Nation's Building News Online

Douglas Fir Is Pretty Hard for a Softwood

Although it is classified as a softwood, Douglas Fir is harder and denser than many hardwoods, according to Loewen, which makes Douglas Fir windows and doors that it distributes around the world.

Species classified as hardwoods produce seedpods that are encased in a hard shell, while softwoods produce cones, the manufacturer explains.

Headquartered in Steinbach, Manitoba, Loewen was established by Mennonites in the early 1900s and started out making bee-keeping equipment and church pews for growing populations in Winnipeg and across the plains. Loewen is a member of the National Council of the Housing Industry — the Supplier 100 of NAHB.

Roughly 88% of the Douglas Fir it purchases comes from forestland that is Sustainable Forestry Initiative-certified, according to Loewen.

Sponsored by: Countrywide Home Loans

Check it out: Countrywide offers some of the most innovative strategic alliance programs in the industry.
Discover how Countrywide's non-conforming loans can give larger borrowers an edge.

Loewen says that it decided to work with Douglas Fir for a number of reasons, among them:

• Douglas Fir is harder than 96% of all softwoods and 20% of hardwoods among North American species.
• It is tightly grained, plentiful (accounting for one-fifth of the continent’s total softwood reserves) and presents a rich, warm texture.
• It is ideal for making windows because it is naturally tough and resilient, yet is remarkably workable for precision milling and can hold the most intricate detailing.
• Douglas Fir exceeds hemlock and pine in fastener retention, density, strength and impact resistance.
• It contains 33.4% less sapwood, on average, than Ponderosa Pine, which prevents excessive decay from funguses and insects that often infest this layer of living and dead cells directly beneath the bark. Its heartwood, which is the layer below the sapwood, is also more resistant to decay than Ponderosa Pine and Western Hemlock.

---

We Want to Hear From You

Let us know what you think about NBN Online. Please click here to fill out the NBN Online Readers' Survey. Thank you.
[ Go to Top ]

Sponsored by: 2-10 Home Buyer's Warranty

Need to Buy General Liability Insurance?
Confused about Subcontractor Agreements?
Structural Defects, Can They Happen to You?
Insurance Coverage a Challenge?