Is Aspen Wood A Hardwood Or Softwood

The wood laser engraves and cuts great.

Is aspen wood a hardwood or softwood.

The supposed superiority of hardwood over softwood isn t so cut and dried either. Aspen is very easy to work with and cut. Unseasoned dogwood is considerably less hard and dense rating around 1410 on the janka scale. First it is virtually unobtainable and not commercially available outside of its natural range in central south america.

So despite being made of softwood syp panels are actually heavier stronger and stiffer than aspen. However the wood is omitted from this list for two main reasons. It does not split easily and takes nails and screws well. By comparison white oak is rated 1360 and eastern white pine is 380.

But where aspen is a softer hardwood it is also noted for being extremely stable. But in addition to being an excellent material for wood carving aspen also has many other uses in nature and has been used widely in various industries. And what is it used for. 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.

Aspen is considered a hardwood and syp is a class of softwood species yet syp species have a higher density than aspen. Aspen has creamy white sapwood with heartwood that changes from brown to greyish white without any visible transition. Working properties aspen does not split when nailed it machines easily with a slightly fuzzy surface and turns bores and sands well. To quickly answer that question aspen is classed as a hardwood making it great for carving.

The contrast between sap and heartwood is small. But aspen has its perks too. Aspen is less prone to expansion and contraction during temperature and moisture changes in its environment as well as being less likely to warp cup or crown. When properly seasoned this wood rates a 2150 on the janka hardness scale which measures units of force.

Sapwood is white blending into the light brown heartwood. Aspen is excellent for mouldings toys and caskets. A hardwood named quipo cavanillesia platanifolia is commonly reported as the softest known wood with an alleged janka hardness of 22 lb f 98 n. Aspen is the whitest wood we carry and makes a great substitute for holly.

What does this mean. Classifying wood as either a hardwood or softwood comes down to its physical structure and makeup and so it is overly simple to think of hardwoods as being hard and durable compared to soft and workable softwoods. In terms of texture its grain is fine with diffuse pores. Although aspen is a hardwood species it is offered by the majority of softwood manufacturers.

The wood is straight grained and has a fine uniform texture.