White Birch Hardwood Or Softwood

Birch is reserved for butcher blocks some tool handles and specialty.

White birch hardwood or softwood.

Other soft hardwoods. Grey birch sliver birch white to cream colored sapwood close grain fine uniform texture. In general hardwood comes from deciduous trees leafy or flowering trees that generally lose their leaves in winter. Western white birch this birch lumber is usually creamy white but a central brownish natural or red heart core is often present.

Birch is a native hardwood that comes from the genus betula. Softwoods include pine redwood and cedar. On a hardness scale birch lumber ranks at the top with hard rock maple and in fact is often mistaken for maple. There are over a dozen species of birch trees native to north america but the most common are white birch yellow birch and black birch.

And softwood comes from conifer trees that are generally evergreen. Betula alleghaniensis common names. Two main varieties of birch for building purposes are yellow and white. White birch has a whiter colour resembling the light creamy colours of maple wood and can be indistinguishable between the two.

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. Natural colour or red heart is often sought after for it s character colour range. Yellow birch varies from pale yellow to white in colour with reddish brown heartwood.