Wood Species Guide
Catalpa
Catalpa speciosa and Catalpa bignonioides
Also called: Northern Catalpa, Southern Catalpa, Cigar Tree, Catawba, Indian Bean Tree
What Catalpa looks like
Light golden tan to grayish brown heartwood, sometimes with a slight lavender cast. Sapwood is narrow and pale.
Grain and texture
Straight grain with a coarse, open texture and clear growth rings, similar in look to ash or chestnut but much lighter in weight.
Working Catalpa: planing, cutting and gluing
Soft and easy to cut, carve and plane. The open pores can tear on crosscuts with dull blades. It glues well but holds screws only moderately, so use longer screws in structural joints.
Finishing Catalpa: oil, film finishes and epoxy
Takes oil, stain and film finishes well. The open grain looks best with a grain filler if you want a glassy finish. For epoxy, a thin seal coat is important because the large pores release air and can leave bubbles in a pour.
Durability, stability and Florida humidity
Rated durable against decay, and it has a long history as fence posts in ground contact. It is fairly stable once dried. In Florida, a finished catalpa piece is fine indoors and does decently on a covered porch.
Shop notes from our Fort Myers shop
Catalpa is a sleeper among domestic woods: it looks like a lighter, warmer ash and is a favorite of carvers and some furniture makers. Boards turn up mostly from urban tree removals and small sawyers, so availability is hit or miss. If you find a wide catalpa slab, it makes a light, easy-to-move tabletop or bench. We don't stock it right now; ask and we'll keep an eye out.
Common uses for Catalpa
Fence posts, carving, furniture, interior trim, turnings and guitar bodies.
Sustainability and CITES status
Not listed in the CITES Appendices or on the IUCN Red List.
Safety and toxicity
- Skin irritation
Few reports. Skin irritation has been noted for some catalpa, but serious reactions are uncommon. The fresh wood has a strong odor that fades with drying.
- In the shop
- Dust collection and a mask when sanding
- Food contact
- Use with care for cutting boards, bowls and utensils
General information, not medical advice. See a doctor if you have a reaction.
Serious reactions are uncommon, but some catalpa has been reported to irritate the skin. Use normal dust protection.
Catalpa in stock now
Ask us. We can often source it.
We don't have Catalpa listed online right now, but new slabs and lumber come in all the time and not everything makes it to the website. Tell us what you're building and we'll check our racks and suppliers.
Similar woods: Domestic Utility Hardwoods
- BasswoodIn stockTilia americana Basswood is the carver's wood: soft, light, pale and so fine-textured that it holds crisp detail with little...
- PoplarIn stockLiriodendron tulipifera Yellow poplar is the affordable, easy-to-work hardwood that ends up inside most painted cabinets and trim. In slab...
- American HollyIlex opaca American holly yields one of the whitest woods in the world, a favorite for inlay and contrast work....
- American SycamorePlatanus occidentalis American sycamore is a plain, inexpensive wood until you quartersaw it. Then it is covered in a lace-like...
- AspenPopulus tremuloides and Populus grandidentata (sold together as aspen) Aspen is the pale, lightweight poplar of northern forests, plain in looks but easy on tools. It is...
- Black TupeloNyssa sylvatica (swamp tupelo is often treated as N. sylvatica var. biflora) Black tupelo, or black gum, is a native tree of Florida and the eastern US with plain, tough,...