How can you tell the difference between hardwood and softwood when the tree is growing?

The difference between softwood and hardwood can often be difficult to tell.

A common misconception is that a softwood is soft and hardwood is hard. This is not the case. For examply, Balsa wood can be extremely soft yet is a hardwood.

The actual difference is that the softwood comes from trees with thin leaves like pine needles and generally grow far quicker than most hardwoods. Hardwoods have broader leaves for example Oak and generally grow slower.

To distinguish between the two you need to know a little about wood as there is no set rule. Generally speaking, softwoods will have a wider grain pattern due to faster growth and hardwoods will have quite a close grain patter because of the slower growth.

This is similar to the size or crystals. The faster the growth, the bigger the cristals.

The actual hardness or density of the wood has little to do with the classification. - Generally if a tree is an angiOSperm (bearing broad leaves and flowers) , then it's a hardwood.