In forestry and lumber, this classifies wood from coniferous trees like pine, spruce, fir, and cedar. The term is botanical, referring to the lack of vessels in the wood structure, rather than its physical hardness. Softwoods account for the vast majority of dimensional lumber and pulpwood used in construction and paper manufacturing because they grow quickly and have long, strong fibers.
Heard on the job
The mill just dropped their price on softwood pulp, so we might hold off on harvesting the spruce stand.
Insider tip
The name can be misleading to newcomers. Some softwoods, like yew, are physically much harder than many hardwoods, like balsa.
Also heard as
- conifer