What Wood Is Best for Shelves That Won't Sag?

Softwood

• Examples of commonly available softwoods include pine, fir, spruce, cedar and redwood. Due to typical rapid growth, softwoods are often less expensive than hardwoods. Softwoods may be used for most shelving applications, especially when strength, durability and cost containment are high priorities.

Hardwood

• Hardwoods are stronger than softwoods and more resistant to splitting. Common examples include oak, ash, elm, birch, walnut, mahogany and teak. Hardwoods are typically used in lathe-work and to construct fine furniture and trims. Although hardwoods can be made into strong and durable shelves, the cost is prohibitive for many homeowners.

Particle Board, OSB and Plywood

• Particle board, oriented strand board and plywood are engineered wood products. They are strong and, when adequately supported, can be used to construct functional and durable shelves. Engineered wood products are made of recycled wood scraps and are used in applications where stability, strength and cost containment are more important than a pleasing appearance.

Shelf Support

• Obviously, shelves made of thicker or stronger lumber are less likely to sag. Thinner softwood planks or engineered wood products are used to construct shelves that are resistant to sagging by attaching support planks to the undersides of the shelves. A 1-by-4-inch plank, screwed to the bottom of the shelf, greatly increases the shelf's strength. The plank is positioned so its 1-inch edge is against the bottom of the back of the shelf. The support plank also provides a surface for screwing the shelf unit into the wall studs for secure installation.