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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 Comments 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 Schedules Luster Mortising Moulding Movement in Service Nailing Natural Durability Numerical Data Odor Planing Polishing Product Sources References Regions of Distribution Resistance to Impregnation Response to Hand Tools Routing & Recessing Sanding Sapwood Color Scientific Name Screwing Silica Content Staining Steam Bending Strength Properties Texture Toxicity Trade Name Tree Size Turning Varnishing Scientific Name Shorea cochinchinensis Trade Name White Meranti Family Name Dipterocarpaceae Common Names Lun, Lun puteh, Melapi, White Meranti Regions of Distribution Oceania and S.E. Asia Countries of Distribution  [VIEW MAP] Cambodia Common Uses Beams, Boat building, Building construction, Cabin construction, Canoes, Concrete formwork, Construction, Decks, Decorative plywood, Decorative veneer, Domestic flooring, Excelsior, Factory construction, Figured veneer, Flooring, Form work, Foundation posts, Framing, Heavy construction, Joinery, Joists, Lifeboats, Light construction, Parquet flooring, Plywood, Porch columns, Rough construction, Shipbuilding, Sub-flooring, Veneer Environmental Profile Status has not been officially assessed Distribution Overview The geographical range of the White meranti group of Shorea spp. includes India in the north and west through the Malayan Peninsula to the Philippines and the Celebes in the east. Heartwood Color Brown Pink Red Light yellow brown or pale orange brown, eventually aging into deep golden-brown Changes color upon exposure Almost white Sapwood Color Red Grey Brown Same color as heartwood Not distinct from heartwood Grain Interlocked Interlocked Texture Coarse Moderately coarse Even textured Luster High Medium Low Slightly lustrous Natural Durability Perishable Susceptible to termite attack Natural durability varies (moderately to non-durable) Odor Has an odor No distinct odor or taste Silica Content Contains high levels of silica (> 0.5% of dry weight) Toxicity Some toxic effects Kiln Schedules T6-D4 (4/4) T3-D3 (8/4) US Schedule F (4/4) United Kingdom Drying Defects Distortion Checking May cup and stain during drying Ease of Drying Fairly Easy Reconditioning Treatement Medium to High Shrinkage Dries easily with little degrade Air dries rapidly, with little degrade Tree Size Tree height is 20-30 m Tree height is 40-50 m Tree height is 50-60 m Trunk diameter is 100-150 cm Trunk diameter is 150-200 cm The trees are usually tall, with large buttresses and straight cylindrical trunks Product Sources Shorea spp. is a major timber source in international trade. The species are abundant, and supplies are plentiful, especially in the form of veneers. This popular wood is priced in the inexpensive range. Many species in the Shorea genera are also a source of other economically important non-timber products. Seeds of some species yield fat which is used in the manufacture of chocolate. Others produce nuts, the most common of which is the illipe nuts of commerce produced by S. gysbertisiana . The nuts yield a fat which is similar to cocoa-butter in some of its properties. Shorea trees are also tapped for oleo-resin, and typical dammar is obtained from S. wiesneri which grows in Java and Sumatra. The tree of S. robusta produces dammar which is used as a disinfectant and as incense in religious ceremonies in India. Other non-timber products from Shorea are reported to include tannin and fibers. Comments Produced by tress of Shorea species in the Anthoshorea group Blunting Effect Little Extreme blunting effect on cutting tools because of resin and silica Boring Fairly easy to very easy Fair to good results Boring properties are usually affected by high accumulations of silica in White meranti wood Carving Fair to Good Results Fairly Easy to Very Easy Poor carving properties Cutting Resistance Fairly Difficult to Very Difficult to saw Tungsten-Tipped or stellite-tipped cutters and increased tooth pitch during sawing is recom. Sawn surfaces are usually wooly Difficult to saw due to high silica content Gluing Fair to Good Results Fairly Easy to Very Easy Easy to glue Mortising Very Good to Excellent Results Fairly Easy to Very Easy Fair to Good Results Difficult to mortise Tend to be very abrasive Moulding Fair to Good Results Fairly Easy to Very Easy Responds poorly to ordinary to machine tools Movement in Service Fair to Good Stability - Medium Movement Excellent Stability - Small Movement Retains shape well after manufacture Good dimensional stability and shows little movement in use Nailing Fair to Good Results Fairly Easy to Very Easy Tends to split during nailing Pre-boring recommended Good nailing characteristics Planing Fairly Difficult to Very Difficult Poor machining properties due to severe and rapid dulling of cutting edges Interlocked grain may cause some tearing, and a reduced cutting angle of 20 degrees is recommended in planing Resistance to Impregnation Permeable sapwood Resistant sapwood Resistant heartwood Permeable heartwood Resistant to very resistant to preservative treatment Response to Hand Tools Responds Readily Easy to Work Very difficult to work with hand tools Routing & Recessing Fair to Good Results Fairly Easy to Very Easy Routs with difficult, with severe dulling of cutting edges Sanding Fair to Good Results Fairly Easy to Very Easy Good sanding properties Screwing Fair to Good Results Fairly Easy to Very Easy Good screwing properties Turning Fair to Good Results Fairly Easy to Very Easy Difficult turning operations Cutters dull rapidly and severely Steam Bending Poor to Very Poor Results Tends to Degrade Poor steam bending qualities Polishing Surface Preparation Fair to Good Results Can be polished to a high finish, after surface preparation Staining Surface Preparation Fair to Good Results Stains rather well after surface pre-treatment Varnishing Improve with surface preparation Strength Properties Resists wearing, denting and marring fairly well Fairly hard Density=High Crushing strength = high Compression strength (parallel to grain) = high Bending strength in air-dried condition...is strong Numerical Data Item Green Dry English Bending Strength 9604 13524 psi Density 36 lbs/ft3 Hardness 1117 lbs Maximum Crushing Strength 6311 7860 psi Shearing Strength 1509 psi Stiffness 1274 1460 1000 psi Work to Maximum Load 8 11 inch-lbs/in3 Specific Gravity 0.47 0.64 Weight 49 37 lbs/ft3 Radial Shrinkage 3 % Tangential Shrinkage 6 % Volumetric Shrinkage 8 % Item Green Dry Metric Bending Strength 675 950 kg/cm2 Density 576 kg/m3 Hardness 506 kg Maximum Crushing Strength 443 552 kg/cm2 Shearing Strength 106 kg/cm2 Stiffness 89 102 1000 kg/cm2 Work to Maximum Load 0.56 0.77 cm-kg/cm3 Specific Gravity 0.47 0.64 Weight 785 592 kg/m3 Radial Shrinkage 3 % Tangential Shrinkage 6 % References Andy Poynter. 1993. Personal Communication. Arno, J. 1988. Shorea spp. - Luan. In A Guide to Useful Woods of the World. Flynn Jr., J.H., Editor. King Philip Publishing Co., Portland, Maine. 1994. Page 329-330. Chowdhury, K.A. and S.S. Ghosh. 1958. Indian Woods - Their Identification, Properties and Uses, Volume I - Dilleniaceae to Elaeocarpaceae. Published by the Manager of Publications, Delhi, India. Chudnoff, M.,1984,Tropical Timbers of the World,U.S.A. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Forest Products,Laboratory, Madison. HMSO. 1972. Handbook of Hardwoods, 2nd Edition. Revised by R.H. Farmer. Department of the Environment, Building Research Establishment, Princes Risborough Laboratory, Her Majesty's Stationery Office, London. Lincoln, W.A. 1986. World Woods in Color. Linden Publishing Co. Inc., Fresno, California. USDA. 1987. Wood Handbook: Wood as an Engineering Material. Agriculture Handbook No. 72. United States Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Madison, Wisconsin.