Wood Light Poles

What are Wood Light Poles?

Wood poles for lighting have been a key part of America's electrical and communication infrastructure for over a century. This includes wood light poles and wooden street light poles found in neighborhoods, commercial districts, and municipal areas. With about 150 million poles in service across the United States, these structures are made from pressure-treated wood to resist insects, rot, and harsh weather. Properly treated wood poles can last over 50 years, making them competitive with steel and concrete. While other materials have their own benefits, wood poles offer unique advantages for many applications.

• Wood is a renewable, naturally grown resource, not a synthetic material.
• Installation costs are typically lower than steel and concrete, with faster deployment depending on local conditions.
• Maintenance needs are reduced, lowering total ownership costs.
• Steel poles require regular painting and are prone to corrosion from road salt and coastal environments.
• Concrete is strong but comes with higher material and installation costs.
• Steel and concrete poles need extra components like anchor bolts, grounding wires, and foundation systems.
• Engineered wood poles support high wind zones, though steel and fiberglass achieve higher EPA ratings for extreme conditions.

What Kind of Wood is Used in Light Poles?

Four main wood species are used in lighting pole manufacturing, chosen for their structural properties and regional availability:

Southern Yellow Pine Light Poles

Southern yellow pine species, such as loblolly, shortleaf, longleaf, and slash pine, are common south of the Mason-Dixon line and east of the Great Plains. These trees form the backbone of most American utility infrastructure.

• High strength, stiffness, and density for load-bearing use
• Excellent fastener retention for hardware and cross-arm attachments
• Cellular structure allows deep preservative penetration during treatment
• Industry standard for utility applications due to proven durability
• Makes up nearly 85% of all pressure-treated wood products in the U.S.

Ponderosa Pine Light Poles

Ponderosa pine is softer and lighter in color than southern yellow pine and is the second most used pine for poles.

• Mainly harvested in Western North America
• Versatile and widely available
• Straight grain yields consistently straight, durable poles

Douglas Fir Wood Poles

• Maintains dimensional stability even when unseasoned, reducing delays
• High load-bearing capacity without bending or failure under pressure

Western Red Cedar Wood Poles

• Natural resistance to decay and insects reduces chemical treatment needs and maintenance
• Higher initial cost offset by lower treatment expenses and longer service life

How are LED Lighting Supply's Treated Wooden Poles Made?

Manufacturing starts with selecting trees in the forest based on load-bearing traits like straightness, length, and taper. Fewer than 10 percent of trees in a typical stand meet utility pole standards.

Selected trees are harvested and sent to certified facilities, where bark is removed and poles are shaped for straightness. Each pole is inspected and classified per ANSI standards, checking for decay, knots, grain, and splits to ensure integrity.

Conditioning and boring prepare the wood for preservative infusion, creating deep barriers against decay, fungi, insects, and mold. This treatment penetrates the wood, providing protection for 50+ years. Hardware holes are drilled during treatment to keep preservative coverage intact. After treatment, core samples are lab-tested to confirm quality and durability when specified correctly. This process ensures every pole meets performance standards before shipping.

Where Can I Buy Wood Light Poles?

You can order wood light poles online from LED Lighting Supply, with direct shipping to your project site. Both poles and compatible fixtures can be specified and ordered through our platform, streamlining procurement and ensuring proper component matching.

What are the Advantages of Using Wood Light Poles over Steel Light Poles or Concrete Light Poles?

Wood poles offer several advantages:

• Material costs are lower than steel due to favorable pricing
• Installation is often faster than steel or concrete, depending on site conditions
• Direct burial methods eliminate the need for foundations, reducing labor and complexity

How are Wood Light Poles Stress Rated?

Each pole receives an ANSI class designation for strength and durability. Lower class numbers mean higher strength, helping specify the right pole for load and environmental needs.

Why Choose LED Lighting Supply for Your Wood Light Poles

LED Lighting Supply's product specialists have 15+ years of experience in commercial and municipal lighting, providing accurate specifications for your load and environmental needs. Our technical team offers complimentary energy savings calculations to show the long-term benefits of wood pole installations.

When you buy wood light poles from us, you also get custom lighting plans for your facility's layout and photometric needs. We work directly with ANSI-certified manufacturers to specify class ratings and treatment levels based on your soil, wind loads, and service life. This expertise helps avoid costly errors and ensures your poles meet local codes and utility standards - always verify requirements with your local authority.

Common Mistakes and How to Avoid Them

Wood pole installations can seem simple, but several critical mistakes are common. The most costly issues occur during specification and early installation, often requiring full pole replacement.

• Skipping soil analysis and installing poles without proper depth calculations. Get a geotechnical report and follow ANSI embedment depth requirements.
• Using standard hardware instead of galvanized or stainless fasteners. Untreated hardware fails before the wood does.
• Ordering poles without considering wind load and fixture weight. Check local wind maps and calculate total EPA loads, including signs and equipment.
• Installing poles too close to property lines or utilities without clearance verification. Call 811 and check setback requirements before digging.
• Drilling new holes in treated poles on site without applying preservative. Any field drilling needs immediate treatment to prevent rot.
• Setting poles in concrete in freeze-thaw areas without drainage. Water expansion will crack poles at the grade line.
• Mixing wood pole classes on the same project without engineering approval. Use consistent ANSI ratings unless structural calculations allow otherwise.

Wood Light Poles Frequently Asked Questions

What are Wood Light Poles?

Wood light poles are pressure-treated wooden structures used to mount lighting fixtures throughout neighborhoods, commercial districts, and municipal areas. With approximately 150 million poles in service across the United States, properly treated wood poles deliver an average service lifespan exceeding 50+ years.

What Kind of Wood is Used in Light Poles?

Four primary wood species are used: Southern Yellow Pine (representing nearly 85% of all pressure-treated wood products in the U.S.), Ponderosa Pine, Douglas Fir, and Western Red Cedar. Southern Yellow Pine offers exceptional strength and superior fastener retention, while Western Red Cedar provides natural resistance to decay and insect activity.

How are LED Lighting Supply''s Treated Wooden Poles Made?

Manufacturing begins with selective tree identification - less than 10 percent of trees meet requirements for utility pole applications. Poles are shaped, inspected, and classified according to ANSI standards, then undergo preservative infusion that penetrates throughout the wood structure to deliver protection lasting 50+ years.

Where Can I Buy Wood Light Poles?

LED Lighting Supply provides complete online ordering capabilities with direct shipping to your project location. Both poles and compatible light fixtures can be specified, ordered, and coordinated through our digital platform.

What are the Advantages of Using Wood Light Poles over Steel Light Poles or Concrete Light Poles?

Material costs remain substantially lower than steel alternatives, and direct burial installation eliminates foundation requirements. Steel alternatives demand regular painting and face ongoing corrosion challenges, while concrete carries expensive material and installation overhead.

How are Wood Light Poles Stress Rated?

Each pole receives an ANSI class designation indicating its strength and durability characteristics, depending on the model. Lower class numbers correspond to higher strength ratings.

Why Choose LED Lighting Supply for Your Wood Light Poles

Product specialists possess 15+ years of experience in commercial and municipal lighting projects and provide complimentary energy savings calculations. We maintain direct relationships with ANSI-certified manufacturing facilities - verify specific code requirements with your local government authority.

Common Mistakes and How to Avoid Them

Critical mistakes include skipping soil analysis, using untreated hardware instead of galvanized or stainless fasteners, and drilling new holes without applying preservative to exposed wood. Follow ANSI embedment depth requirements, call 811 before digging, and stick to consistent ANSI ratings unless you have structural calculations proving otherwise.