Is Poplar Considered A Hardwood Or Softwood

Wandering the lumber aisle at the local home improvement warehouse reveals a dizzying array of building materials.

Is poplar considered a hardwood or softwood.

I m wondering if poplar fits that description. Poplar is an example of a tree that is technically a hardwood but had density and hardness that is more typical of a softwood. In most instances poplar or at least the wood sold as poplar in home centers is actually the wood from the tulip tree. Poplar wood is considered a hardwood by species but this can be somewhat confusing as it is typically softer than pine a common softwood.

Poplar is a hardwood but it s not very hard. I have a paint grade job coming up that specs 1 2 thick hardwood edging on the shelves. Botanically speaking poplar is an angiosperm which is referred to as hardwood. Poplar is a hardwood but is it hard.

As a deciduous tree poplar is classified as a hardwood. Here s some hard info about just how hard it is or isn t november 15 2011. It is considered to be one of the hardest types of softwoods in some circles while being classified a hardwood at the softer end of the scale in others. Maple walnut ash cherry and oak all fit into this category.

There are softwoods and hardwoods in various sizes with wildly varying prices. Wood is categorized into two groups based on their density as softwood and hardwood. You might pick up a block of softwood that is exceptionally hard or find a wood like poplar that is a hardwood yet soft. This happens to be generally true but there are exceptions such as in the cases of wood from yew trees a softwood that is relatively hard and wood from balsa trees a.

It simply means the wood comes from a dicot tree such as a broadleaf variety. The most common species in the united states yellow poplar liriodendron tulipifera is found throughout the northeast as well as in canada and. In general hardwood trees grow slowly and as a result are more hard and dense but this isnt always the case. Classifying wood as either a hardwood or softwood comes down to its physical structure and makeup and so it is overly simple to think of hardwoods as being hard and durable compared to soft and workable softwoods.

It s important to explain that hardwood is not necessarily a term that refers to the strength of the wood. The density of a wood is determined based on the multiple growths and physiological factors such as age diameter height radial growth geographical location site and growing conditions etc. However both categorizations can be considered to be correct. That s because the terms hardwood and softwood are rather misleading.

The distinction between and softwood is related to how the species produces seeds. Question is poplar considered a hardwood. Is poplar a hardwood or a softwood.