Search for

Clicking any heading in the main data area (at right) will scroll the page back to this top position. Use the following links to jump to the associated section in the main data. Blunting Effect Boring Carving Common Names Common Uses Countries of Distribution Cutting Resistance Distribution Overview Drying Defects Ease of Drying Environmental Profile Family Name Gluing Grain Heartwood Color Kiln Drying Rate Luster Mortising Moulding Nailing Natural Durability Numerical Data Odor Planing References Regions of Distribution Resistance to Impregnation Response to Hand Tools Routing & Recessing Sanding Sapwood Color Scientific Name Screwing Strength Properties Texture Toxicity Trade Name Tree Size Turning Veneering Qualities Scientific Name Sapium jermanni Trade Name Caucho Family Name Euphorbiaceae Common Names Caucho, Curupi, Lechero Regions of Distribution Central America Countries of Distribution  [VIEW MAP] Columbia, Cuba, Dominican Republic, Haiti, Jamaica, Mexico, Venezuela Common Uses Boxes and crates, Building materials, Casks, Core Stock, Decorative plywood, Decorative veneer, Fiberboard, Figured veneer, Furniture , General carpentry, Interior construction, Interior trim, Millwork, Packing cases, Particleboard, Plain veneer, Plywood, Rustic furniture, Structural plywood, Tables , Utility furniture, Utility plywood, Veneer Environmental Profile Status has not been officially assessed Distribution Overview The genus Sapium consists of about 100 species of trees and shrubs, and is pan-tropical in distribution. It is very well represented throughout tropical America, from Mexico and the West Indies to Uruguay and Argentina. Heartwood Color Red Yellow White Brown Pink Orange Whitish, yellowish, or light brown Sapwood Color White Yellow Not clearly differentiated from the heartwood Cream colored to light brown or reddish brown, or pale yellow to pale brown Grain Even Interlocked Straight Straight Slightly interlocked Texture Medium Coarse Medium Luster Medium Low Low Natural Durability Perishable Non-durable Non-resistant to powder post beetles Susceptible to insect attack Prone to blue stain Low resistance to attack by dry-wood termites and other insects Odor No distinct odor or taste Toxicity Inner bark contains poisonous latex Drying Defects Collapse Internal Honeycombing Possible Slight warping and checking during air-season Ease of Drying Fairly Easy Rapidly Air dries rapidly, with little degrade Kiln Drying Rate Naturally dries quickly Tree Size Tree height is 30-40 m Trunk diameter is 100-150 cm Tree height is 20-30 m Bole length is 20-30 m Bark width is 5-10 mm Tree height is 10-20 m Boles are often well-formed Blunting Effect Little Boring Fairly easy to very easy May occasionally be fuzzy Easy Carving Good results Cutting Resistance Easy to saw Saws without difficulty Gluing Fairly Easy to Very Easy Mortising Fairly Easy to Very Easy Very Good to Excellent Results Fair to Good Results Surfaces may be fuzzy Generally mortises well Bores readily with ordinary tools, with very good results Moulding Fairly Easy to Very Easy Very Good to Excellent Results Fair to Good Results Material responds well to moulding operations Nailing Fairly Easy to Very Easy Poor to Very Poor Results Very Good to Excellent Results Fair to Good Results Planing Fairly Easy to Very Easy Very Good to Excellent Results Fair to Good Results Surfaces are generally smooth, but may be occasionally fuzzy Easy to work in planning and almost all machine operations Resistance to Impregnation Permeable sapwood Permeable heartwood Resistant heartwood Resistant sapwood Heartwood and sapwood have more than adequate absorption and retention Response to Hand Tools Easy to Work Fairly Difficult to Difficult to Work Responds well to hand tools Routing & Recessing Fairly Easy to Very Easy Very Good to Excellent Results Fair to Good Results Good routing qualities Sanding Fairly Easy to Very Easy Very Good to Excellent Results Fair to Good Results Difficult to sand (expect < 50 out of 100 good to excellent results) Screwing Poor to Very Poor Results Fairly Easy to Very Easy Turning Poor to Very Poor Results Fairly Easy to Very Easy Yields fairly smooth surfaces Easy turning operations Veneering Qualities Suitable for peeling Veneers easily Veneers moderately easy Strength Properties Surfaces may dent easily Soft Mars easilt Heavy Does not wear well Density=High Compression strength (parallel to grain) = medium Bending strength in the air-dry condition (about 12%moisture content)is high-comparable to Teak Numerical Data Item Green Dry English Bending Strength 7546 11167 psi Density 35 lbs/ft3 Hardness 686 lbs Maximum Crushing Strength 3136 5998 psi Stiffness 1450 1646 1000 psi Toughness 82 inch-lbs Specific Gravity 0.46 Weight 34 28. lbs/ft3 Radial Shrinkage 3 % Tangential Shrinkage 6 % Volumetric Shrinkage 9 % Item Green Dry Metric Bending Strength 530 785 kg/cm2 Density 560 kg/m3 Hardness 311 kg Maximum Crushing Strength 220 421 kg/cm2 Stiffness 101 115 1000 kg/cm2 Toughness 94 cm-kg Specific Gravity 0.46 Weight 544 448. kg/m3 Radial Shrinkage 3 % Tangential Shrinkage 6 % References Chudnoff, M.,1984,Tropical Timbers of the World,U.S.A. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Forest Products,Laboratory, Madison. Record, S.J. and R.W. Hess. 1943. Timbers of the New World. Published on the Charles Lathrop Pack Foundation, Yale University Press, New Haven CT.