American cottonwood (Populus deltoides)

Other names: Eastern cottonwood, Eastern poplar, Carolina poplar

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Distribution

Eastern USA, main commercial areas Middle and Southern States.

General description

The sapwood is white and may contain brown streaks while the heartwood may be pale to light brown. It is a diffuse porous timber with a coarse texture. The wood is generally straight grained and contains relatively few defects. Cottonwood is a true poplar, and therefore has similar characteristics and properties to aspen and European poplar.

Working properties

General machinability is fair, although tension wood is frequently present and can cause a fuzzy surface when cut, which in turn will require additional care when finishing. The wood glues well and has good resistance to splitting when nailing and screwing. It dries easily but may still have a tendency to warp, with small movement in performance.

Machining Nailing Screwing Gluing Finishing

Physical properties

Cottonwood is relatively light in weight. The wood is soft, and weak in bending and compression, and low in shock resistance. It has no odour or taste when dry.

Specific Gravity: 0.40 (12% M.C.)
Average Weight: 449 kg/m³ (12% M.C.)
Average Volumetric Shrinkage: 11.3% (Green to 6% M.C.)
Modulus of Elasticity: 9466 MPa
Hardness: 1913 N

Durability

Non-resistant to decay.

Availability

USA: Widely available in lumber and veneer.
Export: May be limited in some markets (where demand is low).

Main uses

Furniture, furniture parts, interior joinery and mouldings, toys and kitchen utensils. A specialised use (USA) is Venetian blinds and shutters.

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