The densification of solid wood is a well-studied technique that aims to increase the strength and hardness of the material by permanently compressing the wood tissue. To optimise the densification process in this study, a pre-treatment with sodium sulphite was used (delignification). With delignification prior to ensification, one achieves higher compression ratios and better mechanical properties compared to densification without pre-treatment. The reactivity of syringyl (dominant in hardwoods) and guaiacyl (dominant in softwoods) lignin towards delignification is different. The influences of this difference on the delignification and densification of softwoods and hardwoods need to be nvestigated. This study aimed to densify wood after delignification and
investigate how variations in chemical composition between coniferous and deciduous species affect the densification process. Scots pine and Eurasian aspen specimens with a similar initial density were investigated to study the influence of the different lignin chemistry in softwoods and hardwoods on
the densification process. Both timbers were delignified with sodium sulphite and sodium hydroxide and subsequently densified. While the delignification was twice as efficient in aspen than in pine, the compression ratios were almost identical in both species. The Brinell hardness and compressive strength showed a more significant increase in aspen than in Scots pine; however, one exception
was the compressive strength in a radial direction, which increased more ffectively in Scots pine. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) revealed the icrostructure of densified aspen and Scots pine, showing the crushing and collapse of the cells.