New Zealand Pine strong like hardwood? archived

Just returned from furniture shopping. Looking for bed and dresser for my little boy. One set was made out of New Zealand Pine which the salesman explained was strong like a hardwood vs. other pine. My husband and I didn't know there were different kinds/strengths of pine, but this salesman said the same is true of Chilean Pine. My internet search is not providing any information to help me find out if this is true. Price was comparable to another set with "hardwood and veneer" and a third set that is all hardwood, but the salesman didn't know off hand which hardwood. Any wood experts out there who can verify?

Do you really trust a furniture salesman? :shocked:

I would get independent confirmation.

I am 99% certain that there is no such thing as "new zealand pine" or "chilean pine." While different pine may have different hardness, species such as the douglas fir, or longleaf pine are quite hard. I would want the exact species, or mix of species that the furniture is constructed out of.

This is from an unfinished furniture site on the internets:

Pine (Radiata)
Radiata Pine is a plantation-grown wood from South America and New Zealand that is harder than other pines and has fewer knots.

Color: Pale cream color.
Grain: Has a distinctive grain pattern.
Finishing: Takes most finishes well.

Doesn't appear that the salesman is a total BS artist.

Unless your kids are closely related to king kong I would choose the furniture based on price, appearance and functionality.

bobk is correct. The pines grown in New Zealand and Chile are generally Radiata Pines. The pine from the US South is typically Loblolly Pine. Radiata is actually not the strong pine out there. It is widely used because of its uniform color and it's easy to manufacture. The strongest softwood readily available is Douglas Fir (which is really not a fir, but that's another story!).