Tropical Lumber

WoodLand Tropical Lumber: Construction & Housing

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Cedar of Lebanon

Distribution: Mountainous areas of the Mediterranean region
Tree Size: 100-130 ft (30-40 m) tall, 5-7 ft (1.5-2.1 m) trunk diameter
Average Dried Weight: 32 lbs/ft3 (510 kg/m3)
Specific Gravity (Basic, 12% MC): .41, .51
Janka Hardness: 820 lbf (3,670 N)
Modulus of Rupture: 11,890 lbf/in2 (82.0 MPa)
Elastic Modulus: 1,465,000 lbf/in2 (10.10 GPa)
Crushing Strength: 6,090 lbf/in2 (42.0 MPa)
Shrinkage: Radial: 4.1%, Tangential: 6.0%, Volumetric: 10.1%, T/R Ratio: 1.5
Color/Appearance: Heartwood is a cream to light reddish brown color. Narrow sapwood is a pale yellowish white.
Grain/Texture: Grain is generally straight, though knots or bark inclusions may cause grain irregularities. Medium to coarse texture with a moderate natural luster
Rot Resistance: Rated as very durable, and generally resistant to insect attack.
Workability: Easy to work with hand and machine tools, though knots and bark inclusions can cause difficulties in machining. Turns, glues, and finishes well.
Odor: Has a long-lasting, sweet scent that’s sometimes used in making perfume.
Safety: Although severe reactions are quite uncommon, Cedar of Lebanon has been reported to cause skin and respiratory irritation, as well as asthma effects.
Sustainability: This wood species is not listed in the CITES Appendices, and is reported by the IUCN as being a species of least concern.
Common Uses: Veneer, cabinetry, building construction, and turned objects.

Teak

Common Name(s): Teak, Burmese Teak
Distribution: Native to southern Asia, Teak is also widely grown on plantations throughout tropical regions of Africa, Asia, and Latin America.
Tree Size: 100-130 ft (30-40 m) tall, 3-5 ft (1-1.5 m) trunk diameter
Average Dried Weight: 41 lbs/ft3 (650 kg/m3)
Specific Gravity (Basic, 12% MC): .54, .65
Janka Hardness: 1,070 lbf (4,740 N)
Modulus of Rupture: 13,940 lbf/in2 (96.1 MPa)
Elastic Modulus: 1,570,000 lbf/in2 (10.83 GPa)
Crushing Strength: 7,770 lbf/in2 (53.6 MPa)
Shrinkage: Radial: 2.5%, Tangential: 5.8%, Volumetric: 7.0%, T/R Ratio: 2.3
Color/Appearance: Heartwood tends to be a golden or medium brown, with color darkening with age.
Grain/Texture: Teak has a coarse texture with medium-sized open pores. The grain tends to be straight, though it can occasionally be wavy or interlocked.
Grain/Texture: Teak also has a slightly oily or greasy feel due to its natural oils.
Rot Resistance: Teak has been considered by many to be the gold standard for decay resistance, and its heartwood is rated as very durable.
Rot Resistance: Teak is also resistant to termites, though it is only moderately resistant to marine borers and powder post beetles.
Workability: Easy to work in nearly all regards, with the only caveat being that Teak contains a high level of silica (up to 1.4%) which has a pronounced blunting effect on cutting edges.
Despite its natural oils, Teak usually glues and finishes well, though in some instances it may be necessary to wipe the surface of the wood with a solvent prior to gluing/finishing to reduce the natu
Odor: Teak can have a leather-like scent when freshly milled.
Allergies/Toxicity: Although severe reactions are quite uncommon, Teak has been reported as a sensitizer. Usually most common reactions simply include eye, skin, or respiratory irritation.
Sustainability: This wood species is not listed in the CITES Appendices or on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species.
Common Uses: Ship and boat-building, veneer, furniture, exterior construction, carving, turnings, and other small wood objects.

Macassar Ebony

Common Name(s): Macassar Ebony, Striped Ebony
Distribution: Southeast Asia
Tree Size: 50-65 ft (15-20m) tall, 1.5 ft (.4 m) trunk diameter
Average Dried Weight: 72 lbs/ft3 (1,150 kg/m3)
Specific Gravity (Basic, 12% MC): .89, 1.15
Janka Hardness: 3,220 lbf (14,140 N)
Modulus of Rupture:No data available
Elastic Modulus: No data available
Crushing Strength: No data available
Color/Appearance: Has a dramatic striped appearance, somewhat similar to Zebrawood. Light to reddish brown body with darker brown or black stripes
Grain/Texture: Has a very fine texture and small pores. The grain is usually straight, but can sometimes be interlocked.
Rot Resistance: Heartwood is rated as very durable in resistance to fungi decay, though it is reported to be susceptible to insect attack.
Workability: Tends to be rather difficult to work, due to its high density, blunting effect on cutters, and its occasionally interlocked grain.
Workability: The wood is also prone to checking and splitting during drying, and drying defects are not uncommon. The wood is excellent for turnery
Odor: Macassar Ebony has a mild, slightly unpleasant odor when being worked.
Allergies/Toxicity: Severe reactions are quite uncommon, Ebony in the Diospyros genus has been reported as a sensitizer & Macassar Ebony has been specifically reported to cause skin irritation.
Sustainability: This wood species is not listed in the CITES Appendices, but is on the IUCN Red List.
Sustainability . It is listed as vulnerable due to a population reduction of over 20% in the past three generations, caused by a decline in its natural range, and exploitation.
Common Uses: Veneer, high-end cabinetry, billiard cues, musical instruments, and other small specialty items.

Ipe

Common Name(s): Ipe, Brazilian Walnut, Lapacho
Distribution: Tropical Americas (Central and South America); also farmed commercially
Tree Size: 100 ft (30 m) tall, 2-3 ft (.6-1.0 m) trunk diameter
Average Dried Weight: 69 lbs/ft3 (1,100 kg/m3)
Specific Gravity (Basic, 12% MC): .91, 1.10
Janka Hardness: 3,510 lbf (15,620 N)
Modulus of Rupture: 25,660 lbf/in2 (177.0 MPa)
Elastic Modulus: 3,200,000 lbf/in2 (22.07 GPa)
Crushing Strength: 13,600 lbf/in2 (93.8 MPa)
Shrinkage: Radial: 5.9%, Tangential: 7.2%, Volumetric: 12.4%, T/R Ratio: 1.2
Color/Appearance: Heartwood can vary in color from a reddish brown, to a more yellowish olive brown, to a dark blackish brown; sometimes with contrasting darker brown/black stripes.
Color/Appearance: In certain species, there are powdery yellow deposits within the wood. Ipe can be difficult to distinguish visually from Cumaru, another dense South American timber.
Color/Appearance: Ipe tends to be darker, and lacks the subtle yet characteristic vanilla/cinnamon scent while being worked.
Grain/Texture: Has a fine to medium texture, with the grain varying from straight to irregular and/or interlocked.
Rot Resistance: Ipe is among the most durable lumbers on earth, with exceptional resistance to decay, rot, and insect attack.
Rot Resistance: Ipe was reportedly used for the boardwalk along the beach of New York City’s Coney Island,
Rot Resistance: Ipe lasted for 25 years before it needed to be replaced: an amazing lifespan given the amount of traffic and environmental stresses put upon the wood.
Workability: Overall, Ipe is a difficult wood to work, being extremely hard and dense, with high cutting resistance during sawing. Ipe also has a pronounced blunting effect on cutting edges.
Workability: The wood generally planes smoothly, but the grain can tearout on interlocked areas. Also, Ipe can be difficult to glue properly, and surface preparation prior to gluing is recommended.
Odor: Ipe has a mild scent while being worked.
Allergies/Toxicity: Although severe reactions are quite uncommon, Ipe has been reported to cause skin, eye, and respiratory irritation, & other effects such as headaches and/or disturbance of vision.
Sustainability: This wood species is not listed in the CITES Appendices or on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species.
Common Uses: Flooring, decking, exterior lumber, veneer, tool handles, and other turned objects.

Sucupira

Origin: Northern South America (Brazil, Venezuela, Guyana)
Color: The heartwood is yellow-brown to chocolate brown, depending on the type of wood, streaked with lighter, more yellowish veins.
Characteristics: Irregular fiber structure, often alternating spiral growth
Application: Veneer, furniture, turning work

Santos Rosewood

Origin: South America (Brazil, Bolivia)
Color: The lighter red and more striking the color, the higher is the value of the wood.
Characteristics: Very decorative light brown to black-brown veins; the fiber structure is partly parallel, partly very intricate.
Application: For the highest demands: highly decorative furniture wood for interior finishing and high-quality furniture making