What is Paulownia?

What is Paulownia Timber?

Paulownia is an extraordinary timber, often referred to as "Empresswood" or "Princess Tree." Native to East Asia, it is globally recognized as the fastest-growing hardwood species in the world. But its true appeal lies in its combination of speed, sustainability, and superior physical properties. Paulownia offers a unique blend of being incredibly lightweight and surprisingly strong, making it a versatile and highly sought-after material for a wide array of applications.

A Timber with a Rich History

For over a thousand years, Paulownia has been a cornerstone of life and culture in Asia. In Japan, it was traditionally planted at the birth of a daughter. When she was ready to be married, the tree was harvested and carved into a chest of drawers or other furniture for her dowry. This historical tradition speaks volumes about the timber's enduring value and cultural significance. Today, this beautiful, pale blond wood continues to be prized by woodworkers and builders around the world for its beauty and performance.

Why Paulownia is So Special

Paulownia isn't just another wood; it's a game-changer. Here are the core characteristics that set it apart:

• Incredibly Lightweight: With a density of just 300 kg/m³, Paulownia is the lightest commercial timber available, making it less than half the weight of pine. This lightness is a huge advantage for projects where weight is a factor, such as marine and aviation crafts.

• Exceptional Strength-to-Weight Ratio: Don't let its light weight fool you. Paulownia offers an excellent strength-to-weight ratio, giving it the structural integrity needed for demanding applications. It's often called the "aluminum of timber" for its blend of performance and low mass.

• Naturally Sustainable: As the world's fastest-growing hardwood, Paulownia reaches maturity in as little as 5-8 years. It also regrows from its stump after harvesting, allowing for a continuous and sustainable supply. It's a champion of reforestation and carbon sequestration.

• Highly Resistant to Water & Decay: Paulownia has a naturally low moisture absorption rate and is resistant to rot and insect damage. This makes it a perfect choice for outdoor and marine applications, as it will not warp or crack easily when exposed to the elements.

• A Pleasure to Work With: Woodworkers love Paulownia because of its straight, knot-free grain and its softness. It cuts, sands, and finishes beautifully with minimal effort, providing a clean surface that accepts stains and finishes evenly.

Modern Applications of Paulownia

Today, Paulownia timber is in high demand across many industries. Its unique properties make it the ideal material for:

• Marine & Watersports: The undisputed top choice for wooden surfboards, hollow-core kayaks, and boat interiors due to its buoyancy and water resistance.

• Recreational & Hobby: Perfect for model airplanes, surf handplanes, and other crafts where a lightweight yet strong material is required.

• Architectural & Construction: Used for decorative beams, joinery, doors, and paneling, where its stability and light weight simplify installation.

• Musical Instruments: The excellent acoustic properties of Paulownia make it a great tone wood for guitar bodies, ukuleles, and other instruments.

About our Paulownia 

Our Paulownia is plantation grown and is a hybrid between Paulownia Tormentosa and Paulownia Fortunei which provides high quality, timber with limited defects and beautiful grain. We manufacture our strips from single, thick planks of timber which means all strips will have a very similar grain and colour tone. But we can provide a mix on request.

Paulownia is widely regarded as the best material for producing wooden surfboards with a perfect combination of strength/hardness and density( or lack of it!). You can read more about Paulownia in a surfboard context in this blog:

Our Paulownia stock is mainly large sections, with 58x250x2200mm Rough Sawn/Skip Dressed being the largest size that we typically have in stock. Large Paulownia sections like this are pretty rare in Australia and it provides good versatility for a variety of projects. 

Surfboard deck skins, chambered wooden boards, surf hand planes, fishing lures, guitars and Alaia boards are examples of great uses for this material. But it is also an ideal substitute for conventional timbers like Pine in many typical woodworking applications. It cuts and sands well and an oil finish really makes the grain and character pop!

We can offer any size partially or fully dressed up to 50x250x2200mm on request.