What is KD spruce?

2x8x24 Kiln-Dried (KD), SPF/Kiln-Dried (KD), Hem-Fir / Dimensional Lumber. Western Spruce grows in the northernmost part of North America, as far south as the northern states in the United States. Western Spruce is easy to work with, works well with glues, stains, and finishing.

Moreover, what is KD SPF wood?

Spruce, Pine, and Fir, the three softwood species that make up SPF lumber products, are processed together due to their similar appearance and properties. Products can be Kiln Dried (Maximum 19% moisture content), Heat Treated (KD-HT), Air Dried (AD) and Green (GRN).

Beside above, how good is spruce wood? Durability. Spruce is only of low durability (durability class 4, acc. to EN 350-2), which means that, unprotected or untreated, it is not very resistant to the weather, but is quite resistant to acids and alkalis. You can find an overview of durability levels of the various wood species here.

Besides, is Douglas fir stronger than spruce?

There was some twisting, but that's the way trees are. In short, the doug fir handles loads well-can't tell you about spruce. Doug Fir is a different species than Balsam or Alpine Fir and is graded differently. Doug fir has a higher span rating than Spruce or Fir.

Is SPF lumber treated?

First of all, SPF stands for Spruce Pine Fir, which indicates a mix of the wood types. When used externally, SPF is often pressure treated to protect it, but cedar has naturally occurring preservatives called tannins that help to maintain the quality of the wood.

39 Related Question Answers Found

What does TP mean on wood?

Timber Products Inspection

What's the difference between Spruce and Pine?

Cones are made up of scales attached to a center stalk and knowing whether they are rigid or flexible helps differentiate between pine and spruce. Pine cone scales are woody while spruce cone scales are thinner and more flexible. Pine and spruce cones hang down while fir cones stand erect on tree branches.

Where can I buy cheap lumber?

Lumber Salvage: The Top 10 Sources for Cheap, Free and Recycled Wood

Commercial Woodworking Firms.
Lumber Mills and Lumber Yards.
Furniture at Yard Sales, Junk Stores and Flea Markets.
Volunteer for a Deconstruction Project.
Woodworking Forums.
Construction Site Dumpsters and “Burn” Pile.
Wood Pallets.

What does KD HT mean on wood?

You'll get less movement with kiln-dried (KD) or surface-dry (S-DRY) lumber, which has a moisture content between 16 and 19 percent. (KD-HT means the wood was also heat treated to kill pests, a requirement for imported lumber.)

Is Spruce a pine?

Spruce belongs to the genus of coniferous evergreen trees of the pine family. There are about 40 species. It is one of the main forest-forming species.

Is Fir harder than pine?

Pine has broad grain lines that wander, making it far weaker than fir. The soft wood between the grain lines shrinks and expands, making the wood cup or twist. For stability and strength, fir is much less prone to warping or twisting, and much stronger than pine.

Is Spruce good for furniture?

Spruce has one of the highest strength to weight ratios of any wood and used almost exclusively for guitar tops and bracing. It's also used for sound boards in other instruments. But all that's been said as it relates to furniture and building is pretty accurate.

How can you tell if wood is treated?

When you're buying treated lumber, look at the tag on the end to find out the type of chemical treatment and the preservation retention level. Don't be surprised when you see different treatment levels on pressure treated wood that are supposed to resist rot equally well.

Is Spruce stronger than pine?

Pine is weaker than spruce, but it contains high amount of resins which ensure durability of created products. Spruce has creamy-white lumber. Thanks to its excellent tonal quality, spruce is often used for the manufacture of music instruments such as guitars and violins.

Which is better spruce or fir?

Unlike spruce trees, the needles on firs are generally very sharply pointed, but also softer. Spruce needles will break if you bend them, but fir needles will usually have a lot of give. On a fir tree, the branches can grow in very densely, obscuring the trunk from view.

How hard is Douglas fir?

If wood strength and hardness matter to you, choose Douglas-fir wood over whitewood. Fir is harder and stronger than pine, spruce or hemlock, and it's less likely to have knots or other blemishes. It may be more expensive but probably not as expensive as a hardwood like oak unless it's clear fir.

Is Hem fir stronger than Douglas fir?

Hem-Fir is a species combination of Western Hemlock and the true firs (Noble, California Red, Grand, Pacific Silver and White fir). With strength properties slightly below Douglas Fir-Larch, this is an extremely versatile species group and useful for multiple, general-purpose framing applications.

Is Douglas fir harder than cedar?

Douglas Fir Wood Decking is slightly more expensive than Cedar Wood Decking. Douglas Fir, when compared to Cedar, is almost twice as hard per square inch. It is primarily a softwood, though it contains hard fibers that are sandwiched within.

Is Douglas fir better than cedar?

Douglas fir, though, is more resistant to decay, which makes it much better outdoors. Douglas fir can be sanded very smooth and it takes paint extremely well. Douglas fir is more expensive than ordinary pine, but is usually fairly comparable to cedar.

What wood is fir?

Fir is a common lumber that comes from any number of coniferous trees. Fir is known for its strength and dimensional stability as well as its natural resistance to rot and pests.

What is fir wood good for?

Structurally, it is used in the form of lumber, timbers, pilings and plywood. Douglas-fir is also used to produce a wide variety of products including general millwork, flooring, furniture, cabinets and veneer. This species has excellent strength properties and is well known for its workability.

Does fir stain well?

Douglas fir is light-amber in color with a somewhat benign character if not properly stained to bring out the minimal grain patterns. Douglas fir can be beautiful in the right hands using the right stain. Part of the key is to open pores with sandpaper to allow stain penetration.