SOFTWOOD

It grows in large areas in south Europe, and more particularly in Scandinavian countries, Sweden, Finland, and in neighbouring areas, the Baltic countries, Russia etc as well as in Balkan countries. It is logged and exported from the main production countries in the same way as the Swedish pine.

It has an almost white colour, with no obvious difference between the sapwood and the heart.

It has lower density than the pine wood, approximately 0.42 and its knobs are irregularly scattered.

It dries quickly and well and it has a slight “movement” under different humidity conditions. It is considered to be more stable than pine wood. 

As for its mechanical qualities, it is slightly worse than pinewood, but from a static point of view, it is assigned to the same category as the pinewood, at least with reference to the British Standard. It is less resistant to decay than pinewood and in addition, it is more difficult to impregnate with preservatives, even under pressure. 

It is easy to handle and offers a nice finishing with sharpened hand or mechanical tools. It is easy to glue, paint and coat. It is used in the same applications as pinewood.  

Occasionally, the two wood types are so similar that the only way to differentiate between them is the colour of their knobs. Pine knobs are red, while fir knobs are brown. Due to the fact that it has lower resistance to decay and reacts to impregnation, it is not considered suitable for exterior use.  

Due to its white, clean look and lack of odours, it is often chosen over pine wood for interior carpentry, as well as for containers, boxes and food cartons. Side railings of staircases are usually made of fir. Finally, it is the main wood in paper production in Europe. 

Potential uses:

• Carpentry work
• Constructions
• Floors and furniture
• It is widely used for furniture construction
• In the field of packaging and construction