Discover the differences between hardwood and softwood and learn about various types of wood used in woodworking, construction, and furniture making, complete with pictures and easy-to-understand descriptions.
Whether you’re a seasoned DIYer with a passion for woodworking or a beginner just starting to pick up a drill, you probably already know that not all wood is equal. There are hundreds of different species of trees on our planet, and the wood derived from them ranges in quality, price, traits, and practical applications.
Instead of having to sort through things at the home improvement store on your own, I’ve compiled a quick guide to a few of the major types of wood and what they’re good for, so you can confidently start your next project with the right lumber for you.
Keep reading for a walkthrough a few different types of wood with pictures and descriptions, or check out some of my woodworking projects here!
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Please read the whole post so you don’t miss any important information!
This post really falls into the category of “posts I needed for myself” because occasionally I get stuck, trying to decide what to use for a project. So I hope it will help you- don’t forget to get my free woodworking printable for new subscribers!
Also- keep in mind that the prices are ALWAYS changing and they may differ from location to location.
Hardwood vs. Softwood
Hardwood and softwood are two of the largest categories that wood falls under. Whether a tree is hardwood or softwood is decided by the tree it’s cut from. Hardwood trees come from deciduous trees that lose their leaves in the winter, while softwoods come from conifers. Each type has different pros and cons that make them ideal for different projects, like construction or furniture making.
Softwood
Softwood is a lightweight wood that comes from evergreen trees and is less dense than hardwood. It’s the main type of wood used in home construction, as it’s not as expensive and still fairly durable compared to hardwood. It’s also a common wood used in furniture, fencing, siding, and more. Softwood is more flexible than hardwood, making it a little easier to work with as it’s easier to physically move and transport, cut, and pierce with nails or screws. It’s stainable and paintable, like hardwood, and it’s often pressure treated to protect it from weather and pests. Softwood trees grow faster than hardwood trees and can be harvested earlier, making it a more sustainable option as well.
Some popular types of softwood are pine, cedar, Douglas fir, and spruce. Some of these, like cedar and pine, have specific benefits like natural oils that prevent pests and rotting. Some pine trees (Southern Yellow Pine, more specifically) are structured perfectly for pressure treating.
Hardwood
Hardwood is a class of wood that is more dense than softwood trees, making it more durable but also more expensive in most cases. It comes from mature hardwood trees that take longer to grow, so it’s best saved for smaller-scale projects. This type of wood is great for making furniture, flooring, or decorative pieces for your home. Popular types of hardwood are oak, walnut, maple, mahogany, and hickory wood. Hardwoods often show an aesthetically pleasing grain or wood color that many people like to show off with a stain and varnish as opposed to painting over it.
Engineered Wood
Engineered wood is neither hardwood nor softwood, this type encompasses many types of wood made by binding different types of real wood together, usually made from scraps like sawdust, wood chips, shredded wood, and wood fiber strands. They’re often pressed together with adhesives like wood glue or resin to create a wood-like product that can be stronger, more durable, resistant to weathering and moisture, or cheaper than regular lumber, but often don’t look as good as regular wood.
It’s sometimes easier to find large beams of engineered wood because they’re man-made instead of cut from a tree, and it can be more sustainable than using old-growth lumber. Some kinds of engineered wood are more resistant to chipping, splitting, and warping than regular wood.
A few types of commonly-used engineered wood are plywood, MDF, OSB, and particle board. More on those below, where we’ll delve into types of wood used for construction.
Pressure Treated vs. Not (Untreated Wood)
Some lumber is pressure treated and some is not. Pressure treated wood is treated with chemicals to help prevent it from rotting, decaying, or being susceptible to insects.
The chemicals used to treat the wood make it generally a bad idea to use for indoor projects.
Types of Wood for Construction
Some types of wood are ideal for building and construction purposes. Here’s a quick rundown of a few of the popular ones:
Dimensional Lumber
Dimensional lumber can be made from either hard or soft wood, but it’s been pre-cut and milled into standard sizes of boards that are used in construction and DIY woodworking projects. Dimensional lumber is available at most home improvement stores, though larger sizes outside of the standard 2 inch range may be limited and harder to find.
These dimensional lumbers include 2x4s, 2x8s, etc.
Essentially, they’re all cut to common sizes that builders or woodworkers might need.
Common Board
Common board is wood that is lower grade and likely not finished or sanded. You may need to do a little bit more prep work before using it.
Unlike plywood, your edges are pretty. You can cut the wood wherever you want and the end grain will still look good… However, you will want to sand it so it’s smooth and doesn’t give you splinters.
These common boards are usually only sold in widths of up to 12″ (I believe) so if you need something that is wider, you really either need to combine a couple pieces or get something like plywood that is wider and can be cut wider.
Common board is not going to be as cheap to use for something like shelving as plywood.
Plywood
There are many different types of plywood that are generally sold as 4×8 panels.
Plywood is a type of composite board that’s made from thin layers of wood veneer called plies. The layers are glued together in alternating directions to create a stronger cross-grain that doesn’t shrink or expand as much as natural wood and makes it uniformly flat and sturdy across the whole board. It’s more stiff than other types of particle boards like MDF or OSB, making it more ideal for bearing moderate amounts of weight and withstanding use over time.
Higher quality plywood usually costs quite a bit more. You’re going to use it for projects like building furniture or shelves in your home. It’s usually well sanded already so you’re not stuck doing a lot of extra work to finish the wood.
Lower quality plywood is usually something that’s going to go some place that won’t be seen or someplace that you won’t care if it gets seen.
For example, I have very low-grade quality plywood on the floor of my barn tack room. If you ran your hand over it, you would probably get a splinter. Not a big deal for a tack room floor, however.
Just keep in mind that there are different thicknesses of plywood- and that matters.
You don’t always need 3/4-in plywood but sometimes you will. I only build shelves with 3/4 in plywood because it tends to be sturdier and it will likely last longer.
A half inch plywood is often used by companies who build shelves. While it is an option, the 3/4 in is definitely an upgrade that you might want, particularly if you have long shelves that might bow if You put too much weight on them.
A quarter inch plywood is actually really useful for certain projects, but you wouldn’t build a shelf out of it unless you were supporting the quarter inch plywood with a base made of regular lumber.
The reality is that building something takes quite a bit of time so don’t cut corners. If you’re going to cut corners, just buy a shelf from the store.
The one thing you want to understand about plywood is that it’s compressed wood that has been adhered together using glues. This means that not all plywood is made the same. Some plywood companies are more cautious than others about making sure that their glues are safe for use in things such as children’s furniture.
The other thing to remember is that the edges are raw. They don’t look like wood grain so you want to cover them up in some way when you’re finished if you care about aesthetics anyways.
Plywood is less likely to sag or warp under heavy loads than a product such as MDF.
Underlayment
When you create a floor and frame it out with wood, usually you put subfloor on top. Underlayment is what you put on top of that. It helps provide a smooth surface for the flooring to go down.
MDF
MDF, or Medium-density fiberboard, is made from strands of wood bound together by resin and wax. It’s often used as an alternative to real wood and is heavier than plywood and other kinds of engineered wood, but ranks about the same in terms of strength.
MDF is pretty similar to plywood as it is sold in 4×8 sheets and is made of glued together wood stuffs.
Plywood however has a wood grain and MDF does not. The nice thing about MDF is that you get a nice smooth surface and edges that can be cut cleanly without a lot of splintering.
If you have shelves where load bearing is not going to be an issue, this might be a great choice.
MDF is less resistant to moisture and humidity compared to MDF which has been a reason that I hesitate to use it in my home. I tend to be prone to spilling things and I really don’t want to ruin my hard work with one accident. MDF should not be used outside at all, and would only be appropriate for indoor use in most cases.
I believe MDF is generally a little lower priced than plywood as well.
OSB
OSB stands for Oriented Strand Board. It uses long pieces of wood chips and waterproof adhesive to create a strong fiberboard. The wood chips are placed in particular spots and directions to increase the durability of the board, which also makes it a little more expensive than some other particleboard options.
OSB is also an engineered wood product, but cosmetically it is not as attractive as plywood. The wood is engineered for strength and rigidity, and it’s a cost effective option for flooring, roofing and siding.
When used for siding, it’s either treated or it’s covered with some other material(s) as it’s really not supposed to be exposed to moisture.
For example, this could go on the framed exterior walls of a home, then you would put a barrier over it, and then place your vinyl siding over that. In that situation, you’re generally doing a good job trying to make sure there’s no gaps where rain could seep through.
Particle Board
Particle board is made of waste from sawmills, where they cut logs down into boards and compress wood chips, sawdust, resin, and adhesives into boards. It’s got a lower density than MDF and isn’t as strong as plywood, but it’s great for keeping costs down on large-volume projects like making cabinets.
Particle Board is a cheap alternative to MDF or plywood and it is prone to swelling or deteriorating if exposed to moisture. It can often be used for furniture and cabinets, but generally is covered with something that is more durable. Like MDF and plywood, particle board is an engineered wood product.
PVC Trim
I really like using PVC trim, mostly because I’m lazy and don’t want to paint. Technically, however, you’re supposed to paint the PVC trim I believe.
But I often buy PVC trim for trimming out Windows, interior or exterior, you just want to make sure you get the correct grade for where they’re going to go. Some PVC trim is intended for indoors versus outdoors.
Even if you need to paint it, you do get to skip the priming stage which is pretty sweet. I’m willing to do some trade-offs in order to save on labor.
T1-11
I’ve used t11 quite a few times as walls for outdoor structures such as my goat shed. It’s an economical option but a bit of a pain to paint because of the gaps. This can be alleviated if you use a paint sprayer.
Overall, no complaints about it. It’s easy to install. They come in 4×8 sheets. And they overlap each other. You can hang them either vertically or horizontally, depending on which way you think looks nicer.
Smart Siding
This is an engineered wood product used for home siding. It’s treated to avoid rot, decay, and insect damage, and it’s supposed to be less maintenance than wood siding. It’s an alternative to vinyl siding, more ecofriendly, but more difficult to install (although I can’t imagine that it would be bad).
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