Hardwood pulp
Also: hardwood pulp, BEKP, BHKP, eucalyptus pulp
Pulp from broadleaf trees (eucalyptus, birch, aspen) with short fibers (0.8 to 1.2 mm) that provide smoothness and opacity.
Hardwood pulp fibers are short and compact. They provide smoothness, opacity, and formation uniformity rather than strength. Bleached Eucalyptus Kraft Pulp (BEKP) from Brazil, Chile, and Iberia is the global benchmark hardwood grade.
Hardwood dominates in tissue (for softness), in printing and writing grades (for opacity and print surface), and in cartonboard top plies. A typical copy paper is 70 to 90% hardwood.
Related
- Softwood pulp. Pulp from coniferous trees (pine, spruce, fir) with long fibers (2 to 4 mm) that provide strength and tear resistance.
- Kraft pulp. Chemical pulp produced by cooking wood chips with sodium hydroxide and sodium sulfide. The dominant pulp process globally.