What does softwood mean?
Softwood names the wood of coniferous trees, including pines, firs, spruces, and cedars. Its distinctive feature is that it is generally softer, lighter, and easier to cut, shape, and join than hardwood, which comes from broad-leaved trees. This makes softwood useful for construction, furniture, packaging, paper, and many other products, although the term describes a broad category rather than one single type of timber. The word is also used attributively, as in “softwood lumber,” to identify material or products made from coniferous wood. Although “soft” can sometimes suggest weakness, it refers here to physical density and workability, not to the strength or quality of the tree. The distinction between softwood and hardwood is especially important to builders, carpenters, foresters, and manufacturers who select materials for particular purposes.
Wood obtained from a coniferous tree, typically relatively soft, light, and easy to work.
"The shelter was made from inexpensive softwood and then insulated against the cold."
The term is common in forestry, construction, woodworking, and manufacturing. It denotes a category of timber rather than a specific species.
Relating to, consisting of, or made from wood obtained from coniferous trees.
"The furniture maker chose softwood panels for the shelving."
This attributive use commonly occurs in combinations such as “softwood lumber,” “softwood timber,” and “softwood species.”
Use “softwoods” for multiple kinds or pieces of softwood, or for multiple coniferous trees regarded in the relevant sense.
"Pine and spruce are among the most widely used softwoods in construction."
Calling a tree “soft” does not mean it is feeble: its wood is simply softer and easier to shape than the dense timber of many broad-leaved trees.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Where does softwood come from?
Softwood is an English compound formed from “soft” and “wood,” both of which have Old English ancestry. The compound arose as a practical classification for timber, contrasting wood obtained from coniferous trees with the harder wood of broad-leaved trees. Its relatives “softly” and “softness” derive from the same Old English root represented by “soft,” while “soften” was formed within the Middle English period from that root.
How softwood is actually used
Softwood is standard in British and American English, especially in forestry, construction, woodworking, and the timber industry. In general use, it refers to the wood of coniferous trees rather than to the trees themselves; although many conifers are commonly called evergreens, the terms are not exact equivalents.
Easily confused with softwood
Softwood comes from coniferous trees, whereas hardwood comes from broad-leaved trees and is generally denser and harder to work.