Softwoods

Pine, deal, fir, spruce, and the coniferous timbers of joinery and building.

• DealA trade term for fir timber sawn to standard sizes for joinery, with white deal favoured for interior work.
• PineA trade name for a large family of softwoods, some soft and easy to work for joinery, others strong for structural framing.
• FirA loose trade name covering several softwoods, chiefly Douglas-fir and the western firs sold together as white fir.
• SpruceA group of light timbers used for scaffolding, ladders, masts, flooring, paper making and musical instruments.
• CedarA group of woods differing in colour and durability, used for posts, shingles, boats and cabinetwork, and prized for keeping moths off stored fabric.
• LarchA resinous softwood used for exterior cladding and roof work, with the western species also used for poles and sleepers.
• RedwoodA name for two unrelated softwoods: the tall American coastal tree, and the European trade timber sold alongside whitewood.
• HemlockA softwood of moderate weight and strength, most familiar in its western species.