Softwood v Hardwood
Y11 Seating Design
Wood Words!!!
You will find these words in the reading you are going to do on this document .
Match the meanings of them now, using arrows.
Word | | Meaning |
Coniferous | | A large quantity of something. A lot of. |
Deciduous | | Conifer trees that do not lose their leaves in the winter. Evergreen. |
Abundance | | How something looks. |
Durability | | To be easily affected by something. |
Aesthetic | | A tree that loses its leaves every year. |
Susceptible | | The ability to last over time |
Appearance
Appearance: Softwood and hardwood often have different appearances. Softwood tends to have a lighter color, with variations of yellow, white, or light brown. Hardwood, on the other hand, can have a wider range of colors, including light tones like ash or darker hues like walnut.
Growth Rate: Softwood trees generally grow faster than hardwood trees. This faster growth results in softer wood with larger gaps between the cells. Hardwood trees grow slower, resulting in denser and more compact wood.
Highlight the readings in these colours | ||
Types of wood | Qualities | Uses / Reasons |
| Softwood | Hardwood |
What colours are available? | Lighter colours with variations of yellow, white, or light brown. | Light tones, ash or dark tones like walnut. |
What is the growth rate? | Grows faster, which makes the wood much softer with larger gaps between the cells. | Grows slower, which results in the tree being denser and more compact. |
What is good / not good for my design? | The light colours fit the aesthetic my client has visioned. | My client will have a wide wide of colour options to choose from. the more compact wood could be better for the outside environment. |
Cost
Source: Softwood comes from coniferous trees, such as pine, spruce, fir, and cedar. Hardwood, on the other hand, comes from deciduous trees, such as oak, maple, cherry, and mahogany.
Cost: Softwood is generally less expensive than hardwood due to its abundance and faster growth rate. Hardwood is often considered more valuable and can be more costly.
Highlight the readings in these colours | ||
Types of wood | Qualities | Uses / Reasons |
| Softwood | Hardwood |
What kind of trees do these wood come from? | Pine, spruce, fir, cedar. | Oak, maple, cherry, mahogany. |
What is the cost and why? | Less expensive because of its abundance and grows fast. | Costs more because it’s considered more valuable. |
What is good / not good for my design? | It’s cost is much cheaper, making buying it in an abundance less costly. | Though it is more expensive, hardwood is more valuable so it could be of better quality. |
Durability
Durability: Hardwood is generally more durable and resistant to wear and tear than softwood. It is less prone to dents and scratches, making it suitable for applications where strength and durability are essential. Softwood is less durable and more susceptible to damage.
Highlight the readings in these colours | ||
Types of wood | Qualities | Uses / Reasons |
| Softwood | Hardwood |
How durable is this type of wood? | Softwood is more susceptible and prone to damage, less durable than hardwood. | Hardwood is more durable than softwood, being more resistant to wear and tears. |
What are the effects of the durability? | It’s more likely to get scratches, and damage more easily than hardwoods. | They’re going to last much longer. It’s less prone to dents and scratches. |
What is good / not good for my design? | This isn’t good for my design as the chair can be easily scratched and damaged in the environment it’ll reside in. | This is great for my design due to the durability aspect, since my chair will be used exclusively outdoors. |
Applications
Applications: Softwood is commonly used in construction, woodworking, and outdoor projects such as decking, fencing, and framing. Hardwood is often favored for high-quality furniture, cabinetry, flooring, and decorative applications due to its strength, durability, and aesthetic appeal.
Highlight the readings in these colours | ||
Types of wood | Qualities | Uses / Reasons |
| Softwood | Hardwood |
What applications is this wood used for? | Softwood is most commonly used in construction, woodworking. It’s used a lot for outdoor projects such as decking, fencing, and farming. | Hardwood is used mainly for its aesthetic appeal due to its strength and durability. Such as high quality furniture, cabinetry, flooring. And decoratives. |
What do you think the differences between the applications are? | Since softwood isn’t hard to produce, it’s used for things many people wouldn’t care the appearance of as it could be easily replaceable. | Unlike softwood, hardwoods are mainly used for things indoors, which people expect to last for long durations, |
What is good / not good for my design? | It’s often used outside which is great for what my client wants, since the design will be used only outside. | It’s strength and durability to last are something my client wants. |
Which is best? Softwood or Hardwood?
Which would be the best wood choice for your design and why?
Think about :
Hardwood will be the best choice for my design, as it is far more durable than softwood. The chair I have designed will be used exclusively outdoors and with hardwood, it’s less likely to get scratches or damages. My client wants to use the chair with their family and guests that may come over, as all sorts of people of different age ranges will be using the chair, it will need to be very durable. The wide range of colours give my client many options to choose from, which will be great.