Abstract <p>More sustainable polyurethane (PU) adhesives exhibiting excellent bonding strength are important for binding diverse materials promoting functional versatility in countless daily life applications. In this work, PU adhesives were produced with biomass-derived furanic polyols such as poly(diethylene glycol 2,5-furanoate) (PDEGF) and 2,5-bis(hydroxymethyl) furan (BHMF) and diisocyanates such as toluene 2,4-diisocyanate (TDI) and polymeric 4,4’-methylene diphenyl isocyanate (MDI). The characteristic molecular groups of PUs were evidenced using FTIR and ¹H NMR techniques. The thermal properties, hardness and adhesion strength of the PUs were influenced by polyol and isocyanate type as well as the NCO/OH molar ratio in the range of 0.65–1.4. PU with higher thermal stability was obtained using PDEGF and MDI. The optimal NCO/OH ratio of 0.9 for hardness of all synthesized polyurethane was due to the increased contribution of the hydrogen-bonded urethane/urea groups and higher crystallinity. The adhesion properties of PUs were provided by soft furan-containing segments. MDI/BHMF with the highest content of furanic polyol exhibited superior performance as a solvent-based adhesive with the lap shear strength of 30.8&#xa0;MPa compared to the commercial adhesives. Good heating–cooling cycling stability of TDI/PDEGF with the lowest hydrogen bonding as reusable hot-melt adhesives using a glue gun was demonstrated. This work provides novel insights into the biomass-derived furanic polyols as renewable components for more sustainable solvent-based and hot-melt PUs adhesive forming strong bonds with various substrates such as metals, wood and ceramics.</p> Graphical Abstract <p></p>