For hundreds of years, the wood used to build houses was simply identified by species. Today, hi-tech wood products are just as likely to be known by their highly specialized functions.

Traditional hardwood and softwood species are as important today as they were a hundred years ago, but engineered wood products are responsible for improving the quality of modern homes, and for making them more attractive, easier and less costly to build, and an overall better value.

Whether you build homes for a living or you're buying a home for the first time, it pays to know all you can about traditional and engineered woods.