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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 Drying Rate 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 Trade Name Tree Size Turning Varnishing Scientific Name Shorea hypochra 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] Brunei, Cambodia, India, Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines, Thailand, Vietnam Common Uses Beams, Bedroom suites, Building construction, Cabin construction, Cabinetmaking, Chairs, Chests, Concealed parts (Furniture), Concrete formwork, Construction, Decks, Decorative plywood, Desks, Dining-room furniture, Domestic flooring, Dowell pins, Dowells, Drawer sides, Excelsior, Factory construction, Factory flooring, Fine furniture, Floor lamps, Flooring, Form work, Foundation posts, Framing, Furniture , Furniture components, Furniture squares or stock, Hatracks, Heavy construction, Joinery, Joists, Kitchen cabinets, Light construction, Living-room suites, Office furniture, Parquet flooring, Plywood, Porch columns Environmental Profile Data source is World Conservation Monitoring Center The current environmental status of this species within its natural habitat is rated as Vulnerable in Cambodia, Thailand, Vietnam, and Malaysia Distribution Overview Species in the White meranti group of Shorea genus occurs in a wide area from India in the north and west through the Malaya Peninsula to the Philippines and the Celebes in the east. Heartwood Color Brown Purple Red Light yellow brown or pale orange brown, eventually aging into deep golden-brown Changes color upon exposure Almost white Sapwood Color White Brown Yellow Same color as heartwood Not distinct from heartwood Grain Interlocked Interlocked Texture Coarse Medium Moderately coarse Even textured Luster Low Slightly lustrous Natural Durability Very durable Moderately durable Varied natural resistance of heartwood to decay (poor to moderate) Susceptible to termite attack Odor No distinct odor or taste Silica Content Contains high levels of silica (> 0.5% of dry weight) Kiln Schedules T6-D4 (4/4) T3-D3 (8/4) US Schedule F (4/4) United Kingdom Drying Defects Splitting Checking Distortion May cup and stain during drying Ease of Drying Moderately Difficult to Difficult Slowly Dries easily with little degrade Air dries rapidly, with little degrade Kiln Drying Rate Naturally dries slowly Drying rate is slow Tree Size Tree height is 20-30 m Tree height is 10-20 m Tree height is 30-40 m Bole length is 20-30 m Tree height is 0-10 m Trunk diameter is 100-150 cm Bole length is 10-20 m Trunk diameter is 200-250 cm Tree height is 40-50 m Trunk diameter is 150-200 cm Bark width is 5-10 mm Bole length is 0-10 m Product Sources Species in the Shorea group are a major source of timber from many parts of Southeast Asia. They are plentiful, and supplies are universally available, especially in the form of veneers. This popular wood is typically priced in the inexpensive range. Many species in the Shorea genus 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 Extreme blunting effect on cutting tools because of resin and silica Boring Boring properties are usually affected by high accumulations of silica in White meranti wood Carving Poor carving properties Cutting Resistance Easy to saw 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 Easy to glue Mortising Difficult to mortise Tend to be very abrasive Moulding Responds poorly to ordinary to machine tools Movement in Service Fair to Good Stability - Medium Movement Holds its shape well after seasoning Good dimensional stability and shows little movement in use Nailing Tends to split during nailing Pre-boring recommended Good nailing characteristics Planing 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 Resistant heartwood Permeable sapwood Resistant sapwood Resistant to very resistant to preservative treatment Response to Hand Tools Easy to Work Fairly Difficult to Difficult to Work Very difficult to work with hand tools Routing & Recessing Routs with difficult, with severe dulling of cutting edges Sanding Good sanding properties Screwing Good screwing properties Turning Difficult turning operations Cutters dull rapidly and severely Steam Bending Poor steam bending qualities Polishing Can be polished to a high finish, after surface preparation Staining Stains rather well after surface pre-treatment Varnishing Improve with surface preparation Strength Properties Resists wearing and marring Heavy Hardness = medium 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 9389 12160 psi Density 40 lbs/ft3 Hardness 1021 lbs Maximum Crushing Strength 5380 6257 psi Shearing Strength 1509 psi Static Bending 5968 9305. psi Stiffness 1274 1460 1000 psi Work to Maximum Load 8 11 inch-lbs/in3 Specific Gravity 0.54 0.64 Weight 49 39 lbs/ft3 Radial Shrinkage 4 % Tangential Shrinkage 7 % Volumetric Shrinkage 9 % Item Green Dry Metric Bending Strength 660 854 kg/cm2 Density 641 kg/m3 Hardness 463 kg Maximum Crushing Strength 378 439 kg/cm2 Shearing Strength 106 kg/cm2 Static Bending 419 654. kg/cm2 Stiffness 89 102 1000 kg/cm2 Work to Maximum Load 0.56 0.77 cm-kg/cm3 Specific Gravity 0.54 0.64 Weight 785 624 kg/m3 Radial Shrinkage 4 % Tangential Shrinkage 7 % References 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. Desch, H. E. 1957. Manual of Malayan Timbers. Malayan Forest Records, 28(30):315-318. 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. WCMC. 1992. Conservation Status Listing - Trees and Timbers of the World. World Conservation Monitoring Center-Plants Programme, Cambridge, CB3 ODL, United Kingdom.