Paulownia wood is practically knot free, which greatly reduces wastage and makes it an excellent choice for many buyers. Paulownia trees are disease resistant and have a very high temperature resistance – making Paulownia wood almost bullet proof to the elements.  It absorbs 10 times more CO2 than any other species in the world.
Used in Asia for over 1,000 years, Paulownia is a very good insulator, has high temperature resistance and its combustion temperature is almost double that of many conventional hard and soft woods.
In real terms, it is widely acknowledged that Paulownia is the tree of the future.

However, NOT all paulownias are the same. There are more than 17 different registered species, just like olives or grapes.

General Paulownia Wood Characteristics
Lightweight
Paulownia wood is renowned for its exceptional lightness. Its low density makes it a popular choice for applications that require a lightweight material, such as furniture manufacturing, boat construction, toys, and building panels.
Paulownia wood is the lightest known timber other than balsa. It is also named the Aluminium of Timber. It is around two thirds of the weight of the lightest commercial wood currently being grown in Europe. Paulownia wood is one third of the weight of Oak and half the weight of Pine.
Strength and durability
Despite its light weight, paulownia wood exhibits notable strength and durability. It can withstand deformations and stresses, making it suitable for use in structural construction and as a building material.
Paulownia wood has the highest strength to weight ratio compared to any wood in the world. Auburn University tested the strength of 288 kg/m3. against balsa with an average weight of 160 kg/m3.
Strength of modus rupture mor (psi)

Balsa…………….2800**
Paulownia………5750 ** **Source Dr. R.C. Tang, Auburn University
Plantation grown Paulownia is mostly knot free and holds nails and screws well without requiring pilot holes to be drilled. Both yellow poplar and white pine wood have proven to split before Paulownia wood.
Conductivity
Paulownia wood is a very good insulator. Paulownia constructed log homes are said to have twice the “R” factor as pine or oak wood. This temperature resistance serves to give the wood a high fire resistance too with ignition temperature approximately 400ºC, almost twice as high as many conventional hard and soft woods.
Dimensional Stability
Paulownia wood is well-known for its dimensional stability. It is less prone to warping or shrinking due to changes in humidity and temperature, making it ideal for applications that require wood resistant to deformation, such as musical instrument production.
Other Paulownia Wood characteristics
• Low shrinkage;;
• Resistance to insect damage;
• Resistance to fungal rots (but not to surface moulds).