Birch Wood
Birch Wood is a light-colored, low-density, stable hardwood, used for making quality floor and furniture. Due to its lightweight and low density, It is easy to work with all types of tools. It has many great properties, which make it different from other hardwoods.
There are about 12 to 60 Species of Birch. Some famous species of Birch are as follows. European birch (Betula pendula), Paper birch (Betula papyrifera), River birch (Betula nigra), Black birch (Betula lenta), and many more.
Due to the continuous harvesting of these species over the years, 11 species have become rare and are on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species.
Birch is a deciduous medium-sized tree. Most species of birch are native to boreal climates across the northern part of North America. While some species are native to Europe and Southwest Asia.
Pine Wood
Pine Wood is known for its incredible durability and workability as well as great appearance. Its light brown color and uniform texture are perfect for boxes, furniture, and flooring.
There are over 120 species of pine, but not all are true pines. All species are almost different from each other and use them on the basis of their properties.
Naturally, pine is not rot-resistant. Therefore it is not considered suitable for external use.
Pine (Pinus) is a cone-bearing seed plant. It is native to Northern, Central, and Eastern Europe. Pine trees are long-lived, and generally reach an age of 100–1,000 years, some even more.
| # | Birch Wood | Pine Wood |
| Scientific name | Betula | Pinus |
| Wood color | Pale white to reddish-brown | Yellowish or Whitish to Reddish-Brown |
| Tree Height | 65-100 ft (20-30 m) tall | 3–80 m (10–260 ft) tall |
| Workability | Great workability with machine and hand tools. | Easy to work |
| Finishing | Birch has good finishing qualities. | Good workability with both hand and machine tools. |
| Rot Resistant | Not rot-resistant | Good finishing qualities |
| Availability | It is easily available in many regions | It is easily available in many regions |
| Type | Hardwood | Softwood |
| Uses | Plywood, boxes, crates, turned objects, etc. | Furniture, window frames, paneling, floors, and roofing |
Birch vs Pine Wood Uses
Birch Wood Uses
1. Plywood/veneers sheets
The plywood industries widely use birch wood to make quality plywoods. Birch plywood is versatile, It is used for making furniture sets, cabinets, and tables.
Baltic Birch plywood is the most popular in plywood industries. Baltic Birch plywood performs well as compared to the standard birch plywood. It is made entirely from birch layers. Baltic birch plywood is primarily produced in Finland and Russia.
The main reason for making Baltic Birch plywood is to improve the quality of the Birch plywood. Such as Superior Screw Holding, great Strength, Stability, cleaner appearance, and durability. Baltic Birch plywood is Great for heavy-duty projects.
Baltic Birch plywood is more expensive than ordinary Birch plywood. But It is less expensive than Finnish Birch. That’s why people consider it more suitable for indoor use.
2. Interior Trim
Birch Wood is widely used for interior trim. Because this finishes well, looks attractive, and is easy to trim.
3. Furniture
Birch is extremely strong and durable hardwood, used for making household furniture. It is available in a wide range worldwide.
Carpenters prefer birch for furniture because it is easy to work and moderate shock-resistant. So Birch Wood is the perfect wood for all types of furniture.
Pine Wood Uses
1. Paper(Pulpwood)
Loblolly, white, and slash pines are used for making paper. Pine has longer fibers and gives paper more strength. It is widely available at an affordable price.
2. Construction lumber
All types of Pine timbers have been used to create timber-framed homes, barns, and churches. Pressure-treated pine is a great choice for exterior construction projects.
Common uses
1. Boxes and crates
Birch and pine both are used for making boxes and crates. These are lightweight, strong, and affordable. Due to the lightness of the boxes, there is a great convenience in transportation.
2. Flooring
Birch and pine Wood is a great options for making flooring. Because of many reasons, such as natural visual appeal, sufficient hardness, durability, availability, etc.
Medium hardness protects it from dents and scratches. These woods can be easily worked with and they can withstand medium to heavy foot traffic.
Birch flooring requires low maintenance as compared to the pine floor. But both are a great option for flooring.
Workability
Working with Birch Wood
Generally easy to work with hand and machine tools, though boards with the wide grain can cause the grain to tear out during machining operations. But turn, glue, and finish well.
Birch is not as easy to stain as pine, But after staining, it gives excellent results. Birch Wood has a wider grain pattern, So wood absorbs stains quickly. The strain gives uneven results with large spots in some areas.
Working with Pine Wood
Working with pine is easier than birch wood. Pine is easy to work with all types of tools. Glues and finishes well.
Pine is a light-colored wood, So it easily accepts all types of stain. But it may be a better idea to apply a pre-conditioner before the stain for uniform finishing.
Birch vs Pine Hardness
As we know, birch is hardwood whereas pine is softwood. Birch Wood is harder and heavier than pine wood. Birch is much less prone to dents and scratches. Pine Wood needs care and maintenance.
Generally, the hardness of all hardwoods is higher than that of softwoods. But there are some softwoods that are harder than many hardwoods.
Generally, birch’s Janka scale value ranges from 900lbf to 1200lbf, and pine’s Janka hardness value ranges from 300lbf to 1000lbf.
Birch vs Pine Plywood: Which plywood is better?
The base material of plywood is wood which determines the quality of plywood. Birch and Pine are widely used to make plywood.
Birch plywood is used to make cabinets, shelves, and construct drawers, desks. Hardwood Plywood is stronger and more durable. Birch plywood is more expensive than Pine plywood.
Pine is softwood and not durable and its strength is also not good as compared to hardwood plywood. Their weight is also light and cheaper.
The density of birch plywood is higher than pine plywood. Birch plywood and baltic birch plywood perform well in moisture. So we can say that birch plywood is a good choice for an interior and exterior.
If you need something strong and resistant then ordinary birch plywood and baltic birch plywood are good choices.
Pine plywood is best for general works like shelving, cabinets, lining, framing.
Birch vs pine Firewood: Which wood is better for firewood?
As we know Birch is hard and dense. Birch firewood generates more heat and burns for a long time. Due to this quality, most hardwoods are preferable to firewood.
Birch has a higher density and wavy grain, so it may be more difficult to split as compared to pine wood.
Birch firewood is a very clean-burning wood that puts out around 20.8 BTUs of heat per cord of wood. Whereas pine puts out around 16.02 BTUs of heat per cord.
Pinewood is useful for outdoor fires because it generates a decent amount of heat.
A British thermal unit (Btu) is a measure of the heat content of fuels or energy sources.
Cost of Birch vs Pine
Generally, Birch is more costly than pine. Although there are many reasons, the main reason is high demand and low tree height. Birch is more stable and strong as compared to pine.
In general, the Birch trees range from 40 to 70 feet tall while Pine trees can be 70 to 150 feet tall.
The growth of Birch trees is about 1 to 2 feet per year while the pine is 1.5 to 2 feet. Birch trees are shorter in length so there is less wood per tree. The growth rate depends on their species.
You can get wood at a low price from native Place. You can also get a great discount on bulk purchases.
Rot-resistant properties of Birch and Pine Wood
Birch is not naturally resistant to rot. It is suitable for indoor use but not good for outdoor use. When Birch contacts external elements, it starts to rot. The wood is also susceptible to insect attack.
Pine Wood is probably the most readily available rot-resistant wood in America. Pine Wood is used to make all kinds of home furniture, but it is not good for outdoor use.
Pressure-treated birch and cedar Wood have moderate rot-resistant properties. Pressure-treated woods perform better than ordinary wood.
Allergies/Toxicity:
Birch and pine have been reported as the most common reactions involving only skin and respiratory irritation.
I believe that any wood dust can be harmful. Asthma patients need to take extra care of themselves. Cover the exposed part of the body when working on wood.