Quaking Aspen
Populus tremuloides · Hardwood · North America
Properties
| Janka hardness | 350 lbf (1,557 N) |
|---|---|
| Average dried weight (est.) | 24 lb/ft³ (380 kg/m³) |
| Specific gravity | 0.38 |
| Modulus of rupture | 8,400 psi (57.9 MPa) |
| Modulus of elasticity | 1.18 million psi (8.14 GPa) |
| Crushing strength | 4,250 psi (29.3 MPa) |
| Shrinkage — radial | 3.5% |
| Shrinkage — tangential | 6.7% |
| Shrinkage — volumetric | 11.5% |
| Shrinkage T/R ratio | 1.9 |
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.
Quaking aspen shares the eastern aspen account with bigtooth aspen; the two are light, soft woods milled for lumber, pallets, boxes and crating, pulpwood, and panels. Aspen is a preferred species for oriented strandboard and other strand panels.
Appearance & grain
The heartwood is grayish white to light grayish brown, and the lighter-colored sapwood merges gradually into the heartwood without clear marking. The wood is usually straight grained and has a fine, uniform texture.
Workability
The aspens are easily worked, and well-dried lumber imparts no odor or flavor to foodstuffs. The wood is lightweight and soft and low in strength, moderately stiff, moderately low in shock resistance, and moderately high in shrinkage.
Common uses
- Lumber
- Pallets
- Boxes and crating
- Pulpwood
- Particleboard
- Strand panels and oriented strandboard
- Excelsior
- Matches
- Veneer
- Turned articles
Conservation: IUCN Red List: Least Concern (checked 2026-10-24).
