If you’re looking at a piece of furniture and it’s been listed as a hardwood solid, it can become confusing as to precisely what hardwood solid means.
Hardwood solids mean that your furniture piece is made of hardwood and could have other types of wood, such as engineered wood or plywood. Hardwood solids term can be confusing because it sounds very similar to solid hardwood, which means that your furniture piece is made up of different types of solid hardwoods.
Hardwood Solid Furniture Explained
Hardwood solids usually refer to when a manufacturer does not want to specify the type of wood species used. It could mean that various hardwood species or other engineered types of wood are being used.
This can be confusing because no specific type of wood is listed for the furniture. So you are not sure what wood was used for the furniture piece.
Some manufacturers will also use the terms hardwood to describe plywood, which is technically not a solid hardwood but an engineered wood such as particle board, fiberboard, or other engineered wood.
Solid Hardwood Explained
The term solid hardwood can get confusing because Hardwood Solids and Solid Hardwood may sound and even seem the same, but they have different meanings. When someone says that your furniture is solid hardwood, the furniture should be made up of solid hardwood.
Solid hardwood should mean there is no engineered wood as plywood being used.
For example, you might buy a sofa, and they may tell you the sofa frame is solid hardwood. This means that the sofa frame is a solid hardwood but could be made up of Poplar wood, a hardwood but relatively lightweight, or the stronger Maple wood, or even Oak.
The furniture could be a combination of several kinds of hardwood. When they say “solid hardwood
you usually do not know what solid hardwood they use for the furniture piece.
What can even become more confusing about wood is that the same kind of wood can also come in different grades. The grade of the wood also matters for the quality of the furniture piece you are buying.
Grades Of Solid Woods Explained
When we talk about solid woods, there are also different types of wood grades and quality levels. When you buy a piece of furniture, it is rarely listed what kind of wood grade quality is used.
There are seven standard types of wood grades, each one a different type of grade. Here are the primary type of wood grades:
- FAS Grade – FAS grade is the “First and Seconds.” FAS is the highest quality of hardwood lumber grades.
- FAS 1 – Face – This is also a select piece of lumber but is 6” or wider.
- Select – No 1 Common piece of lumber; One side can be called Common, and the better side FAS or a better piece of wood.
- No 1 Common – No 1 Common is the standard furniture grade wood. It is used in furniture production for a reasonable price for quality lumber.
- No 2 Common – No 2 Common is used for cabinets and millwork and some areas of the furniture that require medium to short wood cuttings. No 2 Common will come in No 2A Common and No 2B Common quality lumber.
- No 3 Common – No 3 Common is widely used for flooring and palettes. This also comes in two types No 3A Common and No 3B Common.
Grades of solid wood are essential to understand. Still, most important is to have a furniture supplier that will use the appropriate kinds and types of wood for your manufacturing project.
The Confusion Between Hardwood Solids And Solid Hardwood
It can be not very clear when the terms hardwood solids and solid hardwood are used. Even furniture industry members can sometimes become confused by how these terms are used. The reason is they both sound so familiar.
The furniture industry uses the same words but in different combinations and order.
Here is a summary to help you to remember the difference between hardwood solids and solid hardwood terms:
- Hardwood Solids
- No specific hardwood species is listed
- It could also mean other engineered woods such as plywood or MDF.
- Solid Hardwood
- No specific hardwood species is listed.
- This should mean it is all solid hardwood; no engineered wood is used.
Remember that your furniture piece would have different kinds of solid hardwood and some engineered wood when considering a hardwood solids piece. For solid hardwood, it should all be solid wood; If you want to know what solid hardwood was used, you can see if the manufacturer will specify that for you.
If you are interested in seeing how Mondoro can help you with your wood and furniture design – we would love to talk to you to see how we can help you.
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Related Questions
What Are Things To Consider When Finding A Solid Wood Manufacture to Manufacture Your Products?
One of the things we look at when we go into a new solid wood furniture manufacture is in-house kiln wood drying. We also like to know if they understand how to properly join the wood and if they have the equipment to do it. Also, if the manufacturer is in a hot and tropical climate, if they have a dry room to help control the wood moisture levels. We like to work with factories that will cut and shape all the wood themselves and also have in-house finishing facilities.
You can discover more by reading our blog 5 Questions To Ask When Considering A Solid Wood Furniture Manufacturer; read more by clicking here.
What is Solid Wood vs. Engineered Wood?
Solid wood is cut down from the tree, cut into wood boards, and then used for manufacturing. On the other hand, engineered wood is considered manmade as it is usually manufactured with wood chips or wood shavings and an adhesive. Today the manufacturing of engineered wood is extremely technical.
You can discover more by reading our blog All About Teak Wood And Outdod? by clicking here.
Hardwood Solids Furniture, What Does The Term Mean?
Hardwood solids can include non-solid woods as engineered woods. Hardwood solids are used in furniture and other industries to classify what kind of wood is used in a product. The terms usually do not classify what type of wood is used.
You can discover more by reading our blog Hardwood Solids Furniture, What Does The Term Mean? by clicking here.
