Eight glues by their makers' figures
| Product | Maker's chemistry | Open time or pot life | Clamp or cure | Water resistance | Lowest use temperature |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Titebond Original | Aliphatic resin emulsion | 4–6 min open assembly | 30–60 min clamp, unstressed* | Not for exterior use or moisture | 50°F |
| Titebond II Premium | Cross-linking polyvinyl acetate | 3–5 min | 30–60 min, unstressed* | ANSI Type II; not for submersion | 55°F |
| Titebond III Ultimate | 'Advanced proprietary polymer' | 8–10 min | 30–60 min, unstressed* | ANSI/HPVA Type I; not for submersion | 47°F (45°F also given) |
| Titebond Speed Set | PVA (aliphatic resin emulsion) | 2–4 min | At least 15 min | Not for exterior use | 59°F |
| Titebond Genuine Hide | Natural protein solution (liquid hide glue) | 10 min | Not stated on its page | Not for exterior use | 50°F |
| Titebond Instant Bond Medium | Ethyl cyanoacrylate | 7 s handling | 30 s cure; full cure 8 h | Interior; not where moisture is likely | 50°F |
| Original Gorilla Glue | Water-activated polyurethane | Not stated | 1–2 h clamp; 24 h cure | Maker: '100% waterproof' | 40°F |
| WEST SYSTEM 105/205 | Two-part epoxy | Pot life 9–12 min (100 g, 72°F) | Working strength in 1–4 days | Maker: 'moisture-resistant' | 40°F |
From each maker's product page or data sheet; open times at 70°F and 50% RH unless stated. *Titebond's FAQ guidance for most of its wood glues; stressed joints 24 h. What Type I and Type II mean is in the glue guide.
What to compare
- Where it will live. Indoors, dry: any of these. Damp or outdoors: a glue the maker tests to a water-resistance class — Titebond II to Type II, III to Type I — and none of them is for continuous submersion. 'Waterproof' is a maker's word, and a water-resistant glue line does not make a whole project exterior-proof.
- Time to assemble. Open times run from Speed Set's 2–4 minutes to the hide glue's 10; a large glue-up needs the longer end, and epoxy's pot life is a different measure. See how to glue wood together.
- Temperature. Each glue has a floor for glue, air and wood: 59°F for Speed Set, 40°F for Gorilla's polyurethane and WEST SYSTEM 105/205. Titebond's III page gives both 47°F and 45°F.
- Gaps. The Wood Handbook says most wood adhesives do not fill gaps well; epoxy, thickened with fillers, is made to. Gorilla's polyurethane foams, but its maker lists gap filling as 'no'.
- Undoing it later. Titebond says its hide glue's sensitivity to moisture allows disassembly; for furniture that may need repair, see glue problems.
- Heat. Titebond's own tests after 150°F overnight leave its hide glue at 3,207 psi and III at 800 psi — figures for those products, in Titebond's test, not a general rule.
- Hazards and cleanup. Water-based glues clean up with water; Instant Bond with acetone, following the solvent maker's precautions; Gorilla recommends gloves, and its safety data sheet classes the glue as a skin and respiratory sensitiser.
- Colour. Titebond lists Original as drying yellow, II translucent yellow and III light brown — worth knowing on light woods.
Strength figures need their test
| Product | Test | Figure | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| Titebond Original | ASTM D-905, hard maple | 3,600 psi; 77% wood failure | 1,600 psi, 10% after 150°F overnight |
| Titebond II Premium | ASTM D-905, hard maple | 3,750 psi; 72% wood failure | 1,750 psi, 6% at 150°F |
| Titebond III Ultimate | ASTM D-905, hard maple | 4,000 psi; 57% wood failure | 800 psi, 0% at 150°F |
| Titebond Genuine Hide | ASTM D-905, hard maple | 3,591 psi; 72% wood failure | 3,207 psi, 59% at 150°F |
| Titebond Instant Bond | ASTM D-1002 | 2,800–4,200 psi | Depends on the substrate tested |
| WEST SYSTEM 105/205 | ASTM D-638 (cured epoxy) | 7,900 psi tensile | A property of the epoxy, not of a bond |
Different tests, substrates and conditions: read each row on its own. Wood failure is the share of the broken test area that is torn wood. The Wood Handbook says an edge-grain joint can be as strong as the wood in shear; makers' 'stronger than wood' claims are theirs.
Food contact is a claim for a product, not for glue: Titebond says Titebond II and III are approved for indirect food contact and recommends them for cutting boards — see the cutting board project. Clamping pressure for a glue-up is in clamps.
Before buying a wood glue
- Indoors or out, and the water-resistance class that needs
- Open time long enough for the largest assembly
- The shop's coldest temperature against the glue's floor
- A good fit, or a need to fill gaps
- Whether the joint may need undoing
- The label and SDS for hazards
Sources
Specification-based: every figure is from the maker's own page or data sheet for the product named, at the conditions it states. Strength figures come from different tests and conditions and are not compared. 'Waterproof' and FDA wording are the makers'. No glue was tested, none is ranked, and no prices are given.
- 1.
Titebond Original Wood Glue. Franklin International (Titebond).
Used for: Aliphatic resin emulsion; open assembly 4–6 min at 70°F and 50% RH; above 50°F; not for exterior use or where moisture is likely; ASTM D-905 on hard maple: 3,600 psi with 77% wood failure at room temperature, 1,600 psi with 10% after 150°F overnight; dries yellow.
- 2.
Titebond II Premium Wood Glue. Franklin International (Titebond).
Used for: Cross-linking polyvinyl acetate; ANSI Type II; open assembly 3–5 min; above 55°F; not for continuous submersion; D-905: 3,750 psi, 72% wood failure; 1,750 psi, 6% at 150°F.
- 3.
Titebond III Ultimate Wood Glue. Franklin International (Titebond).
Used for: 'Advanced proprietary polymer'; passes ANSI/HPVA Type I; open assembly 8–10 min; application above 47°F and 45°F as lowest recommended temperature on the same page; not for continuous submersion; D-905: 4,000 psi, 57%; 800 psi, 0% at 150°F; a low pH that may corrode metal.
- 4.
Titebond Speed Set Wood Glue. Franklin International (Titebond).
Used for: High-solids PVA (type: aliphatic resin emulsion); open assembly 2–4 min at 70°F, 50% RH and 8% MC; above 59°F; minimum clamp time 15 min; not for exterior use; D-905: 4,178 psi, 77%.
- 5.
Titebond Genuine Hide Glue. Franklin International (Titebond).
Used for: Natural protein solution, liquid and ready to use; open assembly 10 min; above 50°F; not for exterior use; D-905: 3,591 psi, 72%; 3,207 psi, 59% at 150°F; moisture sensitivity allowing disassembly.
- 6.
Titebond Instant Bond Adhesive Medium. Franklin International (Titebond).
Used for: Ethyl cyanoacrylate, medium viscosity; 7 s handling, 5 s set, 30 s cure, full cure in 8 h; above 50°F, best 55–85°F; not for exterior use or where moisture is likely; ASTM D-1002 shear of 2,800–4,200 psi depending on the substrate; acetone cleanup, following the solvent maker's precautions.
- 7.
Woodworking Glues — Frequently Asked Questions. Franklin International (Titebond).
Used for: Clamp guidance for most Titebond wood glues; the ANSI/HPVA Type I and Type II tests; Titebond II and III approved for indirect food contact and recommended for cutting boards; dried colours.
- 8.
Original Gorilla Glue. The Gorilla Glue Company.
Used for: Water-activated polyurethane expanding three times; called '100% waterproof' by its maker; gap filling listed as 'no'; clamp 1–2 h, cure 24 h; above 40°F; gloves recommended.
- 9.
Original Gorilla Glue, Safety Data Sheet. The Gorilla Glue Company.
Used for: Signal word 'Danger'; skin and respiratory sensitiser.
- 10.
Technical Data Sheet, 105 Epoxy Resin / 205 Fast Hardener. Gougeon Brothers, Inc. (WEST SYSTEM), 2014.
Used for: Two-part epoxy, 5:1 by volume with its pumps or 5.19:1 by weight; pot life 9–12 min for 100 g at 72°F; working strength in 1–4 days; above 40°F; a 'moisture-resistant solid'; thickened with fillers for gaps; cured tensile strength 7,900 psi (ASTM D-638).
- 11.
Chapter 10: Wood Adhesives: Bond Formation and Performance. USDA Forest Service, Forest Products Laboratory — Wood Handbook, FPL-GTR-282, 2021.
Used for: Families' behaviour: PVA's low resistance to moisture and heat and its creep, polyurethane and epoxy as gap-filling, most adhesives not filling gaps well; edge-grain joints able to be as strong as the wood.
About this buying guide
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