Identification

• Spruce lumber is white, has a soft texture and contains numerous knots. It has many growth rings, although these rings are almost unnoticeable. This lumber has very little fiber and its density is considered normal. Pine lumber, which also has barely visible growth rings, has a long straight grain texture. This wood has a yellowish-red or light yellow color and is soft. Like spruce wood, it doesn’t contain much fiber and it also has a normal thickness.
  
  

Uses

• Because of its exceptional acoustic qualities spruce lumber is used in the production of musical instruments, such as pianos, violins and guitars. It’s also used in making paper and the needles of spruce trees are a good source of essential oils and vitamin C, according to Amina Export. Pine lumber is used in both industrial and residential construction. Some of its uses include building rails, agriculture and aircraft structures, ships and furniture.
  
  

Benefits

• Although spruce wood is soft, it’s harder and heavier than pine wood and has more dark knotholes. These qualities make it more durable and stronger that pinewood, so it’s not as prone to chipping. The spruce tree's consistent, yet slow growth pattern, contributes to its straight grain quality. Pine lumber is an ideal choice for industrial, as well as residential construction.
  
  

Considerations

• Spruce lumber doesn’t have much pitch, which is the sticky material in lumber that contains wood resins or oils. This pitch deficiency causes spruce wood to rot quickly when left outdoors, making it inferior to pine wood. However, the softer quality of pine wood gives it a disadvantage over spruce lumber because various defects may occur such as a torn grain or chip marks. It’s also prone to shrinking and swelling.
  
  

Warnings

• The large amount of resin in pine lumber can cause the wood to bleed, so be sure to use a high quality oil based polyurethane for protection, warns the Wood Box website. Lower quality pine wood is more likely to bleed. However, even if you seal pitch pockets or knots with shellac, the sap still creates a brown, rusty stain in your paint.