What is Softwood?

Softwood comes from gymnosperm trees, the cone-bearing species with needles instead of broad leaves. Conifers grow faster than hardwoods, which makes softwood abundant, renewable, and affordable. About 80% of all lumber traded worldwide is softwood.

Common softwood types in woodworking and construction:

• Pine (southern yellow pine, eastern white pine, ponderosa): The most widely used softwood. Southern yellow pine is dense and strong (Janka 690-870), used for structural lumber, decking, and furniture. Eastern white pine is softer (Janka 380), easy to work, and popular for shelving and trim.
• Spruce (Sitka, Engelmann): Light, straight-grained, and stiff for its weight. The primary species in SPF (spruce-pine-fir) construction lumber. Sitka spruce is prized for musical instrument soundboards.
• Cedar (western red cedar, aromatic cedar): Naturally rot-resistant and insect-resistant. The standard choice for outdoor furniture, fencing, siding, and decks. Aromatic cedar lines closets and chests for moth protection.
• Douglas fir: One of the strongest softwoods (Janka 660). Used for structural beams, timbers, and plywood. The face veneer on much of the construction-grade plywood in North America is Douglas fir.

Cost: softwood lumber runs $1-5 per board foot for construction grades, $3-8 for clear (knot-free) grades. A standard 2x4x8 foot stud costs $3-6. By comparison, the cheapest hardwood (poplar) starts around $3-4 per board foot.

Cutting softwood is the easiest of all wood types. Softwood cuts cleanly with almost any blade, resists chipping, and produces less wear on cutting tools than hardwood or MDF. A 24-tooth framing blade handles rough cuts. For cleaner finish cuts, step up to a 40-tooth combination blade.

Softwood sheets (pine plywood, spruce plywood) work the same as any sheet good in SmartCutList, with no special considerations beyond selecting the correct sheet dimensions.