What is the Difference Between Hardwood and Softwood Firewood?
Hard or softwood doesn’t necessarily relate to the hardness or softness of the wood. Most hardwoods do tend to be harder than most softwoods but with some species that’s not always the case. Some hardwoods such as aspen cottonwood and alder are softer than some softwoods. Whether a type of wood is a hardwood or a softwood has more to do with the way the wood fibers are structured. Difference in cellular structure of hardwoods vs softwoods. Hardwood comes from deciduous trees such as oak, tanoak, madrone, myrtle, hickory, elm and maple. Hardwood is more dense burns longer and produces more heat than softwood. Hardwood tends to produce more coals when it burns which produce more radiant heat over a long period of time. This makes hardwoods ideal for wood stoves for heating and cooking. Softwood comes from conifers such as fir, pine, cedar, and redwood. Softwood being less dense and more resinous burns faster and produces less heat than hardwood. Softwood is good for starting fires and ma
