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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 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 Sapwood Color Scientific Name Staining Steam Bending Strength Properties Texture Trade Name Tree Size Turning Scientific Name Cedrela huberi Trade Name Acajou rouge Family Name Meliaceae Common Names Acajou rouge, Ceder, Cedrat, Cedre rouge, Cedro, Cedro branco, Cigar box, Cigar box cedar, Epi, Kapere, Red cedar, Soeren, Spanish cedar, Thitkado, Toon, Youhom Regions of Distribution Central America, Latin America Countries of Distribution  [VIEW MAP] Bahamas, Brazil, Cuba, Dominican Republic, French Guiana, Guyana, Haiti, Honduras, Jamaica, Suriname Common Uses Bedroom suites, Boat building, Building materials, Cabinetmaking, Canoes, Chairs, Chests, Cigar boxes, Concealed parts (Furniture), Decorative plywood, Decorative veneer, Desks, Dining-room furniture, Dowell pins, Dowells, Drawer sides, Drum sticks, Exterior trim & siding, Exterior uses, Figured veneer, Fine furniture, Floor lamps, Furniture , Furniture components, Furniture squares or stock, Hatracks, Interior construction, Interior trim, Kitchen cabinets, Lifeboats, Living-room suites, Millwork, Moldings, Musical instruments , Office furniture, Organ pipes, Paneling , Piano keys, Planks, Shingles, Shipbuilding Environmental Profile The environmental status of this species within its geographical boundaries has not been officially determined. The geographical range of Cedrela is throughout Latin America, from Mexico to Argentina, except Chile. The trees prefer rich, well-drained humid soils, but may also be found growing on drier hillsides Heartwood Color The heartwood is pink to pale pink brown or reddish brown when freshly cut. The wood darkens upon exposure to a dark reddish brown, sometimes with a purplish tinge. Resin marks may be present in the wood Sapwood Color White to yellow Pinkish Clearly differentiated from the heartwood Timber from younger or fast-grown trees is commonly paler in color Grain Even Interlocked Straight Figure Variable (figure) Variable figure Straight Shallowly interlocked Texture Coarse Medium Uniform Uneven Medium to coarse Fine Coarse Luster Low High The wood has moderate to high golden luster. Natural Durability Moderately durable Very suitable for exterior applications Very high natural resistance Sapwood susceptible to attack by powder post beetles Moderately resistant to decay Liable to attack by marine borers The wood is highly resistant to attack by termites in the West Indies, and moderately so in West Africa Odor The wood has a fragrant, cedary scent due to the presence of oil which may exude and appear on the surface of the timber as a sticky resin Kiln Schedules Schedule H (4/4) United Kingdom 10 - D4S (4/4); T8 - D3S (8/4) US Drying Defects Slight twist/warp Slight collapse and honeycomb No surface checking Moderate collapse and honeycombing Expect severe degrade due to knots, splits, and loosening Ease of Drying Fairly Easy Easy Dries at a fairly rapid rate Tree Size Bole length is 0-10 m Tree height is 10-20 m Tree height is 20-30 m Product Sources The ITTO reports that a very important source of timber. The timber is exported regularly, especially as square-edged timber and veneer. Comments Volatiles in the material may restrict the use of the wood in some applications. Timber from younger or fast-grown trees is commonly less resinous Blunting Effect Blunting effect on machining is slight Blunting effect on machining is moderate Boring The wood is difficult to bore cleanly Carving Easy to carve Cutting Resistance Easy to saw The wood saws without too much difficulty, though there may be a tendency towards woolliness, and resin may clog tools. Cross-cutting and narrow bandsawing operations are satisfactorily Gluing Satisfactory gluing properties Mortising Good mortising properties Moulding A French head yields the most satisfactory moulding results Movement in Service Stable Nailing Satisfactory nailing properties Holds nails well Planing A good finish may be produced in planing if the cutting angle is reduced to 20 degrees Resistance to Impregnation Sapwood is permeable Heartwood is resistant Heartwood is extremely resistant Response to Hand Tools Easy to machine Routing & Recessing Good in both routing and recessing. Turning Good results Steam Bending The wood is suitable for bends of moderate radius of curvature Polishing Surface treatment advised Good results Staining Stains well Strength Properties Weight = medium Soft Max. crushing strength = medium Dents and mars easily Compression strength (parallel to grain) = medium Bending strength (MOR) = high The species has average, or medium, density. Numerical Data Item Green Dry English Bending Strength 6595 11074 psi Crushing Strength 382 696 psi Density 25 lbs/ft3 Hardness 559 lbs Maximum Crushing Strength 3038 5890 psi Shearing Strength 1176 psi Static Bending 3940 7154 psi Stiffness 1147 1392 1000 psi Toughness 80 inch-lbs Work to Maximum Load 7 12 inch-lbs/in3 Specific Gravity 0.34 0.37 Weight 25 20. lbs/ft3 Radial Shrinkage 4 % Tangential Shrinkage 6 % Volumetric Shrinkage 10 % Item Green Dry Metric Bending Strength 463 778 kg/cm2 Crushing Strength 26 48 kg/cm2 Density 400 kg/m3 Hardness 253 kg Maximum Crushing Strength 213 414 kg/cm2 Shearing Strength 82 kg/cm2 Static Bending 277 502 kg/cm2 Stiffness 80 97 1000 kg/cm2 Toughness 92 cm-kg Work to Maximum Load 0.49 0.84 cm-kg/cm3 Specific Gravity 0.34 0.37 Weight 400 320. kg/m3 Radial Shrinkage 4 % Tangential Shrinkage 6 % References Boone, R.S., C.J. Kozlik, P.J. Bois, E.M. Wengert. 1988. Dry Kiln Schedules for Commercial Hardwoods - Temperate and Tropical. USDA, Forest Service, General Technical Report FPL-GTR-57, Forest Products Laboratory, Madison, Wisconsin. Chichignoud, M., G. Deon, P. Detienne, B. Parant, and P. Vantomme. 1990. Tropical Timber Atlas of Latin America. International Tropical Timber Organization (ITTO, Centre Technique Forestier Tropical, Division of CIRAD, 45 bis Avenue de la Belle Gabrielle, Nogent-sur-marne, CEDEX, France. Chudnoff, M.,1984,Tropical Timbers of the World,U.S.A. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Forest Products,Laboratory, Madison. HMSO. 1981. Handbook of Hardwoods, 2nd Edition. Revised by R. H. Farmer. Department of the Environment, Building Research Establishment, Princes Risborough Laboratory, Princes Risborough, Aylesbury, Buckinghamshire. Wangaard, F.F., and A.F. Muschler. 1952. Tropical Woods - Properties and Uses of Tropical Woods, Volume III, No. 98. School of Forestry, Yale University, New Haven, Connecticut.