Is Balsa Wood A Hardwood

The trees are harvested after six to 10 years of growth.

Is balsa wood a hardwood.

The term hardwood has nothing to do with the hardness of the timber it relates to the closeness of the grain. The name balsa comes from the spanish word for raft. The green balsa wood is the one that contains five times more water by weight than the actual wood substance. 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.

The terms hardwood and softwood don t relate to the weight or density of the wood but to the tree type. Balsa wood is the lightest and softest commercial hardwood timber. Hardwood trees are angiosperms mostly decidous in the northern hemisphere but evergreens in the southern hemisphere while softwoods are conifers. Over 90 of commercial balsa wood is exported from ecuador.

Density 160 120 220 kgm3 commercially preferred density range 120 160kgm3. Being a deciduous angiosperm balsa is classified as a hardwood despite the wood itself being very soft. Hardwood is a tightly grained timber such as eucalyptus or balsa wood. Balsa is classified as a hardwood and is actually the softest commercial hardwood available.

High quality balsa that is balsa with a very low density can be rather expensive when purchased at hobby stores or other specialty outlets. There are many more types of hardwood trees than there are softwood. This wood is far from the other hardwood that you can see in the market since it has more water in it. The term hardwood has nothing to do with the hardness of the timber it relates to the closeness of the grain.

It is the softest commercial hardwood. The balsa tree ochroma pyramidale is a fast growing hardwood tree which grows extremely well in the in sub tropical rain forests of ecuador. Hardwood is a tightly grained timber such as eucalyptus or balsa wood. White to oatmeal in colour with high silky lustre.