If you are new to using timber in your home projects, you may be confused about some of the woods on offer.
We often talk about softwood and it’s benefits to our customers, but not everyone may know what exactly softwood is. So, we thought we would take a moment to explain the ins and outs of this great product and answer some common questions about softwood.
What is softwood?
Softwood is any lumber that has been cut from evergreen or conifer trees, such as cedar, larches, pine or spruce. The other class of wood is hardwood, which comes from angiosperms, such as walnut, hickory or maple.
What are the benefits of softwood?
Softwood is generally easier to work with, as it is lighter and easier to cut. It is more sustainable, as softwood trees grow much faster than hardwood, and are considered a very renewable source of timber. Softwood timbers tend to be cheaper than hardwood, as they’re easier to come by.
What does softwood look like?
Normally, softwood is light-colored, is very knotty and has a less distinct grain than hardwood. The knots are circles which come from the many branches of softwood trees.
What is softwood used for?
It is often used for cladding, decking, flooring, paneling, structural framing, beams, poles, benchtops, furniture and cabinets.
What softwood is available at Bedford Timber?
Bedford Timber Supplies stock large volumes of planed joinery softwood, principally from Scandinavia with a selected range from Europe. These high-quality, slow-grown timbers are ideal for planing and machining as they can be used for numerous purposes.
Find out more about what Softwood is available on our Bedford Softwood Page or St. Neots Softwood Page .