Track 3
How species differ in hardness, strength, durability, and more. Connects directly to the species library.
10 guides · 8 available in this track
Density is the most informative single number for comparing timber species, because it strongly correlates with strength, hardness, workability, and even movement.
Hardness is how well timber resists denting, and Janka is the number people use to compare it. This guide is what that test measures, where it helps (floors, benchtops, handrails), and what it misses.
Strength vs Stiffness (MOE vs MOR)
Density and hardness tell you about the surface. This guide is the two ways timber behaves under load, what MOE and MOR actually measure, and how that changes what you specify.
Natural durability describes how well timber—particularly its heartwood—resists fungi and other biological attack. This guide explains EN 350 durability classes, EN 335 use classes, species variation, preservative treatment and moisture-shedding design.
Rot Resistance and Fungal Decay
Rot is not random. This guide is what fungi actually do to timber, what they need, how to recognise the main types, and the practical steps that stop decay in real structures.
Density, hardness, and durability tell you what the timber is. This guide is how it behaves under tools, and how to see tearout, burning, blunt edges, glue trouble, and blotching coming.
Extractives are the chemistry behind colour, smell, durability, finish, glue, and dust. This guide is what they are, why species differ, and what that means when you build.
Wood dust is the health side of extractives: mechanical irritation, chemical toxicity, and immunological sensitisation, plus an IARC Group 1 cancer classification for hardwood dust. This guide covers particle size, high-risk species, treated timber, workplace limits, and practical protection.
Stability Differences Between SpeciesComing soon
In Track 2, we explored why wood moves: moisture content, equilibrium moisture content, tangential and radial shrinkage, and the physics of dimensional change. That track treated all wood as if it behaved the same way.
Choosing the Right Timber for the JobComing soon
Choosing a species is never about optimising a single property. It's about balancing competing requirements against the realities of the application, the environment, the budget, and the supply chain. Every project involves trade-offs, and the best decisions come from understandi