About Paulownia

General Characteristics

Paulownia is a soft hardwood that is native to China and has been used for over one thousand years in the fine furniture and construction industries. The heartwood is light in color and the sapwood even lighter. The color difference between the two is not distinct. The wood is without odor or taste and when sanded has the feel of spun silk.

Environmentally Friendly

Paulownia is predominantly plantation grown and considered a "green" product given its ten to twelve year harvesting cycles.

Wood Structure

The demarcation between heartwood and sapwood is not clear and the wood is straight grained and lustrous.

Wood Properties

Paulownia is comparatively soft and light in weight for a hardwood. Physical weight is slightly less than kiln dried western red cedar and two-thirds the weight of eastern white pine. It has a very high strength-to-weight ratio.

The shrinkage coefficient is smaller than most commercially harvested coniferous and broad leaf woods. The wood dries rapidly and does not easily warp, cup, end check, splinter or split. Movement in service is rated as small.

Paulownia has one of the lowest thermal conductivity values of any wood; therefore the wood has very high insulation properties. Low thermal conductivity contributes to the low shrinkage in use.

Compared to most woods, Paulownia has a high resistance to fire and flame and a higher ignition/flash point.

Paulownia is naturally decay and insect resistant. It has no measurable pitch, resin or tannins so it is not subject to extractive bleeding.

Working Properties

Paulownia is easy to work using hand or machine tools. It is easy to plane, sand, saw, rip, rout, and carve, and even during quick processing there is no danger of splitting or chipping. It easily absorbs glue, paint, and stains.