Paulownia for Internal and External Applications

Paulownia Paulownia lining boardsis an emerging timber product being grown in various locations around Australia as a renewable plantation timber. Coffs Harbour Paulownia has a substantial mature plantation west of Coffs Harbour with all of the milling and processing facilities on site.


Paulownia has been used for centuries in China and Japan, and since the fifties in America, Italy and most Asian countries.

Existing and potential uses include:

  • Furniture, bedding
  • Boat, caravan, bus, mobile home fit-outs
  • Office partitions
  • Marine plywood and blockboard
  • Coffins, surfboards, musical instruments
  • Wall panelling
  • Mouldings for the building industry
  • Shutters & blinds
  • Privacy screens
  • Door & window joinery

Renewable Resource - Paulownia lining boardsAfter harvest (9 - 12 yrs) the trees re-coppice off the butt to produce the same volume of timber in 8 - 10 yrs. They are genuinely renewable and large CO2 consumers due to their rapid growth.

At Coffs Harbour Paulownia, all unused parts of the tree are chipped and together with the sawdust are returned to the soil.

Timber Treatment - Paulownia for external useuntreated paulownia timber is prone to various sap stain problems, some of which may not show for months or years.

At Coffs Harbour Paulownia all of the timber is specially treated by the best technology imported from China to ensure no stain problems occur.


Timber Properties

1. Weight - Paulownia is a very light timber. At a dry density of around 280 kg/m3 paulownia is lighter than most common timbers. Density comparisons are Western Red Cedar (340), Meranti (580), Pine (500), Teak (750).

2. Strength - with a modulus of elasticity (stiffness) of 5.6 GPa and a modulus
of rupture (bending strength) of 28 MPa, paulownia is not classified as a structural timber in its natural state. However because of its light weight, paulownia has a high strength to weight ratio, an important feature in the various uses of the timber.

3. Deformation & Warping – The shrinkage co-efficient of paulownia is very low compared to most timbers being 0.094 radially, 0.268 tangentially and 0.362 in volume giving the dried timber a high level of dimensional stability.

4. Hardness - The Janka hardness rating for paulownia is low at 1.3 kN. Western Red Cedar is rated at 1.5 and Meranti 2.6. While modern treatments can substantially harden up a finished surface, paulownia is not suitable for flooring or areas where physical damage is likely.

5. Durability - The in-ground durability rating for paulownia is 4 and the timber should not be used for that purpose. Paulownia used for other external uses out of ground has a similar durability to western red cedar and should be treated with at least two coats of a water repellent sealant.

Paulownia plantation - Nana Glen near Coffs Harbour6. Resistance to Decay - Paulownia is highly resistant to insect attack and rot. Research carried out by Qld Forestry Research Institute indicates the timber to be unattractive to termites. Rot showing on neglected timber tends to be surface deep only.

7. Thermal Insulation - with one of the lowest thermal conductivities for wood of just 0.07 Kcal/m/hr/Cdeg, paulownia has an excellent heat insulation capability being one of the best heat insulating timbers and far superior to brick, concrete or steel.

8. Fire Resistance – with an auto ignition temperature of around 400 deg C (most hardwoods around 220 deg C) paulownia is reported to have a flame spreading rate considerably below most building codes.

9. Finishing - The sap of paulownia is not gum or resinous based, thus the application of finishing products with various solvents as carriers does not risk any interaction with the timber, contributing to the very good finishing properties of paulownia products. The timber readily takes stains, estapols and paints with excellent finished surfaces.

10. Workability - a major feature of paulownia timber is its ease of working. All aspects of carpentry such as machining, nailing, screwing, glueing, sanding, sawing and handling are very user friendly with no splinters, cracking or splitting and excellent take-up of glues and finishes.





Paulownia milled timber sizesT&G Paulownia lining boards 12mm by 140mm - ship lap v groove cut - lightly stained Paulownia slats for external use - can be stained or painted Paulownia slats for external use - unstained Paulownia slats for external use - can be stained or painted Paulownia in flower
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