Softwood is very popular on the market and has been used for several centuries in the construction industry. Do you know that about 80% of all the wood for construction is softwood? We get all kinds of materials from softwood including MDF, furniture, and paper.
Seeing that softwood is a key ingredient in the construction process, how much does it cost in Nigeria? To find out the answer to this question, you should continue reading this article. We will also provide you with some other important pieces of information about softwood.
Prices of Softwood in Nigeria
Softwood comes in different sizes. The size of the wood determines its cost. As we mentioned earlier, the market is filled with different kinds of softwood.
To help you out with a price list, we carried out an intense survey of the wood market in Nigeria. After checking with both offline and online sources, we have come up with these prices:
- 2 by 4 by 12 softwood: N650 – N750
- 2 by 2 by 12 softwood: N600 – N650
- 2 by 3 by 12 softwood: N540 – N590
- 1 by 2 by 12 softwood: N1,000 – N1,100
Note that these prices may change depending on the vendor that you patronize and your location. Generally, the prices of construction materials fluctuate a lot because of environmental factors, government policies, and market forces. With this out of the way, let’s discuss some important information regarding softwood in construction.
Types of Softwood
You can find softwood in every part of the world. They come in different qualities, sizes, and durability. As you can tell, the source of the wood, its size, and its durability determine its price.
Softwood can be used for several purposes. Some of them include construction, internal and external joinery, and non-aesthetic joinery. When given the right treatment, softwood is quite durable.
Before you venture into using softwood, we suggest that you gain some knowledge about the different types. The types of softwood available on the market are based on the sources of the wood. In this section, we will take a brief look at some of the popular ones.
Pine
Pine presents us with the most common source of softwood all over the world. The softwood from pine can be used for several purposes including furniture making and construction.
Why is pine wood so popular on the market? The major reason is its bendability. This property of pine makes it easy to carve. Asides from being easy to use, it is quite durable. As such, people use pine for flooring, roofing, and framing. There are several varieties including ponderosa, yellow, and white.
Cedar
Cedar is one of the toughest types of softwood. Because of its strength, cedar is used for several purposes including roofing.
One of the reasons why cedar is quite popular is that it is great for moist environments. Since it tops many other kinds of softwood in this area, it is mostly used for outdoor purposes. Homeowners use cedar for outdoor furniture, decking, and building exterior
Another reason why cedar is great for construction is that it comes with a distinct fragrance. Because of this, it is used for creating custom furniture pieces and used on premium residential properties.
Redwood
Just like cedar, redwood is also great with handling moisture. As such, it is also used for outdoor applications a lot by homeowners. You can make use of redwood when handling projects like home exteriors, garden fences, and patio furniture.
Asides from being great with furniture, redwood also comes with a distinct design. It is also quite soft and very affordable. As such, it is used to create all kinds of delicate products including artwork.
Fir
This softwood is also known as Douglas fir. It is used a lot in construction as well as in making Christmas trees. Fir is not so costly and can be used for a variety of applications.
This softwood has a distinct, pronounced, and straight grain. Because of this, it is very easy to paint fir and use it for aesthetic purposes. When you compare fir to other kinds of softwood, it is a lot stronger, harder, and more durable. As such, it can be used for making window frames and roofing.
