Softwood is
wood from
gymnosperm trees such as
conifers. The term is opposed to
hardwood, which is the wood from
angiosperm trees. The main differences between hardwoods and softwoods is that the structure of hardwoods lack
resin canals, whereas softwoods lack pores[clarification needed] (though not all softwoods have resin canals).[1]
Characteristics
Softwood is
wood from
gymnosperm trees such as
pines and
spruces. Softwoods are not necessarily softer than hardwoods.[2] The hardest hardwoods are much harder than any softwood,[3] but in both groups there is enormous variation with the range of wood hardness of the two groups overlapping. For example,
balsa wood, which is a hardwood, is softer than most softwoods, whereas the
longleaf pine,
Douglas fir, and
yew softwoods are much harder than several hardwoods.[citation needed]
Softwoods are generally most used by the construction industry and are also used to produce
paper pulp, and card products.[4] In many of these applications, there is a constant need for density and thickness monitoring and gamma-ray sensors have shown good performance in this case.[5]
Certain species of softwood are more resistant to insect attack from
woodworm, as certain insects prefer damp hardwood.
Yew - interior and exterior furniture (e.g., chairs, gate posts and wood turning)
Applications
Softwood is the source of about 80% of the world's production of
timber,[8] with traditional centres of production being the
Baltic region (including
Scandinavia and
Russia),
North America and China. Softwood is typically used in construction as structural carcassing timber, as well as finishing timber.
^Beigzadeh, A.M. (2019). "Design, modelling and construction of a continuous nuclear gauge for measuring the fluid levels". Measurement. 138: 157–161.
doi:
10.1016/j.measurement.2019.02.017.
S2CID115945689.