There are two types of woods:

1. Hardwoods
2. Softwoods

Whether a furniture wood is a hardwood or softwood is not dependent on its relative hardness. In fact, some hardwoods are actually softer than some softwoods. The true difference is that hardwoods are deciduous trees that lose their leaves and go dormant in the winter and softwoods are evergreen, cone-bearing trees.

Hardwoods include oak, ash, cherry, maple and poplar. Softwoods include cedar, fir, hemlock, pine, redwood and spruce. In general, hardwoods are more expensive than softwoods, because the wood is less abundant. But even some hardwoods, such as gum, can be relatively economical.