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

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.

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'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.

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

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

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).

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.