Is White Birch A Hardwood Or Softwood

Wood is categorized into two groups based on their density as softwood and hardwood.

Is white birch a hardwood or softwood.

Birch is reserved for butcher blocks some tool handles and specialty. 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. 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. Softwoods have very similar btu or heat output values.

Softwoods tend to burn faster and leave finer ash compared to hardwoods. Heartwood tends to be a light reddish brown with nearly white sapwood. Birch is a native hardwood that comes from the genus betula. On a hardness scale birch lumber ranks at the top with hard rock maple and in fact is often mistaken for maple.

The wood is generally straight grained with a fine uniform texture and is generally characterized by a plain often curly or wavy pattern. Softwood is the cheapest type of wood you can buy. 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. 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. This happens to be generally true but there are exceptions such as in the cases of wood from yew trees a softwood that is relatively hard and wood from balsa trees a. It s interesting to note that pound for pound and dried to the same moisture content hardwoods vs. Paper birch is a small to medium sized deciduous broadleaf tree found throughout the interior of british columbia.

Other soft hardwoods. Fir is the best choice but other softwoods include pine balsam spruce cedar tamarack alder and poplar.