The terms “Hardwood” and “Softwood” are descriptors that are used to characterise 2 distinct categories of trees, as well as the usable timber that we can harvest from them. These categories are not directly related to the hardness of a piece of timber, as is a common misconception. Instead, the 2 categories describe, among a few other characteristics, the appearance of the living tree whilst it is growing. Hardwood trees are those that grow leaves, and softwood trees are those that have pines, or needles. The technical terms for hardwood and softwood trees are deciduous trees and coniferous trees, respectively. Most deciduous trees also fall under the technical category of angiosperms, meaning they are flowering plants that can often produce fruits. Whilst these descriptors are not directly indicative of the hardness of the wood produced by an individual tree, it's still fair to say that most hardwoods are going to be harder than most softwoods, though there are exceptions to this rule. The generic illustrations of these 2 types of trees depict the general appearance of each respectively.  

Softwoods typically grow faster than hardwoods and tend to grow in much denser clusters. Hardwood trees prefer lots of space around them as they grow and are usually more spread out. Hardwood trees are harder to sustainably farm due to these characteristics, as they need much more space to grow, take longer to grow, and the seeds and saplings are less receptive to being manually planted. On the other hand, softwood trees are far more favourable in terms of sustainable farming, growing fast and tall, with manual planting working very well. As such, the fast growth rate and good characteristics of softwoods makes them the primary choice for structural timber in modern construction. There are exceptions to this rule, with statement pieces and specific building techniques determining the exact type of timber to be used. 

Commonly available examples of softwoods include Pine, Spruce, and Cedar. 

Commonly available examples of hardwoods include Oak, Ash, and Maple.