WOOD SPECIES · Hardwood
Yellow-poplar (tulipwood): density, weight and properties
Liriodendron tulipifera
Yellow-poplar (tulipwood) (Liriodendron tulipifera) averages 470.4 kg/m³ at 12% moisture content, according to the USDA Wood Handbook. The figures below are averages for clear, mature wood; individual boards vary with origin, growth and moisture.
Key figures
- Density at 12% moisture
- 470.4 kg/m³Specific gravity 0.42 (oven-dry mass, volume at 12%) × 1.12 × 1,000 kg/m³, Wood Handbook Eq. 4-14
- Basic specific gravity (oven-dry mass, green volume)
- 0.40
- Janka side hardness at 12%
- 2,400 N (≈ 540 lbf)
- Bending strength (modulus of rupture)
- 70 MPa
- Stiffness (modulus of elasticity)
- 10,900 MPa
- Compression parallel to grain
- 38.2 MPa
- Tangential shrinkage, green to oven-dry
- 8.2%
- Radial shrinkage, green to oven-dry
- 4.6%
- Volumetric shrinkage, green to oven-dry
- 12.7%
- Fibre saturation point
- 30%Not measured: Wood Handbook default
Weight at 12% moisture content
Volume × 470.4 kg/m³, the same calculation as the weight calculator. Green or wet wood weighs considerably more.
| Piece | Size | Weight |
|---|---|---|
| 1 cubic metre | 1,000 × 1,000 × 1,000 mm | 470.4 kg |
| 1 board foot | 12 × 12 × 1 in | 1.11 kg |
| 1×4 board, 8 ft | 3/4 × 3 1/2 in actual × 8 ft | 1.94 kg |
| 1×6 board, 8 ft | 3/4 × 5 1/2 in actual × 8 ft | 3.05 kg |
| 2×4 board, 8 ft | 1 1/2 × 3 1/2 in actual × 8 ft | 3.89 kg |
| 2×6 board, 10 ft | 1 1/2 × 5 1/2 in actual × 10 ft | 7.63 kg |
Movement across the width
How much a board 11 1/4 in (286 mm) wide changes when its moisture content moves by a few percentage points. The estimate uses the total shrinkage above and a linear relation below the fibre saturation point of 30% (Wood Handbook Eq. 4-9). Flat-sawn boards move with tangential shrinkage, quartersawn boards with radial shrinkage.
| Moisture change | Flat-sawn | Quartersawn |
|---|---|---|
| 3 percentage points | 2.3 mm (0.092 in) | 1.3 mm (0.052 in) |
| 6 percentage points | 4.7 mm (0.184 in) | 2.6 mm (0.104 in) |
Wood movement across the grain · Moisture content and acclimatising wood
Natural durability
The Wood Handbook groups the heartwood as slightly or nonresistant to decay (Table 14-1). Keep it dry, or use treated wood where decay can develop.
Working and finishing
Generally straight grained and uniform; the heartwood can be streaked with purple, green or other colours without any effect on its properties. It has moderately high shrinkage when dried from green but is not difficult to dry and is stable after drying (Wood Handbook, chapter 2).
Typical uses
- Furniture
- Mouldings
- Cladding and siding
- Cabinets
- Musical instruments
- Plywood
Calculate with this material
Species with similar density
- Cedro (Spanish cedar) 460 kg/m³
- Silver fir 490 kg/m³
- Norway spruce 450 kg/m³
Sources & references
- USDA FPL · Wood Handbook (2021), ch. 5: Mechanical properties of wood
- USDA FPL · Wood Handbook (2021), ch. 4: Moisture relations and physical properties of wood
- USDA FPL · Wood Handbook (2021), ch. 14: Biodeterioration of wood
- USDA FPL · Wood Handbook (2021), ch. 2: Characteristics and availability of commercially important woods
Uses and working notes summarise the cited source. Check the moisture content, grade and origin of the wood you actually buy.