irregular fiber flow
  • Annual rings clearly visible
  • simple and elegant

Resistance:

  • susceptible to fungi and insects
  • not weatherproof
  • not suitable for outdoor construction

Special feature:

  • dense and heavy
  • Editing requires a lot of effort
  • very similar to the wood of the pear tree

Use:

  • handicrafts
  • measuring instruments
  • slide rule
  • musical instruments

Oak

Origin:

  • mostly comes from the sessile or pedunculate oak
  • entire northern hemisphere

Color and grain:

  • Sapwood varies by species, mostly yellow to white
  • Heartwood: darkens after a short time, gray to yellow
  • Oak wood from America is reddish in color
  • conspicuously wide rays
  • fine pore grooves (small, round pores belong to the sessile oak, large, irregular pores indicate the common oak)

Resistance:

  • very durable
  • almost indefinitely durable under water
  • weather resistant
  • hardly susceptible to fungi or insects

Particularities:

  • the wood of the sessile oak is heavier
  • the grayer the wood, the higher the hardness
  • elastic despite high density
  • easy to split
  • can be edited well
  • the oak is one of the oldest tree species in the world
  • in contact with iron and moisture, the wood darkens

Use:

  • Furniture
  • floorboards and parquet
  • Windows and doors
  • stairs and railings
  • bridge building
  • shipbuilding
  • oak barrels

Spruce

Origin:

  • throughout Europe, especially in Scandinavia

Color:

  • light, white-yellow, partly reddish
  • clearly visible growth rings

Particularities:

  • rapidly renewable resource
  • no color difference between sapwood and heartwood
  • darkens under the influence of light
  • Density varies depending on the location (recognizable by the width of the annual rings)
  • suitable for painting
  • can be edited well

Use:

  • construction wood
  • furniture manufacturing
  • Production of wood materials

Types of H - K

hazelnut

Origin:

  • Europe, Balkans, Asia

Color and grain:

  • Sapwood: pale yellow to reddish
  • heartwood: light, reddish brown
  • Annual rings only weakly pronounced

Resistance:

  • only slightly susceptible to fungi and insects

Particularities:

  • medium hard wood
  • very elastic
  • easy to split

Use:

  • handicraft

elder

Origin:

  • Europe

Color and grain:

  • white to pale yellow
  • unobtrusive grain

Particularities:

  • very tough, dense and hard
  • radiates visual coolness

chestnut

Source: Philipp Zinger, Edelkastanie Holz, edited by Plantopedia, CC BY-SA 4.0

Color and grain:

  • many small, scattered pores
  • irregular fiber flow
  • therefore no attractive optics
  • white to yellow
  • partly brown or reddish accents

Resistance:

  • not weatherproof
  • susceptible to insects and fungi
  • not suitable for outdoor use

Particularities:

  • darkens
  • Yellowing is also possible
  • soft and pliable
  • can be edited well
  • good properties as firewood: calorific value comparable to beech and oak

Use:

  • mainly in handicrafts
  • pianos
  • toys
  • handles and knobs
  • prostheses
  • boxes

cherry

Source: Achim Raschka, Wood prunus avium, edited by Plantopedia, CC BY-SA 3.0

Origin:

  • Europe, America

Color and grain:

  • clear demarcation between sapwood and heartwood
  • Sapwood: reddish, grey-white
  • Heartwood: much darker with yellow tint, green tint possible

Particularities:

  • very strong
  • elastic

Resistance:

  • not weatherproof
  • susceptible to fungi
  • very susceptible to insects

Use:

  • interior design
  • musical instruments
  • craft items

Types of L - O

larch

Origin:

  • Europe, Siberia

Color and grain:

  • Sapwood: pale reddish, narrow
  • heartwood: yellow to reddish
  • very decorative
  • Annual rings pronounced

Resistance:

  • European wood comparatively unstable
  • Siberian wood robust

Particularities:

  • smells pleasantly of resin

Use:

  • Gardening and landscaping
  • window and door frames
  • Furniture
  • paneling
  • vats and chemical tanks

linden tree

Source: Wood_Tilia_platyphyllos.jpg.webp: Achim Raschka (talk) derivative work: IKAl (talk), Wood Tilia platyphyllos shot, edited by Plantopedia, CC BY-SA 3.0

Color and grain:

  • white-yellow heartwood and sapwood
  • red coloring possible
  • silky shiny
  • evenly
  • bright annual rings clearly visible

Particularities:

  • ideal for carving
  • tends to turn blue or green

Resistance:

  • susceptible to fungi and insects
  • not weatherproof
  • not suitable for outdoor construction

Use:

  • handicrafts
  • instrument making
  • toy

Types of P - R

rosewood

Color and grain:

  • very different optics (depending on the species)
  • Rio rosewood almost black
  • East Indian rosewood: purple-brown
  • Honduras rosewood soft pink

Resistance:

  • very durable and stable
  • only the sapwood susceptible to insects
  • gets very old

Particularities:

  • good acoustic properties thanks to high hardness and density

Use:

  • instruments
  • tool handles

pine

Origin:

  • from a botanical point of view pine wood
  • Mediterranean

Color and grain:

  • rough
  • clear annual rings
  • regular rays
  • very bright
  • partly pink discolouration

resistance

  • not weatherproof
  • susceptible to fungi and insects

Particularities:

  • high resin content

Use:

  • Furniture
  • earlier in shipbuilding

lignum vitae

Origin:

  • tropical wood species
  • Middle and South America

Color and grain:

  • tight fiber flow
  • uniform optics
  • fine, scattered pores
  • dark, black-brown
  • sometimes yellowish stripes
  • Sapwood partially stained yellowish

Resistance:

  • weather resistant
  • very resistant to fungi and insects

Particularities:

  • hardest wood in the world
  • high resin content
  • heavy, hard and brittle
  • Tree is under nature protection

Use:

  • construction wood
  • shipbuilding
  • impellers
  • gears
  • tool parts
  • earlier in medicine (blood test)

Black Locust

Origin:

  • Europe, North America, especially the state of Virginia

Color and grain:

  • fine grain
  • elegant look
  • glittering
  • clear wood stripes visible
  • optically referred to as precious wood
  • light yellow to yellow-greenish

Resistance:

  • very resistant to fungi and insects
  • Lasts 15 to 25 years in untreated condition

Particularities:

  • very hard wood
  • still elastic
  • therefore very resilient
  • very productive
  • therefore very cheap
  • important substitute for tropical wood species

Use:

  • garden furniture
  • earlier in mining
  • shipbuilding

European beech

Origin:

  • Europe, Mediterranean. North Africa, some parts of Asia

Color and grain:

  • Sapwood: grey, pink to yellowish
  • The sapwood extends over the entire cross-section of the trunk
  • very old wood has a red core
  • Wood rays in two different sizes
  • overall bright with a homogeneous structure

Resistance:

  • tends to crack in frost

Particularities:

  • one of the most important types of wood in Germany (15% forest share)
  • can be edited well

Use:

  • parquet
  • doors
  • stairs
  • Furniture

Types of T - V

fir

Source: Achim Raschka, Wood Abies alba, edited by Plantopedia, CC BY-SA 3.0

Origin:

  • native

Color and grain:

  • resembles spruce wood
  • round, prominent growth rings
  • no resin canals
  • white to grey
  • increasingly reddish to violet with age

Resistance:

  • only conditionally weatherproof
  • susceptible to fungi and insects

Particularities:

  • resin free
  • elastic
  • good carrying capacity

Use:

  • construction wood
  • Windows and doors
  • musical instruments

teak

origin

  • Asia, South America (Brazil), West Africa

Color and grain:

  • clear structures visible
  • decorative surface structure
  • medium to golden brown
  • Sapwood: white to light grey
  • Heartwood: yellowish green, leathery brown when drying
  • occasional dark streaks

Resistance:

  • very resistant to fungi and pests

Particularities:

  • Strength is similar to oak wood
  • can be edited well
  • Surface feels greasy and oily due to caoutchouc deposits
  • smells partly of rubber and slightly rancid

Use:

  • window and door frames
  • shipbuilding
  • garden furniture
  • park benches
  • interior design
  • exterior construction
  • handicrafts

elm

Color and grain:

  • Field elm (elm): chocolate brown
  • Mountain elm: light brown
  • possible influences of grey, red-brown or green-yellow
  • Sapwood: yellow to grey
  • The sapwood becomes more and more similar to the heartwood over time

Resistance:

  • not weatherproof
  • susceptible to fungi and insects
  • Heartwood very durable underground and in water

Particularities:

  • can be processed well

Use:

  • plywood
  • seating furniture
  • parquet floor
  • handicrafts

Types of W - Z

walnut

Origin:

  • Europe, Eurasia, Himalayas, America

Color and grain:

  • Sapwood: white to pink or grey
  • heartwood: reddish to grey-brown, black stripes
  • American wood is much more even, but darker
  • Annual rings clearly visible

Particularities:

  • very aesthetic, dark wood
  • flexible

Use:

  • sporting rifles
  • handicrafts
  • Restoration of antique furniture
  • furniture in general
  • plywood
  • pianos
  • panels
  • wall coverings

pasture

Source: Karelj, Letokruhy 1, edited from Plantopedia, CC0 1.0

Origin:

  • from CO²-friendly, fast-growing short-rotation plantations

Color and grain:

  • very light sapwood, mostly white, rarely yellow
  • reddish heartwood
  • many piths
  • evenly

Particularities:

  • very soft
  • frays during processing (hardly suitable for smooth surfaces)
  • fast regrowing

Resistance:

  • not weatherproof
  • susceptible to fungi and insects

Use:

  • energetic timber
  • papermaking
  • excelsior manufacture
  • pulp production

aspen

Source: CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=46680, poplar wood, edited from Plantopedia, CC BY-SA 3.0

Origin:

  • Asia, North America

Grain and Color:

  • broad annual rings
  • Annual rings delimited by dark bands
  • structureless
  • pith mark
  • white-grey to brown
  • without nuclear staining

Resistance:

  • not weatherproof
  • Protection against fungal and insect infestation necessary

Particularities:

  • coarse-grained
  • wear resistant
  • soft wood
  • can be pickled well
  • Polishing not possible

Use:

  • formerly for matches
  • Construction wood for low load requirements
  • aircraft construction
  • prosthesis fabrication
  • packaging industry
  • clog production

frequently asked Questions

Where do most tree species come from?

The greatest variety of trees is in the southern hemisphere. Some species grow here that are several million years old. In northern climes, the tree population decreased rapidly due to the ice ages. Nevertheless, around 300 tree species come from northern Europe, northern Asia and North America.The plants have adapted to the climatic conditions, which is why their wood demonstrates a special ability to survive.

Is it true that conifers produce softwood while deciduous trees produce hardwood?

No, that is only partly correct. Although softwood comes mainly from fir trees and co. and hardwood from deciduous trees, there are countless exceptions.

What is the difference between hardwood and softwood?

The kiln density, a fixed standard that indicates the water content, decides whether it is hard or soft wood. "Darr" can be compared to the expression "parched". All species that are lighter than 550 kg/m³ belong to the softwoods and float on the water. Hardwoods are significantly denser. Due to the coarser pores in softwoods, they absorb water better and thus grow faster than hardwood plants.

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