When shopping for furniture, have you asked yourself, “Why is solid wood furniture so expensive?”

It’s no secret that you can now find cheap “wooden” furniture much easier than ever before. They can look good and can easily be bought in a store. However, it stands to reason that cheap furniture won’t last long, meaning you’ll end up paying more in the long run. What are the three main types of “wood” used in furniture making? There are basically three types: solid wood, chipboard or MDF, and plywood. There are high-quality and lower-quality versions within these categories, which will ultimately affect the long-term durability and price of the furniture.

Solid wood is a natural resource that we obtain from trees, not through a manufacturing process. Solid wood can be both hardwood and softwood. Hardwoods are stronger and have a higher density and are much more expensive than softwoods. Typical hardwoods found in high-quality wooden furniture are: oak, cherry, maple, walnut, birch, ash, while softwoods are pine, spruce, and cedar. Hardwoods grow more slowly and are more fire-resistant, making them desirable for quality furniture.

Another factor in the price of hardwood comes from the fact that only the best parts of the wood are used. Walnut is more expensive because it is slightly rarer, due to natural limitations such as size. Oak, ash, maple, and cherry are more abundant, grow larger, and are highly sought after for their beautiful appearance, so they are less expensive than walnut but more expensive than some other hardwoods. Birch is a little cheaper than all of these because the wood layer does not have such uniform natural shades. Birch is perfect for stained or colored furniture.