Fir vs. Pine - What's the difference?

Your next home project is coming up, and you’ve decided you want to create a natural wood aesthetic in your home. Alternatively, you need to build a fence or some decking, meaning you need wood that can handle whatever the elements throw at it.

Both pine and fir are suitable options, but you need to know which works best for the project you have in mind. This article digs into what each type of wood offers.

Pine is a softwood, which means it grows from a conifer tree (technically, a gymnosperm, of which conifers are a branch). You can recognize these trees by needles and cones instead. When cut, the wood has a yellowish coloring, though this turns brown the closer you get to the tree’s center.

As a building material, pine is popular for several reasons. The trees grow quickly, allowing manufacturers to create enough wood to feed a steady demand. This fast growth also makes pine one of the more ecologically friendly wood choices. Pine also offers a gorgeous natural aesthetic, with the wood’s grain and knots having a rustic quality that makes it ideal for traditional and modern homes.

Like pine, fir is one of the most commonly used lumbers. Often called Douglas fir, it’s another softwood derived from a conifer tree. As such, it’s similar to pine, though the trees don’t grow quite as quickly.

Nevertheless, the trees grow in dense forests and repopulate steadily, making fir another excellent choice for the environmentally conscious. Maturity times vary, though a fir tree is usually ready for use after 25 to 40 years of growing. Fir wood features a straight grain, which makes it easy to cut and assemble for home projects.

As you can see, pine and fir have several similarities. They’re both softwoods that offer enough strength to build furniture, use on walls, and even create outdoor features. Both types of lumber are also regenerative, making them a popular wood for environmentally-conscious carpenters. Still, there are several differences between the two types of wood that you have to consider before you start your project.

There are plenty of advantages to using pine or fir in your DIY project, which is why both types of timber are so popular.

Starting with pine, the wood is straightforward to work with, especially if you need to stain or cut the timber. The natural grain and knots in the wood are beautiful to look at, plus it offers the necessary strength and durability to deal with high foot traffic. This benefit is why so many choose to build decking using pine.

Though not particularly resistant to rot and dampness when left untreated, pine can be pressure- or chemically treated to boost its resistance. Assuming you’re okay with chemicals in your natural timber, these treatments make pine a good choice for outdoor projects.

Toughness is the most significant benefit that fir brings to the table. It’s great for projects with a lot of footfall because it naturally resists damage and scrapes. The lumber’s near-perfect strength-to-weight ratio also makes it a good choice for load-bearing work. As a result, you’ll often see fir used in traditional barns and similar structures.

Fir is more water-resistant than pine, making it better for outdoor projects. And despite its utilitarian reputation, fir’s attractive amber coloring and long grain make it a decorative favorite, too. You’ll generally get more consistency in the look of fir than you will from pine, though some prefer the more “random” grain of pine.

Due to their popularity, both pine and fir are readily available at a reasonable price. However, expect to pay a little more for fir due to its strength and hardness. Both qualities make it more desirable for flooring and outdoor projects, leading to a higher demand that raises costs.

Furthermore, pine is a little more challenging to work with than fir. Pine timber often contains knots, which you’ll have to work around rather than cut through. The even grain of fir improves its workability, making it the first choice of many carpenters.

Pine has various uses, though it’s especially beloved for furniture. Its combination of lightweight and durability makes it an excellent choice for building chairs and tables. You get an attractive piece of furniture that can stand up to regular use while being easy to move if you want to rearrange your room.

The lumber is also a good choice for wall and ceiling décor thanks to its rustic look. You can leave the roughness of the slab in place to create a traditional aesthetic or sandblast it until the wood feels as smooth as silk.

Fir’s higher strength and even long grain make it a strong choice for flooring. It can easily handle regular footfall, in addition to creating a cohesive look without random knots and curving grains disrupting the room. These benefits, combined with fir’s water resistance, also make the wood popular for decking.

Like pine, fir is a popular choice for building furniture. However, the resulting pieces are heavier, making them more challenging to move. It’s also a popular choice for window and door trimmings, again thanks to its strength.

There isn’t a huge difference between maintenance requirements for pinewood and fir. The main consideration is that pine tends to scratch more easily than fir, which may make you think twice about using it for flooring. Fir isn’t invulnerable to scratches. But it has a higher abrasion resistance, which means you can feel more comfortable when vacuuming or walking on the wood.

Pine’s softer grain also makes it more prone to twisting and warping, meaning you may have to replace pine boards sooner than you’d replace their fir equivalents.

Beyond that, maintenance is similar for both. Regularly cleaning, ideally a couple of times per year, improves longevity. Avoid abrasive cleaning materials, such as chemical cleaners and hard-bristled scrubbing tools, when cleaning. You should also avoid exposing the wood to steam. Even with fir’s high water resistance, steaming can cause warping and other forms of permanent damage.

Though fir has a reputation for being the stronger of the two materials, some types of pine rate higher on the Janka scale. This scale tests a wood’s “hardness” by measuring how much force is required to force a .0444-inch steel ball halfway into a plank.

Douglas fir has an impressive Janka rating of 660, which means it takes 660 pounds of force to push the steel ball halfway through the wood.

Pine’s Janka score depends on the species of pine. The commonly-used yellow pine has a score of 690. Thus, it’s actually harder than fir. However, other types of pine are considerably softer, with white pine and eastern white pine scoring 420 and 380, respectively.

As such, yellow pine is stronger than Douglas fir physically. However, the strength difference is negligible, with many carpenters choosing fir for projects that require strength because of its higher workability. Both types of lumber last for between 10 and 15 years if used untreated, with chemical treatment potentially raising the lifespan of each by several more years.

Finally, you have to consider grain lines when comparing durability. Though yellow pine is technically stronger than fir, it has broader grade lines that contain more softwood between them. Despite its higher strength, yellow pine is more prone to warping, expanding, and shrinking than Douglas fir.

Fir is the far more water-resistant timber of the two. In a 2007 trial, Farm Forestry New Zealand compared the moisture absorbency of Douglas fir and radiata pine. It discovered that pine absorbs between three and four times more water than fir. Though these figures may vary depending on the type of pine you use, they demonstrate that fir does a better job of deflecting water.

More specifically, radiata pine (also called Monterey pine) reached a moisture content of 27% after seven days of exposure to water. This content is high enough to cause rotting and decomposing. By contrast, Douglas fir reached a maximum content of 21.8% during the 48-day trial, meaning it stayed below pine despite an exposure time that was almost seven times longer.

With both types of wood being extremely popular, both are suitable for home projects. However, the differences between pine and fir occasionally make one better than the other for specific builds.

Your choice of wood depends on the type of ceiling-based project you undertake. If the wood needs to help support the ceiling, such as being used for a frame or as a load-bearing tool, fir is the better choice. It’s less susceptible to warping, meaning it lasts longer than pine.

However, if you’re using wood for decorative purposes, the choice comes down to which aesthetic you prefer. Pine’s broader grains and heavier knots create a rustic and seemingly untampered look. By contrast, fir has narrower and longer grains, enabling greater uniformity. Either can look great on ceilings, which is why we offer peel-and-stick ceiling plank options for both fir and pine.

When it comes to decking, fir’s combination of strength and moisture resistance play in its favor. The wood handles exposure to the elements well, though you’ll likely still want to treat it before using it in your project. This treatment can help the wood resists pests, as well as the decay and mold that water absorption causes.

Furthermore, fir is a versatile wood that responds well to the use of hand and power tools. You’re less likely to have to deal with planks splitting as you work, resulting in less wastage when building a fir deck.

This isn’t to say that pine can’t also work for decking. Assuming you pressure-treat the wood and maintain it well, it’s strong enough to handle regular foot traffic. Its lower cost also makes it an attractive option. Many find that combining pine for the decking frame and fir for the actual decking and railings offers a good middle ground between cost and durability.

Fir comes out on top when it comes to fences. The wood’s durability and moisture resistance mean its less likely to warp or bend due to exposure to the elements. Decoratively, it creates an even look that many find desirable. Plus, it stains easier than the pressure-treated pine you’d have to use for fences.

Speaking of which, pressure treating is a must if you intend to use pine for a fence. Otherwise, the material will start to rot. If you live in an area that experiences regular rainfall, fir is a better choice than pine. However, you may prefer pine if you live in a dry area thanks to its lower price. You can still stain pine. You have to wait between three and six months for it to dry out following pressure treatment.

You face the same considerations for walls as you do for ceilings when choosing between pine and fir. Assuming there are no loadbearing factors, which would make fir more suitable, it comes down to aesthetics.

Which look do you like best?

Answering that question, coupled with considering the cost difference between the two types of lumber, helps you make a decision for your wall.

You have to think about the specific project you wish to take on when choosing between pine and fir. If the project requires durability or consistency, fir is usually the better choice. It’s also a great choice for outdoor features, such as decking and fences, thanks to its high moisture resistance.

Pine’s wider grains offer a unique and natural aesthetic that can make it more desirable than fir to some. It’s also less expensive, resulting in many choosing it for decorative projects. And despite not being as durable as fir, it’s still a fine choice for building furniture or handling footfall. However, you’ll need to pressure-treat the wood for use outdoors.

At Stikwood, we offer peel-and-stick panels made using pine and fir. These panels are available in several designs, meaning you’re sure to find something that’s perfect for your home. Shop our selection of peel-and-stick panels to find the ideal wood for your next project.

Is fir better than pine?

Fir is better than pine for outdoor use, assuming you don’t pressure-treat your pine. But for decorative projects, which is better comes down to the aesthetic you want to achieve.

Is yellow pine the same as southern pine?

Yellow pine and southern pine are usually the same things. In fact, some manufacturers name their wood “southern yellow pine” to reduce confusion.

What is the difference between a Douglas fir and a Fraser fir?

Fraser fir is thinner than Douglas fir, in addition to having a nicer natural aroma. However, the larger Douglas fir is the better choice for home improvement projects.