Poplar Wood

Lirodendron tulipifera

Poplar wood, lacking bold coloration or an exciting grain pattern, doesn’t often get the respect we feel it deserves. The Poplar tree is widespread across all of North America and Europe, and it grows very rapidly and to large sizes, meaning it’s very easy to sustain.

Because the wood is often painted or used in secondary applications where it isn’t visible, it is very easy to find wide, clear sections of Poplar for a variety of uses. At J. Gibson McIlvain lumber company, we usually have a large supply of Poplar wood in stock, and due to the wood’s high availability and locality, we can very quickly obtain new stock and kiln dry it for a stable product.

Is Poplar a Hardwood?

Poplar lumber is pretty soft and very easy to work. But botanically speaking, it is a hardwood – meaning it is a deciduous tree. But it is highly stable, easily available in width and length, and takes paint and stain famously well. However, using Poplar as a stain grade species is often overlooked. Some will call Poplar wood “poor man’s Cherry,” as it oxidizes over time to a much darker shade of brown. In fact as shown in the image there is a stark contrast between freshly milled Poplar lumber and the aged material. It is just another option to consider before you cover up the agreeable grain with paint. The combined factors of low cost and high availability in a variety of widths and thicknesses make Poplar an outstanding secondary or paint-grade wood that is perfect for interior building or furniture applications.

Poplar Wood Applications

Poplar is most commonly used, however, in architectural millwork, because it is soft enough to be gentle on cutting tools, yet hard enough to retain details. The fine pores finish very well, taking an even and smooth coat of paint, primer, varnish, or shellac. At the same time, because it is so affordable, Poplar wood is often used as a secondary wood to build up the backs of stacked mouldings or in panels where half is done in a primary wood species and the unseen other half uses Poplar.

In general, when the final project is to be stained or painted, there usually is no better choice than Poplar.

Poplar Lumber Specifications

Character	Green	Dry	Units
Bending Strength	6000	10100	psi
Crushing Strength	270	500	psi
Max Crushing Strength	2660	5540	psi
Impact Strength	26	24	inches
Stiffness	1220	1580	1000 psi
Work to Maximum Load	8	9	in-lbs/in3
Hardness (Janka)	–	540	lbs
Shearing Strength	–	1190	psi
Specific Gravity	0.40	0.42	–
Weight	46	30	lbs/ft3
Radial Shrinkage	–	5	%
Tangential Shrinkage	–	8	%
Volumetric Shrinkage	–	13	%