Softwood Wood
Conifers — the structural timbers. Reference density at air-dried moisture content, and what each one is specified for.
What this group isthe rule that puts a species here
Softwoods come from conifers: pines, firs, spruces, cedars, larches and their relatives. The name describes the tree family, not the timber. Several entries here are harder than several entries in the hardwood group, and the density alongside each species is the number that settles it.
The structural reason this group dominates building work is growth rate. Conifers put on usable timber far faster than most broad-leaved trees, so a softwood board of a given section costs a fraction of a hardwood one. Framing, decking, fencing and sheathing are all specified from this group, and the spans are calculated against the dressed size — see the lumber size database for those.
Softwoods are also where the moisture content matters most in practice. Structural material is routinely sold unseasoned, and green stock is dressed to a slightly larger size than the dry equivalent because it will shrink into the dry size. The lumber size pages tabulate both.
Where the line fallscases this grouping does not settle
- Grouped by tree family, so a softwood that is harder than some hardwoods is still listed here. Check the density rather than the label for anything load bearing.
- Cedar and redwood appear here on strength and rot resistance, not on hardness — neither is a dense timber.
Conifers. Also botanical, and nothing to do with the surface hardness of the timber: longleaf pine is harder than several of the hardwoods above.
Densityevery softwood entry, heaviest first
All wood- Larch — 0.58 g/cm³ · 580 kg/m³
- Pine (Southern Yellow) — 0.55 g/cm³ · 550 kg/m³
- Fir (Douglas) — 0.53 g/cm³ · 530 kg/m³
- Cypress (Bald) — 0.48 g/cm³ · 480 kg/m³
- Cedar (Eastern Red) — 0.47 g/cm³ · 470 kg/m³
- Hemlock (Western) — 0.47 g/cm³ · 470 kg/m³
- Spruce (Sitka) — 0.43 g/cm³ · 430 kg/m³
- Redwood — 0.42 g/cm³ · 420 kg/m³
- Cedar (Western Red) — 0.37 g/cm³ · 370 kg/m³
Density profilevs water 1.00 · aluminium 2.70
Frequently asked questionsabout the softwood group
Is softwood a statement about hardness?
No. It is a botanical split — broad-leaved trees versus conifers. Balsa is a hardwood at 0.16 g/cm³ and longleaf pine is a softwood at 0.55 g/cm³, so the label on its own tells you nothing about the surface. Use the density figure for anything load bearing.
What does the density figure actually let me do?
Turn a size into a weight. Multiply the volume by the density and you have a shipping or support estimate before anything is cut — the lumber size database does that arithmetic for all 18 nominal sizes across every species in this database, so you can read the figure off directly rather than working it out.
How should I read these densities?
As reference figures for air-dried stock at roughly 12% moisture content, not as a specification for a delivery. Density varies with growth rate, origin and moisture, so treat a single board as being within about ten percent of the figure either way — and remember green timber can be half again as heavy.
Other groupshow the four splits differ
Hardwood
Broad-leaved North American species, with the density figure that decides what each one is good for.
Open Hardwood →Exotic
Imported hardwoods, grouped the way they are bought and sold — by origin, not by botany.
Open Exotic →Engineered
Sheet and laminated products rather than a tree. Density comes from the binder and the press, not from a species.
Open Engineered →