Materials and their working properties

• Wood fibres are mostly sourced from

  • Faster growing softwoods
  • Hardwoods
• Papers and boards are made from natural fibres (cellulose), usually sourced from wood
• Rag paper production


  Made using cotton which gives it superior strength and durability
• Production of paper and board

  First stage is to make PULP
• Final finish of paper or board depends upon

  1. Type of fibre used to make the pulp

  2. Chemicals added during the manufacturing process

  3. Addition of layers, different coatings or laminates

  4. Bleaching level which decreases the natural colour so it becomes whiter
• When a high-quality bright paper is required, bleached pulp would be used
• Paper is characterised by weight
• Weight of paper is measured in grams per square metre (GSM)
• Understanding the different types of paper available will help you select the right material for the job
• Natural cellulose fibres mixed with water

  Mixture is cooked producing a fibrous liquid known as pulp
• Pulp production

  1. Pulp fed onto a mesh conveyor allowing excess water to drain away

  2. Pulp goes through a series of rollers to press, form, and dry into a continuous sheet which is either rolled or cut to size for commercial processing
• Inkjet Card characteristics


  • Inks sit on the surface of the paper
  • Designed for use with an inkjet printer
  • Bleedproof paper is smooth with a special coating to reduce absorbency
  • Resists bleeding and feathering
  • Lightweight at around 70-80gsm
• Cartridge Paper characteristics

  • Thick, quality paper with a slight texture
  • Used particularly for pencil and ink drawings and paintings
  • Available in a range of weights, heavier paper at 200gsm more suitable for watercolour and acrylic painting
• Grid Paper characteristics

  • Printed squares or isometric grids good for plotting data
  • Special coating increases stability of the print
  • Good smooth surface ensures even ink coverage and absorbency
  • Available in weights ranging from 120-350gsm
• Solid White Board characteristics

  • High-quality board with a bright white finish
  • Weights range from 200gsm-500gsm
  • Strong, smooth surface suitable for book covers and product packaging
  • Accepts printing and surface finishes
• Layout and Tracing Paper characteristics

  • Layout paper is lightweight and smooth with greater opacity than tracing paper
  • Accepts pencil and most other media well
• Cardboard characteristics

  • Heavy-duty paper available in a range of thicknesses and strengths
  • Board measured in microns
  • Can be made from recycled paper
  • Can be laminated to other materials to increase strength or provide an alternative surface
• Foil Lined Board characteristics

  • Made from a stiff card lined with aluminum foil on one side
  • Board can be made from recycled paper
  • Can be laminated to other materials to increase strength or provide an alternative surface
• Duplex Board characteristics


  • Made up of two layers
• Foam Board or Foamcore characteristics


  • Consists of a sheet of polystyrene foam sandwiched between outer layers of paper
  • Rigid and lightweight, often used as a backing material for graphic signage
  • Cuts cleanly with a sharp blade, suitable for architectural models or prototypes
  • Exterior has a wax coating to provide a moisture barrier and glossy sheen
  • Smooth white surface suitable for offset printing
  • Weight 200-500gsm, ideal for folding and die cutting
• Corrugated Cardboard characteristics

  • Made up of one or two outer flat layers and a corrugated layer
  • Commonly used for delivery containers and packaging
  • Lightweight but strong
  • Smooth surface easily printed on
• Corrugated cardboard composition

  • One or two outer flat layers
  • A corrugated layer
• Uses of corrugated cardboard

  • Delivery containers
  • Packaging
• Corrugated cardboard

  • Lightweight, but strong
  • With a smooth surface, it can easily be printed on
• Wood


  Natural wood is categorised as either hardwood or softwood
• Characteristics of hardwood and softwood trees

  • Help us recognise them
  • Both types can be grown and harvested sustainably in managed forests
  • This makes wood a sustainable and biodegradable resource
• Wood has played a key role in the history of civilization
• Softwood comes from coniferous trees
• Softwood trees grow faster than hardwood trees making it relatively cheap and readily available
• Softwood trees have wider grain making them more absorbent
• Wood

  • Useful and versatile material
  • Aesthetically pleasing
  • Good insulator
  • Durable and tough
  • Good strength to weight ratio
• Tree felling

  1. A tree is felled when it is cut down

  2. Traditional methods of felling used saws and axes

  3. Chainsaws are used in modern felling

  4. Agricultural logging uses machinery with large chainsaw attachments to fell, de-branch, and log a tree in one swift action
• Hardwood

  • Sourced from deciduous trees
  • Deciduous trees drop their leaves in the autumn and new leaves grow in spring
  • Usually slower growing and more expensive
  • Sought after for variety of colours and grains, good aesthetical and physical properties
  • Closer grain, making it more dense and hardwearing
• Working properties of timber

  • Strength: amount of load or compression it can withstand
  • Toughness: absorption of energy through shock before splitting
  • Elasticity: ability to return to shape after being compressed
  • Hardness: resistance of the surface to scratches, knocks, and abrasion
• Hardwoods are used in a wide range of applications

  • Ash is very tough and shock-resistant
  • Beech is tough, durable, and has a fine finish
  • Oak is tough, hard, durable with a variable grain
• Natural timbers can have natural defects, with the most common being a knot
• Softwoods such as pine, larch, and cedar can seep resin at the knot
• Softwood is cost-effective and readily sourced, making it ideal for the construction industry
• • Pine is lightweight and easy to work with
  • Larch is durable, tough, and has good water resistance
  • Spruce has a high stiffness to weight ratio
  • Cedar contains natural oils offering natural water resistance
• • Some woods possess tonal properties making them ideal for use in stringed instruments
  • Spruce is commonly used in violins, pianos, and guitars due to its high stiffness to weight ratio
  • Mahogany is used for necks and sides of acoustic guitars and sometimes for the body of electric guitars