Which timber is best for building a house? We analyze the types of timber for building a house, which one is better to choose. The difference between profiled timber and regular timber

Despite the popularity of stone, many developers prefer to build cottages from wood. The market offers many wall materials, intended for the construction wooden house. We have already told readers about. In this article we will try to decide what is preferable: dry profiled timber or natural moisture.

It would seem that the answer is obvious, everyone wants to save money and therefore it is better to choose a regular one, or, as it is also called, “shaggy”. But construction does not tolerate fuss and does not allow negligence. Before making your final choice, you need to understand the key characteristics of these materials and understand what advantages and disadvantages they have.

Natural moisture timber

Ordinary timber is obtained by processing a single log. The finished product has a rectangular or square cross-section. The ease of manufacture affects its low price and popularity.

However, it has a number of disadvantages.

In its production, wood of natural moisture is used. In accordance with GOST 8242-88, dry timber is a tree whose humidity does not exceed 18-20%. Wood with a moisture content of more than 20% is timber with natural moisture.

This material begins to deform as it dries. It can be spun like a helicopter, and cracks may appear. , built from it, takes a long time to shrink.

Wall shrinkage reaches 5%. You can begin finishing a house built from such material only after it has been left standing for 6-12 months.

The purchased material must be stored in stacks, ensuring free air circulation between the beams, for which an inner layer of boards 2-3 cm thick is laid between them.

It is also necessary to provide protection from rain and direct sunlight.

Some developers are trying to “get around” a number of the main negative characteristics of the material.

renat322 FORUMHOUSE user

I heard that if you take a regular one, with a cross-section of 150x200 mm, and lay it with its wide side horizontally, then it will twist and tear less.

Indeed, it cracks less, but if you compare the first house built from 200x200 mm timber and a house made from 150x200 mm material, then with the same height of buildings, a cottage built from wood of a smaller section will give greater shrinkage (since you will have to lay more rows ).

Timber with natural moisture, if stored improperly, can begin to rot. Its geometry is far from ideal, so a house built from this material requires caulking. If this is not done (and you will have to caulk the house more than once), the wind will begin to blow through the walls. In winter, the owners of such a cottage will actually heat the street.

Before starting the construction of a log house, it is necessary to decide on the purpose of this building: a summer house or permanent residence.

veresov FORUMHOUSE user

In my opinion, if a house is built for permanent residence, then you can take 150x150 mm, and then insulate it.

If additional insulation is not provided, then for a house for permanent residence (depending on the region of residence) material measuring at least 200x200 mm is taken. If it is less, the house will be cold.

The walls of a house built from ordinary timber, due to unevenness and roughness, require additional finishing. This leads to additional costs.

Low price, especially in winter period time;
Public availability;
Easy to assemble a house - just carpentry skills required.

The need to repeatedly caulk walls leads to an increase in construction costs;
The need for additional finishing;
When drying, it can greatly change its geometry, which will lead to deformation of the walls.

Dry profiled timber

Profiled timber has a complex cross-sectional shape. Its faces are smooth and well finished. The upper and lower parts (when viewed from the end, the so-called working side) have a selection: “tenon and groove” or “comb”.

Thanks to this profile, greater tightness of the connection is ensured, and the degree of blowing through the walls is reduced. In most cases, a house made of profiled timber does not require additional finishing. Simply painting the walls is enough to highlight the texture of the wood.

When using a tongue-and-groove connection, inter-crown insulation is laid between the elements. Even if the groove beam moves a little when drying, such a connection will prevent the walls from blowing through.

The peculiarity of the “comb” connection is that the teeth fit exactly together. Therefore, there is no need to use inter-crown insulation. If poorly dried building material was used during the construction of a house, it may change its geometry when drying, which will significantly reduce the reliability of such a connection.

Dry profiled timber has an important advantage over conventional timber: it lies in the fact that before processing on a machine, this type of material is dried and defective products that have changed their geometry or have begun to rot are rejected.

Thus, higher quality materials are used to build the house.

Drying occurs either in a special drying chamber, or naturally, when the material is placed in ventilated stacks and stored under a canopy to protect from rain. In the presence of chamber drying it is dried in chambers equipped with heaters. Thanks to the automation of the process, the chamber maintains an optimal drying mode. It depends on the size of the timber, the type of wood and its initial moisture level.

Therefore, dry profiled timber is deformed less than natural moisture. This material retains its geometric dimensions better, cracks less and is less susceptible to mold.

What to choose: profiled timber with natural moisture or dry

There is also a profiled timber with natural humidity. He takes intermediate position between regular and well-dried profiled. The main difference from the usual one (except for the profile) is natural drying until its humidity reaches 22% before processing on the machine. Material with obvious defects: cracks, “screws”, etc. is also rejected.

The humidity of dry profiled timber ranges from 12 to 20%. The shrinkage of walls made from it is two to three percent.

All the advantages of such lumber can be nullified if it is improperly transported and stored. Dry timber can quickly absorb moisture from the atmosphere. You can measure the moisture level with a wood moisture meter.

Patrikeevna FORUMHOUSE user

Having your own warm and reliable home is the dream of many people. A house built of wood is not only warm and reliable, but also environmentally friendly. Modern technologies construction offer various options construction wooden houses. Perhaps the best thing is to build a house from timber.

Timber minimizes the unpredictability of wood behavior during operation, and therefore is the optimal building material. The construction of timber houses is completed within one season, and the durability of these houses is at least 50 years. There are 4 types of timber used in the production of wooden houses: solid non-profiled, solid profiled, glued profiled and the so-called LVL timber (from the English LVL - Laminated Veneer Lumber).

Which one is better to use to get a house with the best price/quality ratio? Let's look at the pros and cons of each type.

Solid non-profiled

The beam is made from a single log, which has four sides the round edge is cut off. For the construction of residential buildings, as a rule, 150x150 mm naturally dried timber is used.

low cost;
availability at any sawmill, that is, by choosing the nearest one, the issue of delivery can be easily resolved building material.

warping, shrinkage and cracking are the disadvantages of naturally dried wood;
wood defects - internal rot, flying knots, pests, fungus that appear after construction is completed;
the need for additional finishing - it is not subject to finishing, therefore it needs additional finishing;
the need for enhanced insulation of seams - does not have strict transverse dimensions and evenness of the cut, as a result - large gaps between the crowns;
low manufacturability - initially not suitable for the construction of walls, so additional reinforcements have to be made load-bearing walls and corners of the house, which means extra labor and time.

The price of a solid non-profiled timber with natural humidity is about 9,500 rubles. per cubic meter Plus the cost of finishing, mandatory treatment with fire-retardant compounds and additional work.

Conclusion: not the best good material for building a house, but if you have the labor, patience, accuracy and attention to detail during construction, you can build a house from it, and for reasonable money.

Solid profiled

The timber is also made from a single log, only it is driven through special equipment, where it is given ideal geometric dimensions, a special lock profile is selected and, of course, planed to give it an aesthetic appearance.

low probability of warping - industrial wood drying technology makes it possible to achieve 10-15% humidity in the final material with virtually no deformation consequences;
does not require additional processing and finishing walls;
high accuracy connections (no gaps);
manufacturability - locking profiles greatly facilitate the construction process.

all possible wood defects mentioned above;
the need for additional time for shrinkage - after all, the existing possibility of shrinkage and warping of solid beams requires time for the finished walls to shrink.

The price for a solid profiled timber kiln-drying is on average 12,000 rubles. per cubic meter More expensive than non-profiled, but the final result is much higher in quality.

Conclusion: after treatment with fire-bioprotection, subject to construction technology, perhaps the best choice in terms of price/quality ratio, however, you must be prepared to deal with possible “surprises” of solid timber.

Glued laminated timber

As the name implies, this type of timber is also calibrated and equipped with a locking profile. However, it is not made from a single log, but from separate blocks. They are glued together under pressure with a special glue.

all the advantages of profiled timber;
resistance to warping - thanks to combination various types wood when assembling blocks for one log, further deformation, cracking is absolutely excluded and shrinkage of the finished beams is practically eliminated;
no need for additional time for shrinkage - a house built from laminated veneer lumber, does not shrink and is suitable for habitation almost immediately after completion of construction.

high price;
low environmental friendliness compared to solid timber - glue is a foreign material;
somewhat disturbed natural circulation moisture inside the timber, due to the use of glue, moisture is not able to circulate between the layers, because of this there may be a slight disturbance of the microclimate inside the house.

The price of laminated timber is on average 25,000 rubles. per cube - twice as expensive as a whole one. However, it should be noted that the cost of a project of wooden houses made of laminated veneer lumber is no different from similar projects of houses made of solid timber, and in the costs of the construction itself, the cost of the walls is approximately half of the entire construction budget. Consequently, the final house will not rise in price by much. In addition, when construction time is reduced, and when using laminated timber, as mentioned above, it is minimal, the cost of work also decreases.

Conclusion: if you have the opportunity to spend money on this expensive version of timber, then for rapid construction turnkey wooden house the best option, otherwise, it’s probably better to stick with a solid profiled beam.

LVL timber

The manufacturing technology of LVL timber is reminiscent of the technology of laminated timber, only it is glued not from blocks, but from 3 mm veneer. Plywood is produced in almost the same way, only, unlike it, the wood of adjacent layers in LVL timber is located parallel to each other relative to the fibers. This allows you to process this type of timber in the same way as solid or laminated timber. When gluing, the density of the various layers is selected in such a way that the denser layers are located on the outside and the soft ones on the inside.

all the advantages of profiled laminated veneer lumber, only elevated to the rank of absolute;
increased strength and elasticity, as well as unlimited length, makes it possible to manufacture spans of any size;
increased moisture, fire and bioresistance.

highest price;
lowest environmental friendliness.

The price for LVL timber is about 35,000 rubles/m 3. This price makes it unprofitable when building walls of houses made of timber, but since it makes it possible to increase spans without the use of support pillars and beams, in combination with other types of timber it significantly expands the possibilities when choosing a project.

Conclusion: It is not a rational material for the construction of walls, but it is quite suitable for auxiliary structures.

All conclusions are quite clearly shown in the final table:

Name	Availability	Technology versatility	Warm- insulation	Fire, moisture, biostability	Strength	Construction time	Eco- versatility	Risk of wood defects	Conclusion
Solid non-profiled	ex.	bottom.	bottom.	bottom.	bottom.	bottom.	ex.	bottom.	Satisfactory material
Solid profiled	chorus	ex.	chorus	chorus	ud.	ex.	ex.	avg.	Very good stuff
Glued profiled	ud.	ex.	ex.	chorus	chorus	ex.	chorus	ex.	If not for the price, it would be an ideal material
LVL timber	bad.	ex.	ex.	ex.	ex.	not Spanish	bottom.	ex.	Very expensive to build. Excellent for power elements

Thus, what the house will be like is always decided by whoever will live in it. Materials for construction must be selected based on your needs and available funds. From the analysis we can conclude that the most preferable for building a house from timber are solid profiled and glued profiled beams, however, there is also a place for other types.

Building a house from timber is a great opportunity to live in an environmentally friendly building, enjoying the silence. This aspect is especially important for a city dweller who is tired of street noise and polluted air. It’s good that choosing the right timber option for yourself among the variety of products is quite possible. You just need to know the characteristics of each type of beams and compare your desires with your financial capabilities. This is where we have to look at these issues in more detail and determine which timber is right for you.

What types are there?

Since choosing timber for building a house requires a competent approach, we will try to simplify the task, while understanding the essence of the issue thoroughly. Let's start with the fact that in local markets and hypermarkets you can find three main types of timber - planed, profiled and glued.

Each type must be considered separately, highlighting its main characteristics.

Planed timber

Such a beam is obtained by cutting a log - the result is a beam with a cross-section in the form of a rectangle or square. It has an undeniable advantage - a low price, which will certainly appeal to people with low incomes and those who are looking for ways to save money during construction.

It is much easier to assemble a frame from such beams than from logs. And it’s much easier to make a foundation from it than from brick.

You have to pay for the low price - planed timber is made from wood with natural moisture. This means that its level will gradually decrease over time, that is, the tree will simply begin to dry out, and there will be some problems:
Deformation - the wooden beam will begin to warp and may bend in the most incredible way.
Cracks - if they affected only the appearance of the material, then it’s not so bad. In addition, performance will suffer.
Rot, blue stains and mold will undoubtedly appear where there is high humidity and problems with ventilation. Moreover, this also applies to material lying in storage in stacks. Shrinkage is one of the most important factors

To avoid significant problems during shrinkage of the material, a fresh log house made of planed timber after construction must be left alone for several months, preferably under a roof. During this time it will settle and take on a more or less final form. If this is not done, serious problems may arise, because we are not talking about a few centimeters of shrinkage, but about more serious values. It happens that home owners begin to think about the lost opportunity only when the door and window openings and in case of damage to the finishing of the walls outside and inside.

Gaps are also quite common when using planed timber, which is not an example of absolute dimensional accuracy. The gaps between the crowns can only get worse when the wood dries, so sealing materials are usually laid between the crowns, and the walls themselves are caulked to avoid negative impact humidity and cold.

Planed timber is more affordable than all others and is the most simple option timber for construction

Planed timber has cross-sectional dimensions of 100x100mm, 100x150mm, 150x200mm and 200x200mm and from 2 to 6 meters in length, so choose right size won't be difficult. It is important to know that humidity finished timber should be between 20 and 22%. If this indicator is higher, the material is considered low quality. Also, modern planed timber goes on sale after being processed various compositions, significantly extending the service life of wood and increasing its moisture-resistant characteristics. But often unprocessed material is also found.

Profiled

Profiled timber does not have some of the disadvantages of planed timber, so purchasing it is more profitable. It also differs in appearance - smooth front sides and a comb/tongue and groove on the workers. When choosing which timber is better, you should focus on the moisture content of the material, and not on personal preferences.

When using a tongue-and-groove connection, insulation is used, which is laid between the crowns in the grooves. Even if the material dries out, the insulation will not allow the wind to blow through the walls.

Differences in “Comb” and “Tongue and Groove” joints

The comb, unlike the tongue and groove, does not require a seal, since the entire protrusions fit as closely as possible to each other. However, this quality will remain unchanged only in dry timber. When humidity changes, the parameters of the protrusions may change.

The advantage of profiled timber lies in the process of its manufacture - first it is dried to a moisture content of 22% or less, and only then milled on a tetrahedral machine. If the humidity during processing is higher, the quality of the material will suffer. High-quality profiled timber does not shrink as strongly as planed timber.

Often products are made with already cut “cups” for joints and corner connections. With this approach, all you have to do is assemble the house like a children's construction set.

And yet, profiled timber cannot do without cracks and shrinkage, so after assembling the log house, here too you will need to leave it alone for a while.

The profiled beam has protrusions that allow the beams to be adjusted to each other with maximum density

The dimensions of profiled timber are the same as that of planed timber. Its thermal conductivity is 0.1-0.36 W/m*deg, and the thicker the timber, the lower this value. As the moisture content of the material increases, the indicator increases. Profiled timber requires additional processing, just like planed timber.

Glued

This type of timber has the most best characteristics and at the same time a high price. Low humidity is the main advantage of laminated timber, which means there are no problems associated with shrinkage of the material.

It turns out that you can build a house from it in just a season, without making technological breaks.

Glued laminated timber has low humidity and does not require time to shrink The technology for manufacturing laminated veneer lumber allows us to obtain a product of the highest quality, which is devoid of all the disadvantages of raw wood and takes all the best from wood. This timber already has impregnation that prevents rotting and burning, therefore additional processing

does not require.

Glued laminated timber can also be made to order, just like profiled timber. Some manufacturers have gone even further and offer ready-made kits with assembly instructions.

A new product on the construction market is a D-shaped laminated veneer lumber that looks like a rounded log.

Externally, the D-shaped beam looks like a rounded log, which makes it even more attractive The thermal conductivity of laminated veneer lumber is 0.1 W/m*deg. This is simply an amazing indicator - a 20cm thick wall made of laminated veneer lumber is equivalent to brick wall 1.6 m thick. These characteristics ensure comfortable conditions at any time of the year: the house is kept warm in winter, and cool in summer. In addition, laminated veneer lumber is good for both facade works

What to choose for building a house?

Of course, laminated veneer lumber is superior to all other options in terms of its characteristics. But not everyone has the opportunity to purchase it. In addition, lovers of an environmentally friendly approach may object to the presence of polymer substances in the composition of laminated veneer lumber. In this case, it is better to use planed or profiled. However, this choice involves a rather long wait for the housewarming party, since a lot of time will be spent waiting for the shrinkage. And this is where laminated timber comes in handy.

Comparative table of three types of timber

	Planed	Profiled	Glued
Environmental friendliness	It is environmentally friendly, as it retains all the properties of natural wood.	Eco-friendly.	When gluing, resins are used that release toxic substances.
Strength	The tree may dry out, as a result of which the timber will begin to deform, and cracks and cracks may appear.	Cracks and crevices may appear, as in the case of using planed timber.	The material practically does not deform over time.
Thermal insulation	Additional thermal insulation of walls is required.	When using a tongue-and-groove connection, insulation is used. The “comb” does not require insulation, however, if the wood begins to dry out and cracks appear, additional measures will need to be taken.	No thermal insulation required.
Fire hazard	High fire hazard.	High fire hazard.	The fire hazard is lower, however, if the material is not processed, then the probability of fire will be the same as with profiled or planed timber.
Economical	Low price.	The price is slightly higher than planed.	Quite a high cost.

How to choose quality material?

To avoid getting into trouble, it is important to visually check the product for quality during the purchasing process. To do this, the timber is placed with all its edges alternately on flat surface, checking it for bending and inversion. Also important

They also have growth rings visible on the end section. There should be an equal distance between them - this is a guarantee that over time the timber will not begin to bend. Many of those who live in stuffy apartments, and when they go outside find themselves in gray smog and deafened by the noise of cars, want to change their living environment. To live in wooden house

, breathe clean air and enjoy the silence. And those who decide to do this often wonder how to choose timber to build a beautiful and reliable home for their family. Today the construction market presents the most timber, differing in geometric parameters, profile, grade, production method. Choosing the best one is not an easy task, especially if the buyer’s financial capabilities are not unlimited.

From this article you will learn about all types of this material, their advantages and disadvantages, as well as how to save on your purchase without sacrificing quality.

Which timber is better

If you are not faced with the question of what to choose - timber or frame, if you have already decided that you will build a wooden house, then the first thing you need to do is study the assortment of local construction markets and hypermarkets. As a rule, they offer three main types of timber: planed, profiled and glued.

Let's consider each type separately with all its disadvantages and advantages.

Planed timber

The material is obtained by cutting a log, during which a product with a rectangular or square cross-section is obtained. The main competitive advantage of planed timber over glued and profiled timber is low price. Compared to a log, it is easier to assemble into a log house, and compared to brick, it requires less effort and installation costs.

However, in addition to tangible advantages, this type of timber also has serious disadvantages that you need to be aware of and take into account if your goal is a strong, durable and warm home.

Planed timber is made from wood with natural moisture.

It gradually decreases as the tree dries, and this can lead to the following unpleasant consequences:

Deformation. You can buy a perfectly smooth, beautiful timber, but after a while amazing metamorphoses will begin to happen to it: it can bend or even turn out like a “helicopter”;
Cracks. This is the most common defect that worsens not only the appearance of the material, but also its performance properties;

Rot, blue, mold. If raw timber is stored in improper conditions - in poorly ventilated areas or in stacks close to each other, such manifestations are inevitable;
Shrinkage. When building a house with your own hands, it is important to remember that over time the timber will dry out and its geometric dimensions will decrease. As a result, the entire structure will shrink, which depends on the initial moisture content of the material and environmental conditions.

Note. If we were talking only about the loss of a few centimeters in height, this trouble could not be paid attention to.
But as a result of shrinkage, window and door openings can be deformed, the outer and interior decoration walls
Therefore, the log house must be allowed to settle for several months, preferably under the roof, before continuing construction.

Crevices. Ordinary planed timber often suffers from inaccurate dimensions, so when building walls it is difficult to avoid gaps between the crowns. They also increase as the wood dries. They must be sealed: lay sealing materials between the crowns, caulk the walls to prevent the penetration of cold and moisture.

The planed timber itself is not distinguished by its ideal shape and surface, and when the described defects are applied, it is completely inferior in appearance to profiled and glued timber. Therefore, it needs additional external finishing.

Profiled timber

You can avoid some of the problems listed above if you purchase profiled timber. It differs from planed wood in the shape of its cross-section: its front sides are smooth, and the working surfaces are made of a tenon-groove or comb type.

Which timber profile to choose depends not so much on personal preferences as on the moisture content of the material.

The tongue-and-groove connection involves the use of insulation laid between the crowns in the grooves. Even if the timber shrinks when drying, forming gaps, it will prevent ventilation.

The protrusions of the “comb” profile fit each other very precisely and do not require the use of insulation. But if the moisture content of the wood changes, the comb parameters may change. Therefore, when choosing such a profile, you need to be sure that the timber is dry and will not shrink significantly.

For reference. The advantage is that the wood is dried until its moisture content reaches no more than 22%, otherwise the quality of processing will be low.
Therefore, it shrinks less than planed wood.

Many woodworking enterprises produce profiled timber to size, according to the customer’s design, immediately cutting into it “cups” for joints and corner joints. You no longer have to think about how to choose a groove in the timber - the log house is assembled like a children's construction set.

But this material, nevertheless, is not without such disadvantages as the appearance of cracks and shrinkage, which requires a technological break in construction.

Glued laminated timber

This type of timber is distinguished by the best performance characteristics, but also high cost. Its main advantage is low humidity and, accordingly, the absence of all those negative aspects that arise during material drying and shrinkage finished log house. You can build a house from it in one season, without waiting for natural shrinkage.

You will learn about how laminated veneer lumber is produced from other articles in this resource. We note that the technology of its production allows us to obtain a high-quality product, practically devoid of the disadvantages of raw wood, but possessing all its useful natural qualities. In addition, it is impregnated against rotting and fire and does not require additional finishing.

As in the case of profiled timber, laminated timber can be made to order in accordance with the chosen house project. And some manufacturers offer ready-made kits, which come with assembly instructions.

Note. Not so long ago, a new product appeared on the market - D-shaped laminated veneer lumber, convex front surface which imitates a rounded log.

How to save money on timber construction

The budget deficit for building a house does not always allow you to choose expensive and quality materials. But, if you know how to choose the right timber - ordinary, not subjected to special treatment, and how to prepare it for work, you can save a lot and get a good-quality and beautiful structure. Our tips will help you with this.

So, what to look for when buying?

Evenness of timber. Determined visually and practically. The product must be placed on a flat surface with all its edges in turn and make sure that it is not bent or twisted by a “propeller”.
The distances between the annual rings, visible at the end of the beam, should be the same. If they narrow or widen on one side, this indicates that over time the beam will “lead” and it will bend.
The surface of the wood must be uniform in color everywhere. A visually noticeable color contrast at the ends or side edges indicates the presence of layers with different internal stresses, which will also lead to deformation.

It is much more difficult to determine the moisture content of the material. But even if you see that the timber is completely fresh, but good quality, you can independently bring it to the desired condition. True, this will take time.

The building materials market offers big choice wooden beam different assortment and price range. How to navigate this diversity if you are not a woodworking professional?

– When choosing timber, first of all pay attention to its evenness. It is better to select each beam separately and place it on a flat surface with all its edges in turn. Make sure the wood is not bowed or showing signs of twisting.
– The distances between the annual rings at the end of the beam should be approximately the same. The denser they are, the better. If the rings have a strongly deformed shape, narrow or widen on one side, this is a sign that after some time the beam will “lead” and it will bend.
– The wood must be uniform in color. If there are areas with significant darkening, this may be a sign of improper storage and the tendency of such timber to form mold.
– Minimum number of cracks. They may be present, but should not be end-to-end.

It may be a little more difficult to determine the moisture content of the timber. If you purchase lumber that has not been dried, its moisture content may reach 40-50%, and you may need to dry it yourself, reaching a value of 20% or lower. If you buy dry timber (dried in special dryers), its humidity should be less than 20%. Of course, it is quite difficult for a non-specialist to determine the moisture content of a timber by eye.

For these purposes, you can purchase an electronic moisture meter (prices in online stores at the time of writing start from 1,300 rubles). You can use this device not only when choosing timber, but also to control the moisture content of wood during the construction of a house.

WINTER OR SUMMER WOOD?

There is a generally accepted opinion that wood harvested in winter is stronger than summer wood, has fewer cracks, is better resistant to mold and pests, and also has a short shrinkage period. But such a tree, firstly, is sold out from harvesters in the spring, and it is almost impossible to get it at other times of the year. Secondly, even if you can find winter timber in the summer or autumn, by this time it may have lost some of its positive properties– for example due to rain or improper storage. Therefore, at many sawmills, in order to receive guaranteed winter timber, you need to sign up for a queue, and winter-cut timber is sold out immediately after harvesting.

In any case, if you want to check what kind of wood is being offered to you, you can pay attention to the following signs:

– Light color of the ends of the timber. A tree cut down in winter does not yet have time to gain enough moisture to darken. On the other hand, winter wood may also darken if it has suffered frequent spring rains and dampness.
– Winter wood usually does not have traces of dirt, clay, or soil residues, since it is cut and stored in snowy conditions.
– Winter wood is drier and lighter than summer wood. It has fewer cracks. But to determine this, you need to compare the tree with some reference sample, which a layman is unlikely to have.
– If you purchase timber with natural humidity, you can take a moisture meter with you: the humidity of a good winter timber will be 25-30%, and summer timber can reach up to 50%. But these observations are true only in the winter-spring period.
– And finally, one of the most the right ways identifying winter wood- This is to drop a little iodine onto the cut. Winter wood contains much more starch, so a small drop of iodine that falls on a cut of winter timber will turn an intense blue color.