HEAVY HARDWOOD

BALAU (Shorea spp.)   

Weight: 977 kgs. per cu. metre   Strength Group: A  

General Description: Sapwood is moderately well defined and lighter in colour than heartwood. The colour of freshly cut heartwood is yellow-brown, or brown with reddish tinge, weathering ultimately to a deeper shade of brown or reddish dark brown. Planed surface is not particularly lustrous but is by no means dull. The grain is interlocked, often giving rise to faint stripe figure: texture is moderately fine and even. Resin canals usually with white contents, occur characteristically in concentric lines on the end surface but the wood is not resinous.    

Principal Uses: Heavy construction (untreated): Bridges, piers, wharves, piling, beams, posts, joists, power line posts, keels, keelson, and framework of boats, dock blocks, fenders, railway sleepers, framework of carriages, wagons, motor lorries and trucks, rubber coagulating tanks, beer vats, wine casks, butter churns, heavy-duty flooring, and spools.

Veneering: Has not been tried but unlikely to be suitable because of its high density.

Other Equivalents: Burma (Ingyin, Thitya), India (Sal), Indochina (Ca-chak), Indonesia (Balau), Philippines (Gisok), Sabah (Selangan batu), Sarawak (Balau), Thailand (Ak, Aek, Rang, Tang) 

BITIS (Madhuca utilis)    

Weight: 1,105 kgs. per cu. metre Strength Group: A   

General Description: Sapwood is well defined. Heartwood is red-brown or chocolate brown in colour. Surface is not lustrous. The grain is straight or only slightly interlocked and the texture is fine and even. The wood lathers freely when rubbed with water. It has a bitter taste.    

Principal Uses: Heavy construction (untreated): Bridges, wharves, piers, piling, beams, posts, joists, railway sleepers, paving blocks, wheel hubs, cart axles, shoulder poles, mallets. The timber of pole size trees makes excellent handles for hammers, axes and changkols but timber of mature trees is usually too dense for this use.

Veneering: Has not been tried but unlikely to be suitable because of its high density.

Other Equivalents: India (Bullet wood), Thailand (Ma seng, Masarng) 

CHENGAL (Balanocarpus heimii)   

Weight: 945 kgs. per cu. metre        Strength Group: A   

General Description: Sapwood is well defined. When freshly sawn, the heartwood is yellow-green in colour, weathering ultimately to a dark tan brown. Wood is moderately lustrous and has prominent ripple marks. The grain is interlocked giving rise to stripe figure: texture is moderately fine and even. Resin canals with white contents occur characteristically in concentric lines on end surface but the wood is not resinous.     

Principal Uses: Chengal used to be the standard timber for heavy construction, bridges, railway sleepers, sawn power line posts, boat building, heavy flooring, motor lorry and truck body work, rubber coagulating tanks and many other uses where great strength and durability are required. It should make good beer vats, dyeing vats, wine casks, tubs, butter churns, etc. However, the timber is in short supply and is uneconomical for many uses. Balau, Giam and Resak are good substitutes for Changal.

Veneering: Has not been tried.

Other Equivalents: Thailand (Chan ta kian - Ta kian-chan) 

GIAM (Hopea spp.)    

Weight: 977 kgs. per cu. metre        Strength Group: A     

General Description: The wood is very similar to Chengal except that the green tinge of colour of freshly sawn timber is not so pronounced in Giam and that ripple marks are absent.     

Principal Uses: Heavy construction (untreated): Bridges, piers, wharves, piling, beams, posts, joists, heavy duty flooring, power line poles, keels, keelson, and framework of boats, dock blocks, bearing blocks, brake blocks, mallets, buffers, railway sleepers, carriage and wagon frames, wagon beds, floor boards, lorry and truck body frames, beer vats, rubber coagulating tanks, wine casks, butter churns etc. It is a good substitute for Balau, Chengal and Resak.

Veneering: Has not been tried.

Other Equivalents: Indochina (Sang dao, Kien kien, Song-da), Philippines (Yacal, Saplungan), Sabah (Selangan batu), Sarawak (Giam), Thailand (Lao-tao, Thakian lin, Thakian nu) 

KEKATONG (Cynometra spp.)     

Weight: 977 kgs. per cu. metre        Strength Group: A   

General Description: Sapwood is not well defined. The heartwood is claret-red in colour and is attractively streaked with lighter coloured layers and often has a small brown-black corewood. The grain is fairly straight or only shallowly interlocked and the texture is moderately fine and even.    

Principal Uses: Heavy construction, poles, posts, beams, door and window frames, hammer handles and heavy-duty flooring.

Veneering: Has not been tried.

Other Equivalents: West Africa (Ananta, Muhimbi, Zingana) Burma (Myinga), Philippines (Oringen), Sabah (Katong katong), Thailand (Mang-kha) 

KERANJI (Dialium spp.)    

Weight: 961 kgs. per cu. metre        Strength Group: A   

General Description: Sapwood is well defined and white in colour. Heartwood is gold-brown or red-brown, weathering to dark brown. Surface is lustrous. The grain is interlocked, giving rise to attractive stripe figure and the texture is moderately coarse and even. Ripple marks are prominent.       

Principal Uses: Heavy construction, gymnasium equipment, decorative panelling, parquet flooring, heavy-duty flooring, handles for hammers, axes and changkols, carpenters' tool handles, mallets, shoulder poles, walking sticks, oil presses, cog wheels, cart axles, wheel hubs etc. It is the favourite timber for sledges used in the extraction of logs in the forest and for joiners' wood planes.

Veneering: The timber D. platysepalum is assessed as not suitable for plywood manufacture.

Other Equivalents: Indochina (Xoay), Sabah (Keranji), Sarawak (Keranji), Thailand (Khleng) 

MERBAU (Intsia (Afzelia) palembanica)    

Weight: 801 kgs. per cu. metre        Strength Group: B

General Description: Sapwood is well defined and pale yellow in colour. Heartwood is bronze or red-brown, weathering to dark red-brown. Surface often moderately glossy. Growth rings are fairly distinct: grain is interlocked producing stripe figure. The texture is coarse but even.        

Principal Uses: Very durable and strong for heavy construction. However this timber is susceptible to fungal infection if used in damp conditions and, therefore, not one of the best heavy constructional timbers. Merbau is a very attractive wood suitable for decorative work: superior joinery, cabinet-making, musical instrument, trays, bowls, platters, fancy boxes, panelling, parquet flooring, office fittings, counter tops, showcases, decorative turnery and rotary veneer. The sapwood which is sharply defined is very susceptible to Lyctus attack and should be strictly excluded.

Veneering: na

Other Equivalents: West Africa (Afzelia, Doussie), Burma (Tat-talum), Indonesia (Merbau), Papua New Guinea (Kwila), Philippines (Ipil), Sabah (Merbau), Sarawak (Merbau), Thailand (Lumpha, Lumpho, Maka-mong) 

RED BALAU (Shorea spp.)    

Weight: 881 kgs. per cu. metre        Strength Group: A

General Description: Sapwood is well defined. Heartwood is red-brown or purple-brown in colour when freshly cut, weathering to a dark brown. Surface is rather dull (without lustre). The grain is interlocked often giving rise to stripe figure. Texture is rather coarse but even. Resin canals with white contents occur characteristically in concentric lines on the end surface but the wood is not resinous. (Only the darker colour and coarser texture differentiate this wood from Balau).    

Principal Uses: Heavy construction (untreated): Beams, posts, joists, framing of boats and ships, framework of carriages, wagons, motor lorries, trucks, heavy-duty flooring. It is a favourite timber in Perak tin mines for bottoms of chutes and for packing the roller shells of dredges. It has been reported satisfactory for shoe lasts and parquet flooring.

Veneering: Has not been tried.

Other Equivalents: Indochina (Chai), Indonesia (Balau merah), Philippines (Guijo), Sabah (Selangan batu merah), Sarawak (Red selangan) 

RESAK (Vetica spp., Cotylelobium spp.)      

Weight: 945 kgs. per cu. metre        Strength Group: B    

General Description: Sapwood is light coloured and sharply defined in freshly cut wood (but only moderately sharply defined in seasoned wood). The heartwood when fresh is yellow-brown or brown with an olive tinge, darkening on exposure to a dark red-brown. Surface is not lustrous. The grain is straight or often slightly interlocked and the texture is fine and even. Unseasoned wood is rather resinous but not after seasoning.    

Principal Uses: Heavy construction, bridges, piling, piers, wharves, beams, posts, joists, heavy-duty flooring, telegraph and power lines posts, framework of boats, dock blocks, railway sleepers, wagon frames, wagon beds, beer vats, wine casks, butter churns, rubber coagulating tanks, spools, bobbins, shuttles, rulers, straight edges, tripods, sliced veneers, etc. A good substitute for Balau, Giam and Chengal.

Veneering: n/a

Other Equivalents: Cambodia (Chramas), Indochina (Tau, Lan tau), Indonesia (Resak), Philippines (Narig), Sabah (Resak), Sarawak (Resak), Thailand (Chan thip, Puncham, See, Dam darng) 

TEMBUSU (Fagraea spp.)       

Weight: 801 kgs. per cu. metre        Strength Group: B    

General Description: Sapwood is not well defined and often difficult to differentiate from heartwood. Wood is light yellow-brown in colour when fresh, weathering to a golden-brown or orange-brown. Surface is glossy: grain is slightly interlocked and the texture is moderately coarse or moderately fine and even.

Principal Uses: Heavy construction, bridges, wharves, piling, boat framing, heavy-duty flooring, parquet flooring, cutting blocks (famous for butchers' blocks), printing dies, T-squares, straight edges, set squares, rulers, bowls, tubs, casks, butter churns, etc., and a good carving timber.    

Veneering: F. fragrans is not easily amenable to cold peeling, but the quality of the veneer is reasonably good. This species is at present considered not suitable for plywood manufacture.

Other Equivalents: Burma (Ananma), Sri Lanka (Tembusu), India (Anan), Indochina (Trai), Philippines (Urung), Sabah (Tamasu), Sarawak (Tembusu), Thailand (Kan krao) 

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