Abstract: To investigate the factors affecting the sanding force and optimal sanding parameters of poplar, we investigated the effects of grit size, feeding speed, sanding speed and sanding thickness on the sanding force and normal force on wood in an orthogonal design. The major factors affecting these forces were identified by visual means and analysis of variance. Fuzzy synthetic evaluation (FSE) was used to evaluate comprehensively the sanding force and its quality and to determine the optimal sanding parameters of Populus cathayanna wood. The results showed that sanding thickness had the greatest effect on both sanding and normal forces with the effects of grit size and sanding speed on the sanding and normal forces less significant. The optimal sanding parameters of poplar wood determined by FSE were grit size 60 mesh, feeding speed 2.5 m/min, sanding speed 10.74 m/s and sanding thickness 0.1 mm.