What is spruce wood?
Spruce wood is the most common type of wood in Europe. In Austria, spruce alone covers 64% of the total forest area and is therefore the most common tree in Austrian forests.
The spruce is a coniferous tree and is divided into different species. The trees grow mainly in mountainous regions, such as the Alps, but can be found throughout Europe.
Spruce wood – characteristics and advantages
Alongside its many uses, spruce wood also has a number of positive properties. One of the properties of spruce is that it is rather soft and elastic compared to other types of wood, which means that spruce wood is lightweight and easy to process. The density of spruce wood is in the medium range at around 470 kg/m³.
In addition, spruce wood can dry quickly and is less susceptible to cracking.
Almost any technique can be used to process spruce wood without any problems. The wood can be milled, sawn, screwed, stained and glued without any loss of quality.
Depending on the type of use, wood of different ages is processed. Spruce wood is known to lose density as the width of the annual rings increases, which changes the properties of the wood. Different spruce woods are therefore approved for different areas of application.
What does spruce wood look like?
Spruce wood has a light, yellowish-white to reddish color and a silky sheen. If spruce wood is exposed to light, it darkens and takes on a dark, yellowish-brown tone. The annual rings of the spruce are visible on the wood and result in a straight grain.
As spruce wood, just like other softwoods, is very resinous, the wood also has visible resin channels. The spruce grows up to 60 meters high and remains extremely straight.
Use of spruce wood
Spruce wood is used in many different areas. Spruce is used particularly frequently:
- Timber
- Furniture wood
- Parquet flooring
- Firewood
- Sawn timber
- Logs
- Veneer wood
Spruce wood is also used for paper production. Coniferous woods are particularly suitable for this purpose as they have long fibers, which ensure the high strength of paper and pulp.
It can be processed on its own, for example as veneer wood or as a wood-based material (chipboard, glued wood, etc.). Spruce boards are also particularly popular as construction timber. There it can be found in the form of roof constructions, stair railings, wooden cladding and much more.
In addition to its use in house construction, there is of course also furniture made from spruce wood.
Admonter relies on local spruce wood and uses it to produce parquet flooring, furniture panels and wooden boards.
