Yellow-poplar wood movement, board-foot & weight calculator
- Janka
- 540lbf
- Density
- 29.4lb/ft³
- T/R ratio
- 1.8
- Spec. gravity
- 0.42
Yellow-poplar is a North American hardwood. It has a Janka side hardness of 540 lbf, a specific gravity of 0.42, and an air-dry density near 29 lb/ft³ (471 kg/m³) (mechanical values at 12% moisture content). It shrinks 8.2% tangentially and 4.6% radially from green to oven-dry (T/R ratio 1.8), so a 12-inch flatsawn board moves about 0.2 in (≈ 3/16 in) across a 6-point moisture swing (about 6%→12% MC).
Compute Yellow-poplar: movement, weight & board footage
Every number below is worked from Yellow-poplar's own shrinkage and density figures, not looked up from a table — change the width, moisture swing, or board size in the calculators linked alongside.
Cross-grain movement by board width
| Board width | Flatsawn (tangential) | Quartersawn (radial) |
|---|---|---|
| 2″ | 0.033″ (≈ 1/32 in) | 0.018″ (≈ 1/32 in) |
| 3″ | 0.049″ (≈ 1/16 in) | 0.028″ (≈ 1/32 in) |
| 4″ | 0.066″ (≈ 1/16 in) | 0.037″ (≈ 1/32 in) |
| 6″ | 0.098″ (≈ 3/32 in) | 0.055″ (≈ 1/16 in) |
| 8″ | 0.131″ (≈ 1/8 in) | 0.074″ (≈ 1/16 in) |
| 10″ | 0.164″ (≈ 5/32 in) | 0.092″ (≈ 3/32 in) |
| 12″ | 0.197″ (≈ 3/16 in) | 0.11″ (≈ 1/8 in) |
| 16″ | 0.262″ (≈ 1/4 in) | 0.147″ (≈ 5/32 in) |
Need a different width or moisture swing? Run the movement calculator preloaded with Yellow-poplar. At a T/R ratio of 1.78, Yellow-poplar is stable — it moves moderately more across the face than through the thickness — normal behaviour for a furniture hardwood, and predictable if boards are acclimatised before milling.
Board footage & weight, standard sizes
| Nominal size × length | Board feet | Weight |
|---|---|---|
| 1×4 × 8′ | 2.67 bd ft | 6.5 lb |
| 1×6 × 8′ | 4 bd ft | 9.8 lb |
| 1×8 × 8′ | 5.33 bd ft | 13.1 lb |
| 1×10 × 8′ | 6.67 bd ft | 16.3 lb |
| 1×12 × 8′ | 8 bd ft | 19.6 lb |
| 2×4 × 8′ | 5.33 bd ft | 13.1 lb |
| 2×6 × 8′ | 8 bd ft | 19.6 lb |
| 2×8 × 8′ | 10.67 bd ft | 26.1 lb |
Different length or size? Run the board foot calculator or the weight calculator, both preloaded with Yellow-poplar.
Seasonal movement by city
| City | Driest month (EMC) | Most-humid month (EMC) | EMC swing | 12″ board movement |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Phoenix, AZ | Jun · 4.4% | Dec · 9% | 4.6 pts | 0.151″ (≈ 5/32 in) |
| Chicago, IL | May · 12.3% | Dec · 15.1% | 2.8 pts | 0.092″ (≈ 3/32 in) |
| Miami, FL | Apr · 12.2% | Sep · 14.4% | 2.2 pts | 0.072″ (≈ 1/16 in) |
| Boston, MA | Apr · 11.5% | Sep · 12.8% | 1.3 pts | 0.043″ (≈ 1/32 in) |
| Denver, CO | Jul · 8% | Dec · 10.5% | 2.5 pts | 0.082″ (≈ 3/32 in) |
| Seattle, WA | Jul · 12% | Dec · 16.9% | 4.9 pts | 0.161″ (≈ 5/32 in) |
Driven by Yellow-poplar's tangential shrinkage of 8.2%. These are outdoor equilibrium-moisture figures, so they are an upper bound — a climate-controlled interior swings less. How this is calculated.
How Yellow-poplar compares
Ranked against the 196 species in the Wood Handbook tables this site carries.
- Hardness: at 540 lbf, Yellow-poplar is harder than 22% of the 157 species with a Janka figure.
- Weight: at 29.4 lb/ft³ it is heavier than 25% of the 170 species measured — an 8-foot 1×6 board weighs about 9.8 lb.
- Stability: its T/R ratio of 1.78 is more even than 56% of the 196 species here — as humidity changes, 44% of them hold their shape more evenly.
See Yellow-poplar plotted against every species we carry: the full Janka hardness chart and the full density chart .
Species with a similar working profile
Closest matches on hardness, weight and stability together — useful when Yellow-poplar is unavailable or priced out.
- Sitka Spruce is a common substitute for Yellow-poplar : nearly identical hardness, about the same weight, and similarly stable in service.
- Old Growth Redwood is a common substitute for Yellow-poplar : 11% softer, about the same weight, and similarly stable in service.
- Red Alder is a common substitute for Yellow-poplar : 9% harder, about the same weight, and similarly stable in service.
- Butternut is a common substitute for Yellow-poplar : 9% softer, 10% lighter, and similarly stable in service.
| Species | Janka | Density | T/R |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sitka Spruce | 510 lbf | 28 | 1.74 |
| Old Growth Redwood | 480 lbf | 28 | 1.69 |
| Red Alder | 590 lbf | 28.7 | 1.66 |
| Butternut | 490 lbf | 26.6 | 1.88 |
About Yellow-poplar
Yellow-poplar (Liriodendron tulipifera) is also known as poplar, tulip-poplar, and tulipwood. Sapwood from yellow-poplar is sometimes called white poplar or whitewood. Yellow-poplar grows from Connecticut and New York southward to Florida and westward to Missouri. The greatest commercial production of yellow-poplar lumber is in the South and Southeast. Yellow-poplar sapwood is white and frequently several centimeters wide. The heartwood is yellowish brown, sometimes streaked with purple, green, black, blue, or red. These colorations do not affect the physical properties of the wood. The wood is generally straight grained and comparatively uniform in texture. Slow-grown wood is moderately light in weight and moderately low in bending strength, moderately soft, and moderately low in shock resistance. The wood has moderately high shrinkage when dried from a green condition, but it is not difficult to dry and is stable after drying. The lumber is used primarily for furniture, interior molding, siding, cabinets, musical instruments, and structural components. Boxes, pallets, and crates are made from lower-grade stock. Yellow-poplar is also made into plywood for paneling, furniture, piano cases, and various other special products.
Durability & sustainability
Decay resistance: the Wood Handbook rates Yellow-poplar heartwood slightly or nonresistant to fungal decay . Ratings are for heartwood only and the table's own note cautions that resistance varies substantially within a species; treat this as a general indicator, not a guarantee, especially for ground contact. Wood Handbook, Chapter 14: Biodeterioration of Wood (Arango, Lebow, Glaeser), USDA Forest Products Laboratory, FPL-GTR-282 (2021), Table 14-1. Public domain.
CITES status: not listed on any CITES Appendix — no international-trade restriction applies to Yellow-poplar.
Properties
| Specific gravity | 0.42 |
|---|---|
| Janka hardness (side) | 540 lbf |
| Density (air-dry, 12% MC) | 29.4 lb/ft³ (471 kg/m³) ovendry-weight basis: 26.2 lb/ft³ |
| Weight per board foot (air-dry) | 2.45 lb |
| Radial shrinkage (green→oven-dry) | 4.6% |
| Tangential shrinkage (green→oven-dry) | 8.2% |
| Volumetric shrinkage (green→oven-dry) | 12.7% |
| T/R ratio (stability indicator) | 1.8 |
Shrinkage is total green-to-oven-dry (Table 4-3); strength values are at 12% MC. Full bases and the derivation formulas are on the methodology page.
Data: USDA Forest Products Laboratory, Wood Handbook FPL-GTR-282 (2021), public domain.