The Uk Domestic timber Market

Timber Species in the Uk

Timber is a commodity it is a sustainable universal product that has been used for thousands of years, with the popularity of Wood ever increasing I have decided to write a two page article outlining the most popular timbers that we currently sell along with any trends that we are noticing.

Hardwood & Softwood

There are two types of timber hardwood & softwood. Hardwood tends to originate from trees that loose their leaves ( Deciduous ) softwood tends to originate from evergreens. Evergreens are generally less dense and therefore easier to cut.

In todays article I will be concentrating on Softwood as this is the most commonly used species of wood within the building trade in the UK.

Softwood Timber

1. Whitewood – ( Spruce ) A general purpose good all round timber readily available however if used in joinery work the timber can change from white in appearance to a more yellow tone.

2.  Larch – This wood has started to become more popular, it is very durable and is used primarily on external           applications such as cladding and boats. We have seen a sharp rise in the number of customers requesting Larch for external wall cladding on buildings. Price wise Larch Tends to be slightly more expensive than Whitewood.

3.Douglas Fir – A strong Timber relatively clear of knots used in joinery, doors and heavy construction. One of the more expensive of the softwood options

4. Redwood – ( European Pine ) Wood yellowish brown in colour widely used in doors, floors and furniture. By far our most popular timber used for internal joinery jobs. The wood has a deep red texture with a lot of natural grain. Dead knots can be a problem. The best grade is Unsorted or 5ths. More expensive than Whitewood.

5. Hemlock – This is a softwood that is clear it doesn’t contain any knots. It has a strong reddish brown grain pattern and is generally used for joinery applications such as Doors, Cabinets and furniture making. We have seen a decrease in sales of Hemlock over the last couple of year. Mid range in price.

6. Parana Pine – A very uniform grained light softwood with prominent red streaks, It has a very smooth finished appearance and is available in long wide boards. This product is becoming difficult to source and is also very expensive.

Timber Sales and trends

90 % of our timber sales will be split up between two categories whitewood and redwood. As a general rule Kiln Dried Redwood pine is used internally for timber products such as Doors, Linings, Skirting, Moldings. Spruce on the other hand is used in all applications such as Fencing, Joist timbers, Stud walling etc.

Source

Both products are extremely environmentally friendly and follow a strict chain of custody either FSC ( Forestry stewardship council ) or PEFC ( program for the endorsement of forest certification.

 

For further information on Timber give us a call on Swansea ( 01792 ) 884828 or alternatively visit our website.