Whether you are planning on building floors, walls, furniture, a patio, or anything in between, there is rarely a better material to use than solid lumber. With that being said, there are many different types of wood to choose from. Two popular types include poplar and beech.
Today, we’re going to figure out what makes these two different from each other, so you can choose the right type of wood for your next big construction project.
What Is Poplar?
First, we have the poplar tree. This is a type of tree that is mostly found in the Northern Hemisphere. There are actually over 35 different types of poplar trees that can be found in North America, North Europe, and North Asia. That said, the most popular for construction and the most commonly found in North America is the yellow poplar, so this is what we will be focusing on today.
What is interesting to note is that the yellow poplar is technically a deciduous hardwood tree, although it is actually very soft. It’s also not overly heavy, and it doesn’t contain many resins or oils, so it’s also not very resistant to moisture or pests, and should therefore not be used for outdoor purposes.
That said, many people do like the straight grain and uniform texture that poplar features. It has a fairly smooth texture, and it doesn’t have many voids, gaps, or knots.
Yellow poplar features a creamy white or yellowish color. It is most often used for utilitarian needs, such as for making pallets, slabs, plywood, low-end furniture, and for other basic applications. Many people also choose this wood for its affordability.
What Is Beech?
We then have the beech tree, of which there are two main types, the European and the American beech tree. Seeing as we are in North America, we will be focusing on the American variety. This tree can be found in the eastern United States as well as in eastern Canada, and it can grow up to a whopping 130’ high.
This wood features a relatively straight grain with a uniform texture, along with a natural luster that is moderate and features a good deal of gaps and knots. It usually has a pale cream color, along with a slight pinkish or brownish hue.
Beech is quite durable and hard, and it is very resistant to physical impacts. This wood does, however, not perform very well when it comes to pests and moisture, so it really shouldn’t be used outdoors.
At the same time, beech is ideal for indoor purposes, such as for lower-end furniture, turned objects, veneer, musical instruments, flooring, general lumber, boxes, pallets, crates, and other basic indoor purposes.
Beech is quite durable and cost-effective and is therefore fairly popular. That said, it is not known for being very attractive to look at.
Poplar vs. Beech: What Are the Differences?
Now that we know what both poplar and beech are, let’s figure out what makes these two types of wood different from each other.
Hardness
Yellow poplar features a Janka hardness rating of 540 lbf, whereas North American beech comes in at 1,300 lbf. This means that North American beech is nearly three times as hard as yellow poplar, therefore making it much more resilient to various types of physical damage such as denting and scratching. This makes it the better option for things like furniture and flooring.
Density
Just like hardness, beech is also much denser than poplar. Yellow Poplar comes in at just 29 lbs per cubic foot, whereas beech comes in at 45 lbs per cubic foot. As you can see, beech is significantly heavier, which does in part lead to its increased durability over poplar, although this heavier weight does also make it harder to maneuver and work with.
Pest and Moisture Resistance
What can be said about both of these types of wood is that neither is very resistant to pests or moisture. Unless they are properly treated or sealed, neither is ideal for outdoor use and even then it is questionable. However, if we had to choose one of these types of wood for outdoor purposes, it would be beech, although again, this is still not ideal.
Overall Strength
If we are talking about the overall strength and durability of these two types of wood, beech scores much higher in all aspects. This goes for the compressive strength, the modulus of rupture, and the modulus of elasticity. North American beech can just hold a lot more weight, is more structurally sound, and is much stronger overall.
Workability
Both of these types of wood are very easy to work with. That said, because beech is much heavier and harder, it is a bit more difficult to work with, particularly in terms of nailing and sawing.
Appearance – Grain and Color
One thing that can be said about both of these types of wood is that they’re not known for their stunning appearance. Beech features a relatively unimpressive texture and grain, it can have some knots and gaps, and it has a relatively light color that is not overly appealing to the eye.
Yellow poplar, on the other hand, features a yellowish or creamy white color with a smooth texture and a straight grain. Although neither is particularly visually appealing, most people would say that yellow poplar is probably the slightly better-looking of the two.
Cost
Beech is an affordable type of wood, as it’s not going to cost you more than $9 per board foot, with yellow poplar being even more affordable, usually topping out at around $6 per board foot.
When to Use Poplar?
If you need a type of wood that is fine for utilitarian purposes, such as for making plywood, crates, boxes, decorative pieces, and low-end furniture, then poplar is just fine. Just keep in mind that it is not very structurally sound, it can’t bear a lot of weight, and it’s not ideal for outdoor purposes.
When to Use Beech?
Although beech is also not ideal for outdoor purposes, it is in general quite strong. This means that it is ideal for structural applications, it can bear weight, and it is quite durable too. Overall, it makes for a good option for indoor use.
Alternatives to Poplar and Beech
Neither of the types of wood that we looked at today is very pest or moisture-resistant. If you do need a type of wood that is ideal for outdoor purposes, cedar, oak, ebony, teak, mahogany, and even ironwood all make for fantastic options.
Summary
Now that you know what makes poplar and beech different from each other, you can make an informed decision as to which one to use for your next construction or woodworking project.