How to Identify Yellow Poplar (Tulip Poplar) Wood (Liriodendron tulipifera)

Yellow Poplar (Tulip Poplar), Liriodendron tulipifera: color, grain, end grain, Janka hardness (540 lbf) and weight, and how to tell it from Black Cherry, quoted from the USDA Wood Handbook and The Wood Database.

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At a glance

Scientific name: Liriodendron tulipifera
Type: Hardwood
Origin: Eastern United States
Color: Heartwood light cream to yellowish brown, with occasional streaks of gray or green; sapwood pale yellow to white, not always clearly demarcated.
Grain and texture: Typically straight, uniform grain with a medium texture and low natural luster.
End grain: Diffuse porous; small pores in no specific arrangement, numerous, solitary and radial multiples of 2-3; tyloses occasionally present; growth rings distinct due to marginal parenchyma and noded rays; rays not visible without a lens.
Janka hardness: 540 lbf
Specific gravity (12% MC): 0.42
Other clue: No characteristic odor; low density can leave fuzzy surfaces and edges when shaped or sanded.

What Yellow Poplar (Tulip Poplar) looks like

Heartwood light cream to yellowish brown, with occasional streaks of gray or green; sapwood pale yellow to white, not always clearly demarcated. Typically straight, uniform grain with a medium texture and low natural luster. End grain: Diffuse porous; small pores in no specific arrangement, numerous, solitary and radial multiples of 2-3; tyloses occasionally present; growth rings distinct due to marginal parenchyma and noded rays; rays not visible without a lens.

Hardness and weight

Janka hardness 540 lbf (side hardness: the force needed to embed a 0.444-inch steel ball to half its diameter). Specific gravity 0.42 at 12% moisture content, so a cubic foot weighs roughly 26 lb. Weight in the hand is one of the quickest checks: compare a piece of known size against a board you already know.

Yellow Poplar (Tulip Poplar) vs Black Cherry

Yellow-poplar's pale, streaky heartwood is commonly dyed to mimic pricier hardwoods; once stained, poplar can be almost impossible to tell apart from cherry by eye, but real cherry/walnut are denser (950/1,010 lbf vs poplar's 540 lbf) and lack poplar's occasional gray-green streaks under the finish. The Black Cherry page has its own details.

Smell, weight and other clues

No characteristic odor; low density can leave fuzzy surfaces and edges when shaped or sanded.

Where you will meet it

Pallets, crates, upholstered furniture frames, paper (pulpwood), and plywood; veneer is often dyed various colors or used on hidden panel undersides.

Working it

Very easy to work in almost all regards; its main downside is softness, which can leave fuzzy surfaces/edges when shaping or sanding; reported as an irritant (eye, skin, respiratory irritation, asthma-like symptoms).

How to photograph it for identification

Photograph a freshly cut or sanded face in daylight, not a finished or stained surface, since stain hides color and finish flattens grain. Add a close-up of the end grain: cut a clean end, wet it or sand it to 220, and shoot from straight on; pore pattern and rays are the most reliable marks. Put a ruler in frame. The app suggests the likely species; confirm with the end grain and weight.

FAQ

How hard is Yellow Poplar (Tulip Poplar)?

Janka hardness 540 lbf. For comparison, Red Oak is about 1,290 lbf and Eastern White Pine about 380 lbf.

How do I tell Yellow Poplar (Tulip Poplar) from Black Cherry?

Is Yellow Poplar (Tulip Poplar) a hardwood or a softwood?

Yellow Poplar (Tulip Poplar) is a hardwood: it comes from a broadleaf tree. Hardwood and softwood describe the kind of tree, not how hard the wood is; some hardwoods are softer than some softwoods.

What color is Yellow Poplar (Tulip Poplar)?

Heartwood light cream to yellowish brown, with occasional streaks of gray or green; sapwood pale yellow to white, not always clearly demarcated.

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