Eastern Cottonwood

Populus deltoides · Hardwood · North America

Janka 430 lbf≈25 lb/ft³ dried (est.)

Properties

Janka hardness	430 lbf (1,913 N)
Average dried weight (est.)	25 lb/ft³ (400 kg/m³)
Specific gravity	0.40
Modulus of rupture	8,500 psi (58.6 MPa)
Modulus of elasticity	1.37 million psi (9.45 GPa)
Crushing strength	4,910 psi (33.9 MPa)
Shrinkage — radial	3.9%
Shrinkage — tangential	9.2%
Shrinkage — volumetric	13.9%
Shrinkage T/R ratio	2.4

Values at 12% moisture content, clear-wood averages. Source: USDA Forest Products Laboratory, Wood Handbook FPL-GTR-282 (2021), Table 5–3b p. 5–9; shrinkage Table 4–3 p. 4–8.

Eastern cottonwood is a light, soft hardwood (specific gravity 0.40, Janka hardness 430 lbf) of moderate strength and stiffness. Its lumber and veneer go mainly into boxes, crates, baskets, and pallets.

Appearance & grain

The heartwood runs from grayish white to light brown. The whitish sapwood merges into the heartwood gradually, with no sharp boundary. The texture is comparatively uniform, the grain generally straight, and the well-dried wood is odorless.

Workability

Some cottonwood stock is difficult to work because tension wood leaves a fuzzy surface after machining. The Handbook also rates the wood's shrinkage as moderately high, so drying needs care.