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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
Nailing
Natural Durability
Numerical Data
Odor
Planing
Polishing
References
Regions of Distribution
Resistance to Impregnation
Response to Hand Tools
Sapwood Color
Scientific Name
Strength Properties
Texture
Trade Name
Tree Size
Varnishing

Scientific Name
Tristania decorticata

Trade Name
Malabayabas

Family Name
Myrtaceae

Wood Image 1

Common Names
Brush Box, Malabayabas, Tiga, Tinadan

Regions of Distribution
Oceania and S.E. Asia

Countries of Distribution  [VIEW MAP]
Philippines

Common Uses
Barge fenders, Bearings & bushings, Building construction, Building materials, Bushing blocks, Cabin construction, Construction, Docks, Dockwork, Domestic flooring, Factory construction, Farm vehicles, Flooring, Harbor work, Heavy construction, Machinery parts, Marine construction, Mine timbers, Naval architecture, Parquet flooring, Poles, Pulley wheels, Raft floats, Rafts, Shipbuilding, Sub-flooring, Textile equipment, Utility poles, Wharf construction, Wheels

Environmental Profile
Vulnerable in parts of its natural habitat
Data source is World Conservation Monitoring Center

Vulnerable in the Phillipines

Distribution Overview
The genus Tristania is composed of small to medium-sized trees that occur in the Indo-Malayan region, extending into Australia, the Philippines, and Indonesia. Some species in the genus have also been introduced into other tropical regions. In the Philippines,Tristania decorticata is generally found on low ridges near the coast.

Heartwood Color
Red
Brown
Purple
Pink
Darkens after prolonged exposure
Dark brown
Black


Sapwood Color
Red
Sapwood merges gradually into the heartwood
Light brown

It is usually about 0.4 to 1.1 inches (1 to 3 cm) wide.

Grain
Closed
Figure
Irregular
Wavy

Wavy
Irregular


Texture
Medium
Fine
Dense


Luster
Glossy


Natural Durability
Moderately durable
Resistant to termites
Resistant to termite attack
Resistant to attack by marine borers


Odor
No specific smell or taste


Kiln Schedules
T3 - C2 (4/4); T3 - C1 (8/4) US/T3 - C2 (4/4); T3 - C1 (8/4) U


Drying Defects
May warp
May check

The timber, especially backsawn material, is liable to warp and check during drying

Ease of Drying
Slowly
Highly prone to degrade
Difficult to season

It requires a mild schedule when green. Air-drying to 30% moisture content before kiln-drying has been recommended to minimize defects

Kiln Drying Rate
Naturally dries slowly


Tree Size
Tree height is 10-20 m


The trees often develop irregular boles and pronounced buttresses

Comments
Deposits - Vessels contain a reddish extractive.

Cutting Resistance
Easy to saw
Cutting resistance with dry wood is moderate


Gluing
Fairly Easy to Very Easy


Nailing
Very Good to Excellent Results
Fair to Good Results
Pre-boring required


Planing
Fairly Easy to Very Easy
Very Good to Excellent Results
Fair to Good Results
Difficult to plane

The timber is described as hard and strong, and is rather difficult to work with ordinary machine tools in planing, turning, boring, moulding, and other operations

Resistance to Impregnation
Resistant heartwood
Resistant sapwood
Heartwood is extremely resistant


Response to Hand Tools
Easy to Work
Responds poorly to hand tools


Polishing
Fair to Good Results
Very Good to Excellent Results


Varnishing
Very Good to Excellent Results
Fair to Good Results
Fairly Easy to Very Easy


Strength Properties
Very heavy
Very hard
Very dense
Resists denting and marring
Compression strength (parallel to grain) = high
Bending strength (MOR) = high

It is exceptionally hard and very difficult to work with ordinary tools. It does not marr or dent, except under extreme conditions. The wood is exceptionally heavy. It weighs much more than Hard maple or Teak in the green or seasoned condition. The wood is very dense.

Numerical Data
ItemGreenDryEnglish
Bending Strength1700526413psi
Crushing Strength22093116psi
Density62lbs/ft3
Hardness4258lbs
Maximum Crushing Strength753313024psi
Shearing Strength2439psi
Static Bending945016099psi
Stiffness225827801000 psi
Toughness641inch-lbs
Specific Gravity0.891.03
Weight6150.lbs/ft3
Radial Shrinkage5%
Tangential Shrinkage9%
ItemGreenDryMetric
Bending Strength11951857kg/cm2
Crushing Strength155219kg/cm2
Density993kg/m3
Hardness1931kg
Maximum Crushing Strength529915kg/cm2
Shearing Strength171kg/cm2
Static Bending6641131kg/cm2
Stiffness1581951000 kg/cm2
Toughness738cm-kg
Specific Gravity0.891.03
Weight977801.kg/m3
Radial Shrinkage5%

References
Chudnoff, M.,1984,Tropical Timbers of the World,U.S.A. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Forest Products,Laboratory, Madison.

Desch, H. E. 1954. Manual of Malayan Timbers - Volume II. Malayan Forest Records, No. 15. Malaysia Publishing House Ltd., Singapore.

Keating, W.G., Bolza, E.,1982,Characteristics properties and uses of timbers. South East Asia, Northern,Australia and the Pacific,C.S.I.R.O. Div. Chemical Technology,Inkata Press,1

Lauricio, F. M., Bellosillo, S. B., The Mechanical and Related Properties of Philippine Woods, The Philippine Lumber Journal, 12(5):A-H

Schneider, E.E. 1916. Commercial Woods of the Philippines: Their Preparation and Uses. Bulletin No. 14. Department of the Interior, Bureau of Forestry, Manila, Philippines.

WCMC. 1992. Conservation Status Listing - Trees and Timbers of the World. World Conservation Monitoring Center-Plants Programme, Cambridge, CB3 ODL, United Kingdom.