Choosing between two woods usually comes down to a handful of questions: which one dents less, which one is lighter to carry and cheaper to ship, which one survives outdoors, and which one moves less with the seasons. Each of our 28 comparison pages answers those questions for one pair (or a small family) of species, with the numbers side by side, what they mean in practice, and a verdict by use. This page gathers all of them, grouped by the kind of project they come up in, with the headline result of each so you can see the answer before you click.
Every figure below comes from the same parsed copy of the USDA Forest Products Laboratory Wood Handbook (FPL-GTR-190) that powers the wood species database of 192 woods, so a number here matches the number on the comparison page, the species page and the Janka hardness chart. Each row names the two species it compares; pages that cover three or four species show the others in their own table.
Furniture, cabinet and flooring hardwoods
The domestic and imported hardwoods people choose between for tables, cabinets, floors and turned or carved work.
| Comparison | Species compared | Harder (Janka, 12% MC) | Heavier (density, 12% MC) | More decay resistant heartwood |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| White Oak vs Red Oak | White oak / Northern red oak | White oak, 5% (1,360 vs 1,290 lbf) | White oak, 8% (47.5 vs 44.1 lb/ft³) | White oak (resistant) |
| Oak vs Maple +1 more on the page | Northern red oak / Sugar maple | Sugar maple, 12% (1,450 vs 1,290 lbf) | about equal (44.1 lb/ft³ each) | tie: both slightly or nonresistant |
| Oak vs Walnut +1 more on the page | Northern red oak / Black walnut | Northern red oak, 28% (1,290 vs 1,010 lbf) | Northern red oak, 15% (44.1 vs 38.5 lb/ft³) | Black walnut (resistant) |
| Ash vs Oak +1 more on the page | White ash / Northern red oak | White ash, 2% (1,320 vs 1,290 lbf) | Northern red oak, 5% (44.1 vs 42.0 lb/ft³) | tie: both slightly or nonresistant |
| Hickory vs Oak +1 more on the page | Shagbark hickory / Northern red oak | Shagbark hickory, 46% (1,880 vs 1,290 lbf) | Shagbark hickory, 14% (50.3 vs 44.1 lb/ft³) | tie: both slightly or nonresistant |
| Beech vs Oak +1 more on the page | American beech / Northern red oak | American beech, 1% (1,300 vs 1,290 lbf) | American beech, 1% (44.7 vs 44.1 lb/ft³) | tie: both slightly or nonresistant |
| Maple vs Walnut | Sugar maple / Black walnut | Sugar maple, 44% (1,450 vs 1,010 lbf) | Sugar maple, 15% (44.1 vs 38.5 lb/ft³) | Black walnut (resistant) |
| Cherry vs Maple +1 more on the page | Black cherry / Sugar maple | Sugar maple, 53% (1,450 vs 950 lbf) | Sugar maple, 26% (44.1 vs 35.0 lb/ft³) | Black cherry (moderately resistant) |
| Cherry vs Walnut | Black cherry / Black walnut | Black walnut, 6% (1,010 vs 950 lbf) | Black walnut, 10% (38.5 vs 35.0 lb/ft³) | Black walnut (resistant) |
| Hard Maple vs Soft Maple +1 more on the page | Sugar maple / Red maple | Sugar maple, 53% (1,450 vs 950 lbf) | Sugar maple, 17% (44.1 vs 37.8 lb/ft³) | tie: both slightly or nonresistant |
| Birch vs Maple +1 more on the page | Yellow birch / Sugar maple | Sugar maple, 15% (1,450 vs 1,260 lbf) | Sugar maple, 2% (44.1 vs 43.4 lb/ft³) | tie: both slightly or nonresistant |
| Hickory vs Maple +1 more on the page | Shagbark hickory / Sugar maple | Shagbark hickory, 30% (1,880 vs 1,450 lbf) | Shagbark hickory, 14% (50.3 vs 44.1 lb/ft³) | tie: both slightly or nonresistant |
| Beech vs Birch +1 more on the page | American beech / Yellow birch | American beech, 3% (1,300 vs 1,260 lbf) | American beech, 3% (44.7 vs 43.4 lb/ft³) | tie: both slightly or nonresistant |
| Mahogany vs Cherry +1 more on the page | Genuine mahogany (Honduran / big-leaf) / Black cherry | Black cherry, 19% (950 vs 800 lbf) | Black cherry, 6% (35.0 vs 33.0 lb/ft³) | Genuine mahogany (Honduran / big-leaf) (resistant) |
| Walnut vs Mahogany +1 more on the page | Black walnut / Genuine mahogany (Honduran / big-leaf) | Black walnut, 26% (1,010 vs 800 lbf) | Black walnut, 17% (38.5 vs 33.0 lb/ft³) | tie: both resistant |
| Sapele vs Mahogany +1 more on the page | Sapele / Genuine mahogany (Honduran / big-leaf) | Sapele, 89% (1,510 vs 800 lbf) | Sapele, 27% (42.0 vs 33.0 lb/ft³) | Genuine mahogany (Honduran / big-leaf) (resistant) |
Outdoor, deck and boat woods
Woods picked mainly for how their heartwood stands up to rain, ground contact and salt water, where the decay rating matters more than hardness.
| Comparison | Species compared | Harder (Janka, 12% MC) | Heavier (density, 12% MC) | More decay resistant heartwood |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ipe vs Teak | Ipe / Teak | Ipe, 268% (3,680 vs 1,000 lbf) | Ipe, 60% (64.0 vs 40.1 lb/ft³) | tie: both very resistant |
| Iroko vs Teak | Iroko / Teak | Iroko, 26% (1,260 vs 1,000 lbf) | Teak, 1% (40.1 vs 39.9 lb/ft³) | Teak (very resistant, old growth) |
| Mahogany vs Teak | Genuine mahogany (Honduran / big-leaf) / Teak | Teak, 25% (1,000 vs 800 lbf) | Teak, 22% (40.1 vs 33.0 lb/ft³) | Teak (very resistant, old growth) |
| Cedar vs Redwood +1 more on the page | Western redcedar / Redwood (old-growth) | Redwood (old-growth), 37% (480 vs 350 lbf) | Redwood (old-growth), 25% (28.0 vs 22.4 lb/ft³) | tie: both resistant |
| Cedar vs Cypress | Western redcedar / Baldcypress | Baldcypress, 46% (510 vs 350 lbf) | Baldcypress, 44% (32.2 vs 22.4 lb/ft³) | tie: both resistant |
| Cedar vs Pine +1 more on the page | Western redcedar / Eastern white pine | Eastern white pine, 9% (380 vs 350 lbf) | Eastern white pine, 9% (24.5 vs 22.4 lb/ft³) | Western redcedar (resistant) |
Softwoods, paint-grade and budget woods
Construction lumber, paint-grade boards and the lower-cost hardwoods used for cabinet boxes, trim and shop projects.
| Comparison | Species compared | Harder (Janka, 12% MC) | Heavier (density, 12% MC) | More decay resistant heartwood |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Oak vs Pine +1 more on the page | Northern red oak / Eastern white pine | Northern red oak, 239% (1,290 vs 380 lbf) | Northern red oak, 80% (44.1 vs 24.5 lb/ft³) | Eastern white pine (moderately resistant, old growth only) |
| Pine vs Spruce vs Fir +2 more on the page | Eastern white pine / Douglas-fir (Coast) | Douglas-fir (Coast), 87% (710 vs 380 lbf) | Douglas-fir (Coast), 37% (33.6 vs 24.5 lb/ft³) | tie: both moderately resistant |
| Pine vs Poplar | Eastern white pine / Yellow-poplar | Yellow-poplar, 42% (540 vs 380 lbf) | Yellow-poplar, 20% (29.4 vs 24.5 lb/ft³) | Eastern white pine (moderately resistant, old growth only) |
| Birch vs Poplar | Yellow birch / Yellow-poplar | Yellow birch, 133% (1,260 vs 540 lbf) | Yellow birch, 48% (43.4 vs 29.4 lb/ft³) | tie: both slightly or nonresistant |
| Alder vs Poplar | Red alder / Yellow-poplar | Red alder, 9% (590 vs 540 lbf) | Yellow-poplar, 2% (29.4 vs 28.7 lb/ft³) | tie: both slightly or nonresistant |
| Hickory vs Alder | Shagbark hickory / Red alder | Shagbark hickory, 219% (1,880 vs 590 lbf) | Shagbark hickory, 75% (50.3 vs 28.7 lb/ft³) | tie: both slightly or nonresistant |
How to read these comparisons
- Hardness is the Janka side hardness: the force, in pounds, needed to press a steel ball 0.444 in across halfway into the face of a board at 12% moisture content. It predicts resistance to dents from furniture feet, dropped tools and pets. A gap under about 10% is hard to notice in use.
- Density at 12% moisture content is what a dry board in a heated house weighs per cubic foot. Heavier woods are usually harder and stronger, but also harder to plane, glue and carry, and they cost more to ship.
- Decay resistance is the Handbook rating for heartwood in conditions that favour rot. Sapwood of every species, including teak and cedar, has low decay resistance, so a rating only helps if the board is mostly heartwood.
- Small clear specimens. All values are averages for straight-grained samples without knots. Real boards vary by a few percent either way, and no figure here is a design value for sizing structural members: use the graded values in your building code or the advice of an engineer for that.
Quick answers across all compared species
- Hardest: Ipe at 3,680 lbf. Softest: Western redcedar at 350 lbf, about 11 times softer.
- Heaviest: Ipe at 64.0 lb/ft³. Lightest: Western redcedar at 22.4 lb/ft³.
- Rated very resistant to decay: Ipe, Teak. For the full ranking see rot-resistant wood.
- Least seasonal movement (flatsawn): Teak, 0.186% change in width per 1% change in moisture content (Handbook Table 13-5). The wood movement calculator turns that into inches for your board.
Related charts and tools
- Wood species database: sortable properties for all species, with a profile page for the common ones
- Janka hardness chart and wood shrinkage chart
- Best wood for cutting boards and best wood for shelves
- Wood weight calculator and board foot calculator
Sources
- USDA Forest Products Laboratory. Wood Handbook: Wood as an Engineering Material. General Technical Report FPL-GTR-190, 2010. Chapter 2 (species descriptions), Chapter 4 (Tables 4-3, 4-4 shrinkage; Eq. 4-7, 4-9, 4-12 density), Chapter 5 (Tables 5-3b, 5-5b strength and hardness), Chapter 13 (Table 13-5 dimensional change coefficients), Chapter 14 (Table 14-1 decay resistance)
- USDA Forest Products Laboratory. Wood Handbook, 2021 edition (FPL-GTR-282)
Last reviewed: 25 October 2026. How we build and check our pages: methodology and corrections. Spotted an error? Please let us know.