1. BANGKIRAI
According to Cirad (2003), the name Bangkirai is used only for woods imported from Indonesia. Yellow Balau for woods from Indonesia. This name groups the species Shorea glauca, Shorea laevis and Shorea sup-genus Eushorea. Wagenführ (1996) sees only in Shorea obtusa and sub-genus Eushorea the timber Bangkirai/Balau Yellow. The following characteristics and properties vary greatly in literature.
Local names : Sal (Inda), Balau (Sarawak), Bangkirai (Indonesia), Selangan Batu (Sabah), Tang, Teng or Chan (Thailand), Gisok or Yakal (Philippines)
Distribution : Norhtindia (there also for deforestation), Thailand, Burma, Vietnam, Cambodia, Malaysia, Indonesia; In decidious monsoon forests.
GENERAL CHARACTERISTICS
Height : max. 28m (Wagenführ, 1996), max. 50m (Department of Foresty Agency for Forestry Research)
Clear bole : max. 20m (Wagenführ, 1996), 35m – 40m (Department of Foresty Agency for Forestry Research)
Bole diameter : max 0.8m (Wagenführ, 1996), max. 1.0m (Department of Foresty Agency for Forestry Research)
Thickness sapwood : 2cm – 8cm
Bark : The outer bark is grey, red or brown, sometimes even dark red with grooves and peels off in small thin pieces.
Color : The outer bark is grey, red or brown, sometimes even dark red with grooves and peels off in small thin pieces.
Texture : Wood texture ranges from fine to rather coarse
Grain : The Heartwood is brownish yellow, the sapwood yellowish pale light brown.
PHYSICAL PROPERTIES
Density : 900 kg/m3, Total tangential shrinkage : 9.5%, Total radial shrinkage : 4.2%, Fibre saturation point : 23%, Stability : moderatly stable, Based on mature heartwood, 12% moisture content.
MECHANICAL PROPERTIES
Crushing strenght : 68 N/mm2, Bending strength : 125N/mm2, Modulus of elasticitiy : 15000N/mm2, based on mature heartwood; 12% moisture content,
DURABILITY
Fungi : durable (class 2), Termites : durable (class D), Dry wood borer attack : Hardwood durable, sapwood not clearly demarcated; Requires appropriate preservative treatment, In case of temporary or permanent humidification risk : Does not require any preservative treatment.
WORKING PROPERTIES
- Still good to work
- Pre-boring necessary before nailing and screwing
- Tends to split in nailing
- Gluing Correct
2. MERBAU
The Latin name of this tree is Intsia bijuga. Its timber is called Merbau which is stronger than Teak and resistant termites and other insects. Merbau is used where stability and durability are important. It grows mainly in Southeast Asia in costal areas, mangroves and lowland forests. The following characteristics and properties vary greatly in literature.
Local names : Merbau (Malaysia, Indonesia), Lumpho/ Lum-Paw (Thailand), Kwila (New Guinea) Vesi (Fiji Islands), Ipil (Philippines), KWILAU (Australia), Kalabau (China), Hintsy (Madagascar), Gonuoc (Vietnam).
Distribution : Southeast Asia, especially Indonesia, Vietnam, Thailand, Malaysia, northern Australia and Madagaskar. In Indonesia: All over Sumatra, Borneo and Celebes, West Java, Central Java, Moluccas, East Nusa Tenggara, Papua(Irian Jaya). In costal areas and lowland forests till an altitute of 400m.
GENERAL CHARACTERISTICS
Height : in average 40m, Clear bole : in average 20m, Bole diameter : 1,0m, Thickness sapwood : 5-8cm, Bark : gray, gray to brown, light brown, tight, thickness till 1.0cm, Color : Heartwood yellowish to orange brown when freshly cut, turning brown or dark red brown on exposure; sapwood pale yellow to light buff, sharply demarcated from the heartwood, Texture : evenly coarse, Grain : straight or occasionally slightly interlocked
PHYSICAL PROPERTIES
Density : 830kg/m3 (12% moisture content), 1050kg/m3 (green), Total tangential shrinkage : 4.4%, Total radial shrinkage : 2.7%, Fibre saturation point : 24 %, Stability : stable, Based on mature heartwood, 12% moisture content.
MECHANICAL PROPERTIES
Crushing strenght : 73 N/mm2, Bending strength : 120 N/mm2, Modulus of elasticitiy : 15400 N/mm2, based on mature heartwood; 12% moisture content
DURABILITY
Fungi : Very Durable to Durable, Class 1 – 2, Termites : Durable, Class M, Dry wood borer attack : Does not require any preservative treatment, In case of temporary or permanent humidification risk : Does not require any preservative treatment.
WORKING PROPERTIES
- Rather difficult to saw because of gumming of teeth and dulling of cutting edges
- Dresses smoothly in most operations
- Finishes well
- Sands satisfactorily
- Pre-boring necessary before nailing and screwing.
- Tends to split in nailing.
- Gluing correct.
3. DARK RED LAUAN.
Botanical Name : Shorea negrosensis
Other Common Names : Dark red lauan, Dark red meranti, Dark red seraya, Mayapis, Nemesu, Oba suluk, Red lauan, Tangile, Tiaong, Bataan
Common Uses : Boat building, Cabinetmaking, Construction, Decorative plywood, Decorative veneer, Domestic flooring, Furniture components, Joinery, Beams, Bedroom suites, Bent Parts, Building construction, Cabin construction, Canoes, Chairs, Chests, Concrete formwork, Decks, Desks, Dining-room furniture, Drawer sides, Excelsior, Factory construction, Figured veneer, Fine furniture, Flooring, Form work, Foundation posts, Framing, Furniture , Furniture squares or stock, Hatracks, Heavy construction, Joists, Kitchen cabinets, Lifeboats, Light construction, Living-room suites, Office furniture, Parquet flooring, Plywood, Porch columns, Radio, stereo, TV cabinets, Rough construction, Rustic furniture, Shipbuilding, Stools, Sub-flooring, Utility furniture, Veneer, Wardrobes
Region : Oceania and S.E. Asia
Country : Brunei, Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines, Thailand
Distribution : The Dark red meranti group of Shorea is reported to be found in Malaysia, Indonesia, and the Philippines. The genera is reported to occur extensively, from Sri Lanka and India in the west and throughout Burma and many regions in Southeast Asia, and up to the Philippine islands in the east. The forests in Borneo, Sumatra, and the Malay Peninsula are reported to contain the highest concentrations of Shorea species.
4. PHILIPPINE ROSEWOOD
Scientific Name: Petersianthus Quadrialatus
Weight:Abt 650 Kgs/m3
Color:Very Dark With Lighter Flames Naturally Occuring
Description: Philippine Rosewood is a very beautiful dark and flamy wood. It has for many years been used for local boatmaking due to it’s strength and durability. We have introduced this species for interiors and flooring.
Weight:Abt 650 Kgs/m3
Color:Very Dark With Lighter Flames Naturally Occuring
Description: Philippine Rosewood is a very beautiful dark and flamy wood. It has for many years been used for local boatmaking due to it’s strength and durability. We have introduced this species for interiors and flooring.
5. MERANTI BATU (dark red meranti)
100% Natural – Uniquely beautiful, dark red meranti is a carefully selected, meranti hardwood species. Reddish brown in color, 100% clear grade.
Popularly used for furniture, high-end interior finishing and cabinet-making, flooring and decking.
Characteristics
- Natural beauty for generations
- Proven performance under extreme conditions
Durability
Very resistant to decay, insects and fungal attack, even in tropical environments.
Resistant to abrasion, wear and dents. Naturally fire resistant.
Ease Of Maintenance
Easy to maintain! Accepts standard penetrating oil finishes to maintain that rich dark “Mahogany look” or leave unsealed to weather silver gray patina.
6. KEMPAS.
Kempas Origin: Kempas originates from Malaysia and Indonesia.
Common Name(s): Kempas
Botanical Name: Koompassia malaccensis
Woodworking Qualities: Hard deposits within Kempas can provide for problems during woodworking or sawing. Pre-boring is highly recommended to set nails or screws, but once the nails are in, this wood holds them well. Gluing is also a viable option, as adhesive substance works well. Sanding is usually not a problem, although some filling can be required when polishing.
Janka Rating: Kempas Janka rating is 1710, relatively high compared to many other woods.
Species Characteristics: Kempas has a reputation of being acidic, which can cause damage to metals when wet. Drying is not particularly hard unless the wood itself has abnormalities. In addition, Kempas is resistant to decay.
Appearance: Kempas’ grain features an interlocked pattern that can sometimes vary to spirals. Sapwood is white to a pale yellow and heartwood is orange-red to red-brown.
Color Change: Kempas’ color change compared to other flooring is relatively minor, showing only a slight change from an already red or pink-toned brown to darker red brown.
Uses: Railroad ties, furniture, veneer, and cabinetry are all uses for Kempas in addition to hardwood flooring.
7. KERUING (Dipterocarpus)
Keruing is an imported hardwood
Location
Keruing or apitong (Dipterocarpus) is widely scattered throughout the Indo-Malaysian region. Most of the more than 70 species in this genus are marketed under the name keruing. Other important species are marketed as apitong in the Philippine Islands and yang in Thailand.
Characteristics
The heartwood varies from light to dark red-brown or brown to dark brown, sometimes with a purple tint; the heartwood is usually well defined from the gray or buff-colored sapwood. Similar to kapur (Dryobalanops), the texture of keruing is moderately coarse and the grain is straight or shallowly interlocked. The wood is strong, hard, and heavy (density of air-dried wood is 720 to 800 kg/m3 (45 to 50 lb/ft3)); this wood is characterized by the presence of resin ducts, which occur singly or in short arcs as seen on endgrain surfaces. This resinous condition and the presence of silica can present troublesome problems. Sapwood and heartwood are moderately resistant to preservative treatments. However, the wood should be treated with preservatives when it is used in contact with the ground. Durability varies with species, but the wood is generally classified as moderately durable. Keruing generally takes to sawing and machining, particularly when green, but saws and cutters dull easily as a result of high silica content in the wood. Resin adheres to machinery and tools and may be troublesome. Also, resin may cause gluing and finishing difficulties.
Primary Uses
Keruing is used for general construction work, framework for boats, flooring, pallets, chemical processing equipment, veneer and plywood, railroad crossties (if treated), truck floors, and boardwalks.
8. Eucalyptus
Eucalyptus Specie Technical Specifications – Nova specializes in Exotic Hardwood Flooring and Decking, Prefinished Solid Flooring, Unfinished Solid Flooring and Engineered Flooring, and Imported Plywood and Panels.
- Description: A striking wood hailing from Australia, Eucalyptus has a distinctive coloration ranging from pale pink to reddish-brown. Eucalyptus’ grain is straight and interlocked, with a coarse and uniform texture giving a very natural look and feel. Eucalyptus is also fairly durable, with a Janka hardness rating of 1,125. Growing in popularity, Eucalyptus is particularly stunning when accompanied by light colored decor and furnishings
- More Info:
- Other Names: Eucalyptus grandis, Flooded Gum, Rose Gum, Scrub Gum, Grandis gum, Saligna gum, Sydney blue gum, Kalitunsi
Eucalyptus Scientific Properties And Technical Specifications
- Janka Hardness: 1,125 pounds
- Strength (MOR): 16,200 psi
- Stiffness (MOE): 1,880 1000 psi
- Density (KG/m3): 646
- Color: Pale red to pink heartwood with whitish-yellow sapwood.
- Photosensitivity:
- Tangential Shrinkage: 6.6 %
- Radial Shrinkage: 4.6 %
- Family: Myrtaceae
- Tree Characteristics:
- Geographic Area: Australia, Congo, Zambia, South Africa, Uganda, Malaysia, Madagascar
- Texture: Fine
- Grain: Straight and even
- Luster:
- Durability Rating: Rated as very durable, susceptible to termite attack
- Drying Characteristics: Drying is rated as slow and diffcult
- Working Characteristics: Rated as moderately difficult to work
- Applications: Flooring, cabinets, plywood, light and heavy construction, joinery, veneers, wheels
9. MERANTI ( Shorea spp ).
Family – Dipterocarpaceae
Meranti is a common name applied commercially to four groups of species from the genus Shorea, grown most commonly in Malaysia, Indonesia, and the Philippines. There are thousands of common names for various species from the genus Shorea. The four groups are “light red”, “dark red”, “yellow”, and “white”. I will put in more information at some point.
Wood identification
planks, not identified by group
veneer, not identified by group quartersawn veneer
listed as “bakau” meranti, whatever that is. dark red
light red Medium Red Meranti
“light white”/orange yellow Meranti
In the Philippines, as well as elsewhere in their range, Shorea trees might be called red or white lauan, tangile, almon, as well as the descriptive “dark-red meranti” or “light-red meranti.” But it is meranti (Shorea spp.) that makes up the greatest proportion of timber that’s sold as Philippine mahogany. (Note: In botanical science, the letters spp. after the genus name means that several species in that genus share similar appearance and characteristics, e.g. Shorea spp.) Meranti traditionally grows in well-drained soils at low altitudes. In ideal conditions, a meranti tree can reach a 200′ height and a trunk diameter of 6′. A lumberman’s dream, it will also be branch free for 90′. The bases of some trees feature the vanelike supports called buttresses. Light-red and dark-red meranti produce medium-to-coarse textured wood that ranges in color from pale pink to brown and reddish-brown. The grain may be slightly interlocked. At about 36 pounds per cubic foot air-dry, meranti is heavier than Honduras mahogany. However, it is not nearly as hard nor as strong, and lacks the durability and stability of a true mahogany. And you may find brittleness in some boards.
Other Names : Red Meranti, Seraya merah, Shorea acuminata / leprosula / parvifolia / macoptera / ovalis / dasyphylla / lepidota / palembanica / teysmanniana / platycarpa / albida / quadrinervis / leptoclados / smithiana.
Characteristics : Red Meranti ( Seraya ) has a light coloured sapwood and red-brown to dark red heartwood. The texture is rather course but even, the grain interlocked and wavy. Red meranti weighs an average of 550 Kg / m3 when dried,
Characteristics : Red Meranti ( Seraya ) has a light coloured sapwood and red-brown to dark red heartwood. The texture is rather course but even, the grain interlocked and wavy. Red meranti weighs an average of 550 Kg / m3 when dried,
Working Qualities : The wood of the various species work well and in general are capable of a good smooth finish. Meranti can be glued, nailed and screwed satisfactorily, and can be stained and polished well after suitable filling.Uses : All the merantis are suited to joinery and general construction, and also for furniture.
10. RADIATA PINE.
Radiata Pine is a versatile timber; it is widely used for the full range of structural and decorative applications including framing, lining, glue laminated beams, veneer and plywood. When appropriately treated, it can be used for many exposed structural and non-structural applications.
The timber is low in density and fairly soft, often with very wide annual growth rings. The heartwood is light brown to yellow; the sapwood white to pale yellow, but often indistinct. The grain is usually straight, but knots are common.
Radiata Pine is very easy to work with standard tools, although its knotty character and resin canals can cause premature blunting of cutters. Its open grain structure readily accepts preservative treatment, which can provide protection to hazard level 6 (the highest level).
Radiata Pine is a plantation softwood timber grown widely throughout Australia. In Tasmania the first commercial Radiata Pine plantations were established in the 1930s. Since then the Tasmanian Radiata Pine estate has expanded to more than 55,000ha, largely concentrated in the north-east of the State. The tree has also been widely planted in windbreaks and as stock shelter, particularly on slopes of otherwise poor productivity.
Radiata Pine plays a significant role in meeting the ever-increasing demand for sawn timber. As a well-managed plantation tree, it can provide a renewable resource providing dependable supply for generations to come.
Radiata Pine is a versatile timber; it is widely used for the full range of structural and decorative applications including framing, lining, glue laminated beams, veneer and plywood. When appropriately treated, it can be used for many exposed structural and non-structural applications.The timber is low in density and fairly soft, often with very wide annual growth rings. The heartwood is light brown to yellow; the sapwood white to pale yellow, but often indistinct. The grain is usually straight, but knots are common.Radiata Pine is very easy to work with standard tools, although its knotty character and resin canals can cause premature blunting of cutters. Its open grain structure readily accepts preservative treatment, which can provide protection to hazard level 6 (the highest level).Radiata Pine is a plantation softwood timber grown widely throughout Australia. In Tasmania the first commercial Radiata Pine plantations were established in the 1930s. Since then the Tasmanian Radiata Pine estate has expanded to more than 55,000ha, largely concentrated in the north-east of the State. The tree has also been widely planted in windbreaks and as stock shelter, particularly on slopes of otherwise poor productivity.Radiata Pine plays a significant role in meeting the ever-increasing demand for sawn timber. As a well-managed plantation tree, it can provide a renewable resource providing dependable supply for generations to come.
 |  |  |  |
Radiata Pine | Radiata Pine, | backsawn radiata | Radiata pine trees |
 |  |  |  |
Radiata Pine | Radiata Pine | Bark of Radiata | Pine Plywood |
 |  |  |  |
Radiata Pine ROM | Radiata Pine Timber | Radiata pine | The wood machines and |
 |  |  |  |
Radiata Pine | Timber Grades | Pinus radiata | M1 Timber |
 |  |  |  |
Radiata Pine Merch | Radiata Pine | Radiata pine | Radiata Pine |
11. ULIN
| ||||||||
 | ||||||||
| International Name:Ulin | ||||||||
| Characteristic: The density of air dry is 0.86~0.98g/cm3. This wood has a good stability, heavy characteristic like iron, and stable woodiness, is the king of the wood in Indonesia, has the call of “the king of the wood”,and is very noblest and steady. | ||||||||
12. TEAK.
True Teak Species Details.
Detailed information pertaining to True Teak (Tectona, grandis) is detailed below:
| Specie Names | |||
| Lumber Name(s): True Teak. | |||
| Grown in: Burma and Thailand naturally and then in plantations throughout the tropical world. | |||
| Description | |||
| True Teak has been prized for centuries as one of the worlds most durable and stable woods for outdoor use. Traditionally used on boats and in outdoor furniture, Teak has also been widely used for flooring. | |||
| Color Range and Color Change | |||
| Color Range: True Teak exhibits a wide range of colors when fresh cut, from pale yellows to orange browns with darker striping, all of which mellows into medium brown tones. | |||
Color Change: True Teak undergoes an extreme degree of color change with pronounced color change from the highly variegated coloring found in material fresh sanded which then darkens to a golden brown with substantial muting of the initial color range over time.Picture of True Teak
| |||
| Where to Use | |||
| True Teak may be used residentially wherever the distinguished look of one of the world’s most prized woods is desired. | |||
| Special Characteristics and Issues | |||
| Site Sanding/ Finishing: True Teak is known to have adverse reactions when many oil based finishes are used with this wood. Many oil finishes will not dry properly when used on True Teak. In general, most water based finishes work with True Teak. | |||
| Allergic Reactions: True Teak is known to cause both contact dermatitis and respiratory reactions when coming into contact with the dust. Care must be taken when cutting or sanding this wood.. | |||
Hardness Chart | |||
