Softwood vs hardwood: which is right for your job?

The practical differences

Ignore the labels and look at how each behaves in the position you are putting it.

• Cost: softwood is significantly cheaper and more widely stocked.
• Density: hardwood resists dents and wear better, which matters on treads, handrails and thresholds.
• Movement: both move with moisture, softwood generally more, which is why it prefers being painted and sealed.
• Finish: hardwood is chosen when the grain is on show, softwood when the item will be painted.
• Outdoors: softwood needs pressure treatment and upkeep, durable hardwoods last longer with oiling.
• Working properties: softwood is quicker to machine and fix, hardwood is slower and harder on tools, which shows in labour.

Where softwood is the right call

Studwork, floor joists, painted skirting and architrave, painted internal doors, standard decking frames and most fitted furniture carcasses. In all of these the timber is either hidden or painted, so the grain adds nothing and the saving is real.

Treated softwood is also the standard for anything in ground contact on a deck or fence, provided any cut ends are re-treated on site.

Where hardwood pays for itself

External doors and gates, thresholds, stair treads and handrails, worktops, window sills and anything left bare or oiled. These are the positions that take weather, wear or hands, and where a softwood equivalent will need attention sooner.

Oak is the common choice in the South East, both for durability outdoors and because it suits period properties visually.

The third option people forget

Engineered materials sit between the two. Paint grade MDF is more stable than softwood for painted internal joinery, and composite boards remove the maintenance question outdoors entirely. Neither is a compromise if the position suits them.

Questions we're asked about this