Heartwood and sapwood are difficult to distinguish for consumers who do not know much about the wood market. In addition to heartwood and sapwood, wood is divided into earlywood and latewood. Today I will talk to you about the difference between heartwood and sapwood and what is earlywood and latewood.
The difference between heartwood and sapwood
Compared with sapwood, heartwood is characterized by dark color, dead parenchyma cells, strong corrosion resistance and infiltrating body (also known as filling body, the ducts of the aged part of the wood and the cell group formed in the secondary part of the tracheid). ).
Sapwood refers to the part near the bark, which has the function of transporting and storing nutrients. It is characterized by lighter color, more moisture, easy to borers and decay, and is the part of the log with poor material. At the same time, the sapwood has better permeability and is easy to be painted. Under normal circumstances, sapwood is not used to make mahogany furniture. In special cases, sapwood must be used. For example, sapwood is inevitable in the material with a relatively curved radian. 1/10 of the surface area of the part.
Heartwood is the middle part of the log, the part between the pith and the sapwood. The heartwood is gradually transformed from the sapwood, and the time varies from 3 to 30 years. Heartwood is dark in color and has no function of transporting sap and storing nutrients. Heartwood mainly supports the whole plant and is the best part of the log. The material of heartwood is stable and not easy to be deformed, moth-eaten, and decayed, so the wood of mahogany furniture is mainly heartwood.
What are early wood and late wood?
1.Early wood (spring wood): In the temperate spring or tropical wet season, due to high temperature and sufficient moisture, the cambium activity is vigorous, and the secondary xylem cells formed are many, the cell diameter is large, the wall is thin, and the wood color is lighter. The wood has a loose texture and is called early wood.
2. Latewood (autumn wood): It is the secondary xylem formed in the late growing season. During this period, the climate gradually becomes dry and cold, and the activity of the cambium is weakened and even stopped. The resulting cells are small, with thick and flat cell walls, and the material appears compact and solid.
The above is an introduction to the difference between heartwood and sapwood, as well as an introduction to earlywood and latewood. Hope it can help you to buy wood.
