Wood and tree identification guides

Field-tested answers on identifying wood species, reading grain and choosing lumber, written around what the LasWood app can check for you.

Illustration of wood boards with different grain patterns under a magnifying glass

How to identify wood species

A practical method for identifying wood species: read the grain, check the pores, weigh it in your hand, then confirm with a photo ID. Works on boards and furniture.

Read the guide →Illustration of a wooden dresser with an open drawer revealing raw unfinished grain

How to identify wood types in furniture

Find out what wood your furniture is made of: rule out veneer and MDF, read grain through the finish, and photo-ID an unfinished spot. No scratch tests needed.

Read the guide →Illustration comparing an oak board with open grain to a knotty pine board

How to tell oak from pine

Oak vs pine in under a minute: weight, pores, knots, smell and hardness. Plus how to confirm with a photo when a board is stained to look like oak.

Read the guide →Illustration of a broadleaf hardwood tree beside a coniferous softwood tree

Hardwood vs softwood: what actually differs

Hardwood vs softwood explained without jargon: the botanical split, the Janka scale, and which to pick for furniture, framing, and outdoor projects.

Read the guide →Illustration of a log cross-section showing growth rings and pore bands in the end grain

How to identify wood by end grain

End grain is the fingerprint of a board. Learn to prep it, read ring-porous vs diffuse-porous patterns, and photo-ID species from a single end grain shot.

Read the guide →Illustration of a hand on ridged tree bark with swatches of different bark textures

How to identify a tree by its bark

Bark texture, ridge pattern and color identify most trees year-round. A field guide to reading bark, plus how to confirm the species with one photo.

Read the guide →Illustration of a workshop with a wooden table, chair, cabinet and stacked lumber

The best wood for furniture projects

Which wood for which build: oak and maple for tables, ash for chairs, cherry for cabinets, poplar for painted work. Costs, hardness and honest trade-offs.

Read the guide →Illustration of a phone photographing a reclaimed board with a freshly sanded patch

What wood is this? One photo answers it

Found a board, pallet or offcut and want to know what it is? Photograph the grain and get the species, hardness and best uses in seconds with LasWood.

Read the guide →Illustration of a fan of different wood samples, from pale maple to dark walnut, with leaves and cones

Types of wood and what each one is for

A plain-English guide to the types of wood you will meet at the lumberyard: hardwoods, softwoods and sheet goods, with hardness, looks and best uses for each.

Read the guide →Illustration of maple, walnut and cherry cutting boards with a chef's knife and herbs

The best wood for cutting boards

Maple, walnut and cherry make the best cutting boards. Why closed grain and hardness matter, end grain vs edge grain, and which woods to keep out of the kitchen.

Read the guide →Illustration of a pinkish red oak board and a tan white oak board with their pointed and rounded leaves and acorns

Red oak vs white oak

Red oak vs white oak: end grain pores, ray length, color and price, plus which oak suits floors, furniture and outdoor builds. Confirm yours with one photo.

Read the guide →Illustration of a weathered teak garden bench and cedar planter among leaves under soft sunlight

The best wood for outdoor furniture

Teak, white oak, cedar, redwood, cypress, ipe and black locust survive sun and rain. How long each lasts, what it costs, and the woods that rot in one season.

Read the guide →Illustration of a stacked wooden pallet with a heat-treated stamp and sanded boards beside it

What wood are pallets made of?

Pallets are mostly oak, mixed hardwoods and southern yellow pine. How to read the HT and MB stamps, which pallets are safe for projects, and how to identify the wood.

Read the guide →Illustration of a steel ball pressing into a wood sample beside a gauge and a stack of wood samples

The Janka hardness scale explained

What the Janka hardness test measures, how to read the numbers, and a chart of common woods from balsa to ipe, with what the rating means for floors and furniture.

Read the guide →Illustration of a carving knife, wood shavings, a half-carved spoon and a basswood bird figure

The best wood for carving and whittling

Basswood, butternut, white pine and tupelo for whittling and relief carving; birch, cherry and maple for spoons. What makes a wood carve well and which to avoid.

Read the guide →Illustration of an antique wooden chest of drawers with an open drawer showing hand-cut dovetails

How to identify the wood in antique furniture

Identify the wood in antique furniture: primary and secondary woods, oak, walnut, mahogany and chestnut by era, and the construction clues that help date a piece.

Read the guide →