View source for Softwood

{{Short description|Wood from gymnosperm trees such as conifers}}
{{for|the plant propagation technique known as softwood cutting|Cutting (plant)}}
[[file:Pinus sylvestris wood ray section 1 beentree.jpg|thumb|[[Scots pine]], a typical and well-known softwood]]
'''Softwood''' is [[wood]] from [[gymnosperm]] trees such as [[conifer]]s. The term is opposed to [[hardwood]], which is the wood from [[angiosperm]] trees. The main differences between hardwoods and softwoods is that the softwoods completely lack [[Vessel element|vessels]] (pores).<ref>{{cite web | title=Softwood Anatomy | website=The Wood Database | date=2012-11-15 | url=https://www.wood-database.com/wood-articles/softwood-anatomy/ | access-date=2024-09-11}}</ref> The main softwood species (pines, spruces, larches, false tsugas) also have resin canals (or ducts) in their structure.<ref>{{Citation|last1=Bond|first1=Brian|title=Wood Identification for Hardwood and Softwood Species Native to Tennessee|last2=Hamner|first2=Peter}}</ref>

==Characteristics==
[[Image:Hard Soft Wood.jpg|thumb|[[Scanning electron microscope|SEM]] images showing the presence of pores in hardwoods ([[oak]], top) and absence in softwoods ([[pine]], bottom)]]
Softwood is [[wood]] from [[gymnosperm]] trees such as [[pine]]s and [[spruce]]s. Softwoods are not necessarily softer than hardwoods.<ref name="Buckley">{{cite web|last1=Buckley|first1=Michael|title=A basic guide to softwoods and hardwoods|url=http://www.worldhardwoods.com/files/articles_basicguide.pdf|publisher=worldhardwoods.com|date=2005|access-date=1 October 2017|archive-date=19 August 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190819093840/http://www.worldhardwoods.com/files/articles_basicguide.pdf|url-status=dead}}</ref> The hardest hardwoods are much harder than any softwood,<ref>{{Cite web |title=Top Ten Hardest Woods {{!}} The Wood Database |url=https://www.wood-database.com/top-ten-hardest-woods/ |access-date=2024-03-27 |language=en-US}}</ref> 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 [[Taxus|yew]] softwoods are much harder than several hardwoods.{{citation needed|date=July 2023}}

Several specific natural, macroscopic and microscopic features of wood are used in the identification process of a softwood species.<ref>{{cite web | title= Softwood Identification Criteria| url=http://mantanis.users.uth.gr/Softwood-anatomy.pdf | access-date=2024-12-16}} Presentation by Dr. [[George Mantanis|George I. Mantanis]] (Univ. of Thessaly, 2024)</ref>

Softwoods are generally most used by the construction industry and are also used to produce [[paper pulp]], and card products.<ref name="Ryan">{{cite web|last1=Ryan|first1=V.|title=REVISION CARDS - SOFTWOODS |url=http://www.technologystudent.com/joints/softwoods1.html |date=2012|publisher=technologystudent.com|access-date=1 October 2017}}</ref> 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.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Beigzadeh |first1=A.M. |title=Design, modelling and construction of a continuous nuclear gauge for measuring the fluid levels |journal=Measurement |date=2019 |volume=138 |pages=157–161 |doi=10.1016/j.measurement.2019.02.017 |s2cid=115945689 }}</ref>

Certain species of softwood are more resistant to insect attack from [[woodworm]], as certain insects prefer damp hardwood.

==Examples of softwood trees and uses==
* [[Douglas fir]] - [[Woodworking joints|joinery]], doors and heavy construction
* [[Eastern white pine]] - furniture
* [[European spruce]] - used throughout construction, panelling and cladding
* [[Larch]] - cladding and boats
* [[Lodgepole pine]] - roofing, flooring and in making chipboard and [[particle board]]<ref>{{cite web|title=Things we make from softwood trees|url=https://www.forestry.gov.uk/forestry/infd-52jc96|date=11 July 2017|publisher=forestry.gov.uk|access-date=1 October 2017|archive-date=2 October 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171002022028/https://www.forestry.gov.uk/forestry/infd-52jc96|url-status=dead}}</ref>
* [[Pinus radiata|Monterey pine]]
* [[Parana pine]] - stair treads and joinery (critically endangered)
* [[Scots pine]] - construction industry, mostly for interior work
* [[Sitka spruce]]<ref>{{cite web|last1=Harding|first1=T.|title=British Softwoods:Properties and Uses|date=1988|url=https://www.forestry.gov.uk/PDF/FCBU077.pdf/$FILE/FCBU077.pdf|publisher=forestry.gov.uk|access-date=1 October 2017|archive-date=2 October 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171002022010/https://www.forestry.gov.uk/PDF/FCBU077.pdf/$FILE/FCBU077.pdf|url-status=dead}}</ref>
* [[Southern yellow pine]] - joinery, flooring and [[Deck (building)|decking]]
* [[Western hemlock]] - doors, joinery and furniture
* [[Western red cedar]] (or red cedar) - furniture, decking, [[Cladding (construction)|cladding]], and [[roof shingles]] 
* [[Yew]] - interior and exterior furniture (e.g., chairs, gate posts and wood turning)

==Applications==
Softwood is the source of about 70% of the world's annual production of [[lumber]],<ref>{{cite web | title= Proceedings - 72nd Softwood Conference| url=https://www.lecommercedubois.org/files/upload/actualites/ISC_2024/MS_SC_Taormina.pdf | access-date=2025-10-29}}</ref> with traditional centers of production being mainly the [[USA]] and Canada, [[Russia]], [[China]], [[Germany]], and [[Scandinavia]].<ref>{{cite web | title= United States Forest Products Annual Market Review and Prospects: Country Market Report, 2021-2025| url=https://unece.org/sites/default/files/2023-11/US_FPMAR_2023-2024_Nov3.pdf | access-date=2025-10-29}}</ref> Softwood is typically used in construction as structural carcassing timber, as well as finishing timber.

==See also==
*[[List of woods]]
* [[United States – Canada softwood lumber dispute]]
*[[Hardwood]]
*[[Janka hardness test]]
*[[Brinell scale]]

== References ==
{{Reflist}}
==External links==
* {{commonscat-inline}}
{{Woodworking}}
{{Authority control}}
{{Portal bar|Trees}}

[[Category:Forestry]]
[[Category:Timber industry]]
[[Category:Wood products]]
[[Category:Woodworking]]
[[Category:Types of wood|softwood]]
[[Category:Wood-related terminology]]