🕑 Reading time: 1 minute Wood is one of the most used natural building materials in the world. A number of valuable properties such as low heat conductivity, small bulk density, relatively high strength, amenability to mechanical working etc. makes wood as famous building material.

What is the use of wood?

Read a brief summary of this topic – wood, the principal strengthening and nutrient-conducting tissue of trees and other plants and one of the most abundant and versatile natural materials. Produced by many botanical species, including both gymnosperms and angiosperms, wood is available in various colours and grain patterns.

It is strong in relation to its weight, is insulating to heat and electricity, and has desirable acoustic properties. Furthermore, it imparts a feeling of “warmth” not possessed by competing materials such as metals or stone, and it is relatively easily worked. As a material, wood has been in service since humans appeared on Earth.

Today, in spite of technological advancement and competition from metals, plastics, cement, and other materials, wood maintains a place in most of its traditional roles, and its serviceability is expanding through new uses. In addition to well-known products such as lumber, furniture, and plywood, wood is the raw material for wood-based panels, pulp and paper, and many chemical products.

What is the most used wood in construction?

Oak wood – Oak wood is one of the most commonly used types of hardwood. It has a distinct grain finish and is used in a variety of applications. Oak wood has the following properties:

Heavy Strong Moisture resistant Fungus resistant Commonly used for household furniture such as bookshelves and cabinets

Where is wood most used?

Distinction – In the narrow sense of the terms, wood, forest, forestry and timber/lumber industry appear to point to different sectors, in the industrialized, internationalized world, there is a tendency toward huge integrated businesses that cover the complete spectrum from silviculture and forestry in private primary or secondary forests or plantations via the logging process up to wood processing and trading and transport (e.g.

1. Timber rafting, forest railways, logging roads ).
2. Processing and products differs especially with regard to the distinction between softwood and hardwood,
3. While softwood primarily goes into the production of wood fuel and pulp and paper, hardwood is used mainly for furniture, floors, etc.
4. Both types can be of use for building and (residential) construction purposes (e.g.

log houses, log cabins, timber framing ).

Why wood is important and construction industry?

Wood delivers on innovative design, speed, cost and resource efficiency, health & wellbeing, and offers a low-carbon, environmentally-friendly alternative to traditional building materials.

Is wood still used in construction?

Forests and Trees contribute greatly to the quality of life in Canada and around the world – Wood construction and wood products have a long and traditional history in North America. Through the ages and still today, trees provide building materials for shelter from the elements.

• They provide an essential function in balancing oxygen and carbon dioxide in the earth’s atmosphere.
• Before the arrival of European settlers to North America, Indigenous peoples used poles and skins to build shelter and logs to build lodges.
• Early European settlers used logs to build all types of buildings.

Initial construction of North America’s transcontinental railways would not have been possible without the use of timbers to construct bridges and trestles. Today, a wide range of high quality and innovative wood building materials are manufactured. Their performance and relative economy means wood products are unrivalled as the principle structural materials for residential construction.

Why is wood very important?

Benefits of Wood Embodied carbon emissions in the construction sector account for over 23 per cent of total greenhouse gas emissions in Australia. Over and above operational processes like energy and transport, it is increasingly important to consider the embodied carbon emissions in building materials used in the sector.

1. Responsibly sourced wood is the only renewable building material available; it is naturally grown and removes CO 2 from the atmosphere.
2. Wood products then store the carbon that the growing trees have removed from the air (about 50% of the dry weight of wood is carbon).
3. The production and processing of wood uses much less energy – called embodied energy – than most other building materials, giving wood products a significantly lower carbon footprint.

Wood can be used to substitute for materials that require larger amounts of fossil fuels to be produced. There are many benefits of using responsibly sourced wood. Wood is the only building material that helps tackle climate change. It is important to remove carbon from the atmosphere as well as reduce new carbon emissions going into the atmosphere.

• Wood achieves both of these.
• Trees and wood products have a unique ability to store carbon.
• As trees grow, they absorb carbon dioxide.
• When the trees are sustainably harvested and used to make wood products, the carbon remains stored in the wood for the life of the product.
• About 50% of the dry weight of wood is carbon.

Responsibly sourced wood is renewable. Forests will regrow to provide a wide range of other benefits such as further carbon storage, oxygen generation and forest habitat. The production and processing of wood uses much less energy – known as embodied energy – than most other building materials, giving wood products a significantly lower carbon footprint. Research has identified that the increased use of wood has measurable physiological and psychological health benefits. We now know that workers are less stressed and more productive, students learn better, patients heal faster, and people are generally happier and calmer in spaces that contain natural elements like wood.

• In this short (2-minute) video you can see the process of carbon sequestration and how wood stores carbon, from a molecular perspective.
• Wood is a durable material for both homes and commercial buildings.
• When properly looked after it can last hundreds of years.
• Modern wood preservatives enhance natural durability.

The increased demand for responsibly sourced wood products that store carbon can result in an increase in well-managed forests and plantations on marginal or cleared land. Wood is a natural insulator due to the air pockets within its cellular structure. As an insulator wood is 15 times better than masonry and concrete, 400 times better than steel, and 1,770 times better than aluminium. This helps to reduce the cost of heating and cooling a building.

• Trees and wood products have a unique ability to store carbon.
• As trees grow, they absorb carbon dioxide.
• When the trees are sustainably harvested and used to make wood products, the carbon remains stored in the wood for the life of the product.
• About 50% of the dry weight of wood is carbon.
• Research by Planet Ark has identified the positive associations that wood induces in people, where an overwhelming 96 per cent of Australians agreed that wood is ‘visually appealing’ and ‘has a natural look and feel’.

Eight out of ten people also thought that wood is versatile, recyclable, renewable and long lasting. Most wooden building are prefabricated off-site, which makes them fast and efficient to build. The 18-storey Brock Commons building in Vancouver was built in 9 ½ weeks. Comparative studies of the economics of different wall framing systems indicate that, in terms of direct building expenses, timber frames are consistently the most cost-effective solution. : Benefits of Wood

Where is wood used in a house?

12 types of timber and what you need to know about them Know your maple from mahogany and your softwood from your hardwood with our comprehensive timber types glossary that will take the confusion out of your next project. Jul 05, 2019 6:21am Choosing the right timber for your home, whether you’re planning on building or furnishing your home, can be a difficult task — there’s just so many types to pick from! Contrary to popular belief, not all timbers are created equal, so we’ve created this handy guide to different types of timber to help you find one that’s right for you.

Hardwoods are mainly used for flooring, and timber furniture, while softwoods are used for framework and, There are timbers for all budgets — ash, oak, teak and walnut are usually the most expensive, while softwoods are more economical. Keep in mind the timber’s resistance to termites and decay. Consult the staff at your hardware store or timber yard, to make sure you have the correct timber for your project.

Dark timber cladding is paired with lighter timber flooring in this, Styling: Ruth Welsby | Photography: Eve Wilson | Story: Inside Out In broad timber terms, there are two different categories of woods — softwood and hardwood. Softwood comes from coniferous species such as cedar, fir and pine.

1. They grow quickly and the wood is lighter, has coarser grain and is not as strong as most hardwoods.
2. While in general softwoods are considered inferior to hardwoods for many purposes, they do have their place in the woodworking world for specific jobs — and because they grow quickly they are very economical.

In building, they are commonly used for the framework of houses and areas such as lining boards and, Hardwoods by comparison are heavy, strong and stable. They are used predominantly for piers, flooring, decking and in most timber furniture. This was clad in cedar.

• Design: Dorrington Archeson Architects | Photography: Emma-Jane Hetherington The most common type of cedar is western red.
• As this name implies, it is pinky, red in colour.
• It is relatively soft but straight grained and is mostly used for outdoors for furniture, deck handrails, wall cladding and window frames because it resists rotting in moist environments.

Relatively inexpensive. The most common species in Australia is eucalyptus. Within the species there are a huge variety of sub-species that have vary different properties, including colour and grain patterns. Common ones include Tasmanian Oak (cream), blackbutt (pale brown), spotted gum (mid brown) and Jarrah (red).

Prices vary from inexpensive to moderately expensive. Often referred to as Douglas Fir or Oregon, this reddish brown wood is imported from North America. While fairly soft, it has straight grain and a high strength-to-weight ratio (moderate strength, low weight) and is a popular choice as a rafter material in Australia.

Moderately inexpensive. Pine comes in several varieties, but the main ones found in Australia are Radiata, Cypress and Hoop pine. Radiata pine is a very common house-framing timber but it has low resistance to decay and termites unless chemically treated.

Cypress pine is prized for its anti-termite properties, which made it a for decades. Hoop pine is used mainly for plywood. Inexpensive. The deck and awning of this are silvertop ash. Design: Archiblox | Styling: Heather Nette King | Photography: Armelle Habib Ash is a white-to-pale brown-coloured wood with a straight, attractive grain.

Easy to work, it is commonly used in furniture production where it is a good substitute for white oak. A white pale to brown wood timber, beech is native to Sweden, Denmark and Norway, where it is used for everything from firewood to furniture and flooring.

Due to its fairly bland grain, beech is often used for rather than using more expensive oak or ash. The Ringvide Studio ‘Weave’ cabinet from is comprised of solid birch and looks stunning in this, Design: Arent and Pyke | Styling: Steve Cordony | Photography: Felix Forest Birch comes in two varieties — yellow and white.

Very common in Russia and Nordic countries, birch is a fairly hard timber used for furniture and plywood. It is one of the most economical hardwoods and is used extensively by Swedish giant Ikea and by Alvar Aalto’s Finish furniture company Artek. The outdoor deck of this was built with white mahogany.

• One of the great furniture woods, mahogany is reddish-brown-to-deep red in colour.
• While very common in antique furniture, it is not common today as it is not sustainably grown.
• It has a straight grain and is of medium hardness, so it’s easy for joiners to work.
• Available in two varieties — hard and soft.

Hard maple, commonly referred to as Rock Maple in Australia, is an extremely hard and pale-coloured timber, making it the wood of choice for gymnasium floors. Soft maple is lighter in weight and is used mostly in making boxes and pallets because of wide colour variations.

Used for centuries throughout Europe, particularly in England, oak is still one of the most sought-after woods for furniture. Available in red and white, the latter is preferred because it has a more attractive figure than American red oak and is resistant to moisture, which allows it to be used for outdoor furniture.

English oak is regarded as superior to American white oak. A vintage table made of teak takes pride of place in the dining room of this, Styling: Kate Nixon | Photography: Maree Homer Teak is a tropical timber native to Burma, Thailand and Bangladesh.

There are many ethical reasons not to use teak unless it is either recycled or from plantation sources. Used extensively on boats and in outdoor furniture, teak has a slightly waxy feel and a golden-brown colour. Slow-grown teak is probably the best timber there is to resist sun and rain, but it is now very expensive.

An American hardwood, Walnut has an attractive rich brown colour and a beautiful grain. Unfortunately, now fairly expensive and usually only available in fairly narrow boards, it is used extensively in furniture making, and as a veneered board for cabinetry and feature walls.

Inside Out Nov 09, 2022 Inside Out Nov 08, 2022

Inside Out Nov 09, 2022 Inside Out Nov 08, 2022

: 12 types of timber and what you need to know about them

What are the properties and uses of wood?

Wood has been used for thousands of years for fuel, as a construction material, and for making tools and weapons, furniture, and paper. It has recently become a feedstock used to make cellophane and other cellulose derivatives, such as cellulose acetate. In this article, the following about wood will be discussed as the below questions are answered:

What is wood?what are the uses of wood?What are the properties of wood?What are the various types of wood?How is wood produced?

Let’s dive in! Read more: Different types of wood joints and their working

Where does wood for construction come from?

From the SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry – by Nate Anderson ESF Department of Forest and Natural Resources Management student Where did your house grow? If your house is like most others in the United States, it was constructed in large part out of wood products.

• According to National Association of Home Builders (NAHB), the average 2,085 ft 2, single-family home can include 13,127 board feet of framing lumber alone.
• That is roughly equivalent to a 15,000-foot long two-by-four board.
• Add the plywood or oriented strand board (OSB) that covers the frame, the exterior siding, trusses, doors, trim, flooring, deck, cabinets and countertops, and it is clear that much of your house is made of wood, even if the builders used a lot of other materials like metal, concrete, and plastic.

Where did all that wood come from? In this age of globalization it is very likely that the lumber and other wood products that make up your house came from all over the world. It is also possible that the harvesting of the wood and manufacturing the products took place in different countries.

• Generally, the more processed a product is the more difficult it is to determine exactly where the wood was grown.
• However, looking at the flow of wood products into and out of the United States provides some clues as to where these finished products were manufactured and where the wood for these products might have been grown.

The Frame The frame and trusses of a house are most often made of softwood lumber sawn from pine, fir and spruce species. The United States is a huge producer of softwood lumber, milling over 26,200 billion board feet in 2003 and exporting over $380 million worth each year.

However, the U.S. also imports approximately $4.5 billion worth of softwood lumber from Canada, accounting for 83% of total softwood lumber imports by value. That’s over ten times as much as the U.S. exports to other countries. Another 13% of our total imports in this category come from Chile, Brazil, New Zealand, Germany and Sweden, collectively.

Sheathing Once the frame of the house is complete, builders cover the frame with sheathing, which most often consists of plywood or oriented strand board (OSB). These two products can be made of either softwood or hardwood, depending on the manufacturer.

Again, the U.S. manufactures and exports its share of these products. In 2003, the U.S. produced over 4,660 million board feet of OSB, but demand was almost double that. With minimal exports in this category, we import the difference from Canada, Ireland, Germany and other countries, though a significant amount of the European supply is made with wood from forests in Eastern Europe, Russia, and Africa.

The U.S. imports softwood plywood primarily from Canada, Brazil and Chile. The raw logs and wood chips used to make these products are also often imported from other countries. Flooring and molding While much of the wood flooring and molding used in homes is made from softwood grown in the U.S.

and Canada, about 94% of flooring imports and 32% of molding imports are made from hardwoods, including maple, birch, beech and a variety of non-coniferous tropical species. Overall the U.S. imports most of its foreign-made hardwood flooring from Canada, China, Sweden, Indonesia and Brazil. Along with Malaysia, all of these countries except Sweden are also major sources of hardwood molding.

But this example highlights the complexities of timber flow and international markets. The U.S. exports over $190 million dollars worth of hardwood logs to Canada each year. Some of this wood is processed and shipped back to the U.S. in the form of flooring and molding, indicating that although the finished product was imported from Canada, the trees were not necessarily grown there.

Likewise, China is the largest supplier of imported softwood flooring, but manufacturers often import raw materials from other parts of Asia. Brazil and Chile provide the bulk of softwood molding imports, but manufacturers often use logs from countries throughout South America. Other home building products The U.S.

exports about twice as much pressure-treated decking lumber as it imports; however, if you build a deck from imported pressure-treated wood, its origins can likely be traced to Canada, Honduras or Russia. While it is a major importer of U.S. hardwood veneers for furniture and other uses, Canada is the primary supplier of imported softwood siding for home building.

Because it has a large population and the highest wood consumption rates in the world, the United States is both a major producer and a major importer of wood products. Both public and private forests in the U.S. provide much of the wood we need, but for most categories of wood products, our consumption outpaces our production.

Imports of wood products from around the world make up the difference. While this often means lower prices for a finished home, or cheaper products at the lumberyard, it also means that the wood you use can have economic and social impacts all over the world.

U.S. Forest Products Annual Market Review and Prospects 2001-2004 Forest and Fisheries Product Division, Foreign Agricultural Service, USDA National Association of Home Builders Temperate Forest Foundation The Illusion of Preservation by Mary Berlik, David Kittredge and David Foster

Why is wood very important?

Benefits of Wood Embodied carbon emissions in the construction sector account for over 23 per cent of total greenhouse gas emissions in Australia. Over and above operational processes like energy and transport, it is increasingly important to consider the embodied carbon emissions in building materials used in the sector.

• Responsibly sourced wood is the only renewable building material available; it is naturally grown and removes CO 2 from the atmosphere.
• Wood products then store the carbon that the growing trees have removed from the air (about 50% of the dry weight of wood is carbon).
• The production and processing of wood uses much less energy – called embodied energy – than most other building materials, giving wood products a significantly lower carbon footprint.

Wood can be used to substitute for materials that require larger amounts of fossil fuels to be produced. There are many benefits of using responsibly sourced wood. Wood is the only building material that helps tackle climate change. It is important to remove carbon from the atmosphere as well as reduce new carbon emissions going into the atmosphere.

1. Wood achieves both of these.
2. Trees and wood products have a unique ability to store carbon.
3. As trees grow, they absorb carbon dioxide.
4. When the trees are sustainably harvested and used to make wood products, the carbon remains stored in the wood for the life of the product.
5. About 50% of the dry weight of wood is carbon.

Responsibly sourced wood is renewable. Forests will regrow to provide a wide range of other benefits such as further carbon storage, oxygen generation and forest habitat. The production and processing of wood uses much less energy – known as embodied energy – than most other building materials, giving wood products a significantly lower carbon footprint. Research has identified that the increased use of wood has measurable physiological and psychological health benefits. We now know that workers are less stressed and more productive, students learn better, patients heal faster, and people are generally happier and calmer in spaces that contain natural elements like wood.

In this short (2-minute) video you can see the process of carbon sequestration and how wood stores carbon, from a molecular perspective. Wood is a durable material for both homes and commercial buildings. When properly looked after it can last hundreds of years. Modern wood preservatives enhance natural durability.

The increased demand for responsibly sourced wood products that store carbon can result in an increase in well-managed forests and plantations on marginal or cleared land. Wood is a natural insulator due to the air pockets within its cellular structure. As an insulator wood is 15 times better than masonry and concrete, 400 times better than steel, and 1,770 times better than aluminium. This helps to reduce the cost of heating and cooling a building.

Trees and wood products have a unique ability to store carbon. As trees grow, they absorb carbon dioxide. When the trees are sustainably harvested and used to make wood products, the carbon remains stored in the wood for the life of the product. About 50% of the dry weight of wood is carbon. Research by Planet Ark has identified the positive associations that wood induces in people, where an overwhelming 96 per cent of Australians agreed that wood is ‘visually appealing’ and ‘has a natural look and feel’.

Eight out of ten people also thought that wood is versatile, recyclable, renewable and long lasting. Most wooden building are prefabricated off-site, which makes them fast and efficient to build. The 18-storey Brock Commons building in Vancouver was built in 9 ½ weeks. Comparative studies of the economics of different wall framing systems indicate that, in terms of direct building expenses, timber frames are consistently the most cost-effective solution. : Benefits of Wood