Is White Birch A Hardwood Or Softwood

The wood is generally straight grained with a fine uniform texture and is generally characterized by a plain often curly or wavy pattern.

Is white birch a hardwood or softwood.

Heartwood tends to be a light reddish brown with nearly white sapwood. Yellow birch and white birch are the two most commonly found in woodworking. Birch has a white sapwood and light reddish brown heartwood. A hardwood log will typically burn longer and hotter than a softwood log that s cut and split to the same size.

Paper birch is a small to medium sized deciduous broadleaf tree found throughout the interior of british columbia. Softwoods tend to burn faster and leave finer ash compared to hardwoods. Fir is the best choice but other softwoods include pine balsam spruce cedar tamarack alder and poplar. Softwood is the cheapest type of wood you can buy.

Occasionally figured pieces are available with a wide shallow curl similar to the curl found in cherry there is virtually no color distinction between annual growth rings giving birch a somewhat dull uniform appearance. Softwoods have very similar btu or heat output values. Birch is a native hardwood that comes from the genus betula. The density of a wood is determined based on the multiple growths and physiological factors such as age diameter height radial growth geographical location site and growing conditions etc.

On a hardness scale birch lumber ranks at the top with hard rock maple and in fact is often mistaken for maple. There are over a dozen species of birch trees native to north america but the most common are white birch yellow birch and black birch. Paper birch also known as white birch is used for lumber veneer plywood and pulpwood and its smooth uniform texture makes it a popular choice for household items toys and products such as wooden spoons and toothpicks. Wood is categorized into two groups based on their density as softwood and hardwood.

It s interesting to note that pound for pound and dried to the same moisture content hardwoods vs. Other soft hardwoods.