Balsa Is Hardwood

That said basswood supposedly never splinter or crack.

Balsa is hardwood.

You ll see why below but it really has nothing to do with the density of the wood. Hardwood trees are angiosperms mostly decidous in the northern hemisphere but evergreens in the southern hemisphere while softwoods are conifers. Balsa has excellent sound heat and vibration insulating properties and is also incredibly buoyant. Being a deciduous angiosperm balsa is classified as a hardwood despite the wood itself being very soft.

Broad leafed flowering trees are hardwoods. The trees are harvested after six to 10 years of growth. This wood is far from the other hardwood that you can see in the market since it has more water in it. White to oatmeal in colour with high silky lustre.

Density 160 120 220 kgm3 commercially preferred density range 120 160kgm3. Like balsa wood basswood is soft and lightweight. The name balsa comes from the spanish word for raft. In fact balsa is the spanish word for raft.

The balsa wood has a solid volume that only consists of 40 of the entire tree. The green balsa wood is the one that contains five times more water by weight than the actual wood substance. It is the softest commercial hardwood. Strength and stiffness approximately 50 that of baltic pine pinus sylvestris.

There are many more types of hardwood trees than there are softwood. Although the wood of a balsa tree is soft balsa is a hardwood. However basswood is a hardwood.