TIMBERS

Types of Timber 2
 Natural timbers:
hardwoods
Oak Mahogany
• Comes from a tree
with broad leaves
• Takes 100 years to
be big enough to

Ash
Beech Balsa
use for timber
• Hardwoods trees
are rarely planted
Jelutong Birch and are rare and
expensive
 Natural timbers: Softwoods

Pine
Comes from a tree with needle like trees and seeds
in a cone

Larch Takes 30 years to be big enough to use for timber

Softwood trees can be grown commercially, which is

Cedar why softwood timber are cheaper than hardwood
timber

Most softwood trees are evergreen, meaning they

have leaves all year
 Manufactured
timbers
Plywood
◦ Manufactured boards use timber to
make a board that has different
properties to plain timber.

Medium
Density
Fibreboard
Sources and Origins of Timber

Different types of tree grow naturally in different parts of the world, due to
different climates. In the past, this influenced which timbers were used in
manufacturing, but globalisation means timber and goods are moved
around the world. Most softwoods naturally grow in colder regions. Some
hardwoods grow in temperate climate, such as Europe, while others grow in
tropical rainforests.
The physical characteristics
of timber
◦ Knots
◦ Colour
◦ Grain structure
◦ Density