Building Technology 1: Building Materials (Wood)

Practice flashcards covering the vocabulary and concepts of building materials, focused on wood anatomy, classification, and engineered wood products.

Wood

A porous and fibrous structural tissue found in the stems and roots of trees and other woody plants.

Cellulose fibers

The organic component in wood's natural composite structure that is strong in tension.

Lignin

The matrix in wood that resists compression and embeds the cellulose fibers.

Heartwood

The inactive xylem in a tree's structure.

Sapwood

The active xylem in a tree's structure.

Earlywood

Wood resulting from rapid growth at the start of the season, characterized by thin, large cells and a lighter colour.

Latewood

Wood resulting from slower growth, characterized by thick, small cells and a darker colour.

Hardwood

Wood from angiosperm trees, which are usually broad-leaved and have a more complex structure than softwoods.

Softwood

Wood from gymnosperm trees, such as conifers, which account for about $80\%$ of the world’s production of timber.

Plywood

A sheet material manufactured from thin layers or plies of wood veneer glued together with adjacent layers having their wood grain rotated up to $90\,degrees$.

Blockboard

A wood-based panel made of a core of softwood strips up to $28\,mm$ wide sandwiched between veneers.

Medium Density Fiberboard (MDF)

A material made by breaking down hardwood or softwood residuals into wood fibers and combining them with wax and a resin binder.

High Density Fiberboard (HDF)

Also known as hardboard, this material is made out of exploded wood fibers that have been highly compressed.

Particle board

Also known as chipboard, it is manufactured from wood chips, sawmill shavings, or sawdust and a synthetic resin binder.

Veneer

Thin slices of wood, usually thinner than $3\,mm$ ($1/8\,inch$), typically glued onto core panels.

Timber

Wood used for building or for other engineering purposes.

Cupping

A defect where rectangular pieces of wood become curved after sawing due to evaporation of moisture and circumferential shrinking.

Seasoning

The process of drying timber or removing moisture and sap under controlled conditions.

Dressed Lumber

Wood that has been planed and sanded to create a smooth and uniform surface.

Board Foot

A unit of measurement for lumber where one unit is equal to $144\,cubic\,inches$.