Is Balsa Wood A Hardwood

Hardwood is a tightly grained timber such as eucalyptus or balsa wood.

Is balsa wood a hardwood.

The name balsa comes from the spanish word for raft. Strength and stiffness approximately 50 that of baltic pine pinus sylvestris. Balsa wood is the lightest and softest commercial hardwood timber. The balsa tree ochroma pyramidale is a fast growing hardwood tree which grows extremely well in the in sub tropical rain forests of ecuador.

Larger boards and lumber sold through typical hardwood dealers is hard to find but generally has a better cost per board foot than other sources. High quality balsa that is balsa with a very low density can be rather expensive when purchased at hobby stores or other specialty outlets. The term hardwood has nothing to do with the hardness of the timber it relates to the closeness of the grain. The trees are harvested after six to 10 years of growth.

The balsa wood has a solid volume that only consists of 40 of the entire tree. Hardwood is a tightly grained timber such as eucalyptus or balsa wood. White to oatmeal in colour with high silky lustre. Being a deciduous angiosperm balsa is classified as a hardwood despite the wood itself being very soft.

The terms hardwood and softwood don t relate to the weight or density of the wood but to the tree type. Balsa is classified as a hardwood and is actually the softest commercial hardwood available. This wood is far from the other hardwood that you can see in the market since it has more water in it. Balsa lumber is very soft and light with a coarse open grain.

Over 90 of commercial balsa wood is exported from ecuador. Hardwood trees are angiosperms mostly decidous in the northern hemisphere but evergreens in the southern hemisphere while softwoods are conifers. The term hardwood has nothing to do with the hardness of the timber it relates to the closeness of the grain. Density 160 120 220 kgm3 commercially preferred density range 120 160kgm3.