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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 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 Mortising Moulding Nailing Natural Durability Numerical Data Odor Planing Polishing References Regions of Distribution Resistance to Impregnation Response to Hand Tools Routing & Recessing Sapwood Color Scientific Name Screwing Texture Trade Name Tree Size Turning Veneering Qualities Scientific Name Diospyros melanoxylon Trade Name East Indian ebony Family Name Ebenaceae Common Names East Indian ebony, Ebony persimmon, Indian ebony, Kamagong, Kaya arang, Kayu malam, Marblewood, Tendu, Trayung Regions of Distribution Oceania and S.E. Asia Countries of Distribution  [VIEW MAP] India Common Uses Beams, Building construction, Cabin construction, Concrete formwork, Construction, Decks, Factory construction, Form work, Foundation posts, Framing, Heavy construction, Inlay work, Joists, Light construction, Musical instruments , Ornamental work , Piano keys, Pianos , Porch columns, Rough construction, Trimming, Walking sticks Environmental Profile Status unknown due to inadequate information Status has not been officially assessed Distribution Overview The Tendu tree (Diospyros melanoxylon Roxb.) is endemic to the Indian sub-continent. It is one of the most characteristic trees of the dry deciduous forests throughout India, covering the entire Indian peninsula. The area of distribution extends upto Nepal in sub-Himalayan tracts including the Indian plain, Gangetic plain, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, western coast upto Malabar and Eastern coast upto Coromandel. The tree is also met with on the Nilgiris and Serawalli hills in the south. The Diospyros melanoxylon leaf is conidered the most suitable wrapper on account of the ease with which it can be rolled and its wide availability. Heartwood Color Brown Black Purple Red Irregular coloring Black Heartwood more brittle than lighter-colored sapwood Sapwood Color Yellow White White to yellow Variable color Reddish Clearly differentiated from the heartwood Brown Grain Even Figure Straight Irregular Irregular Generally straight, but not always Texture Medium Coarse Fine Fine Even textured Natural Durability Durable Very durable Resistant to termites Susceptible to insect attack Moderately durable Resistant to powder post beetles Moderately resistant to attack by termites Heartwood has high natural resistance to decay Wood from Sri Lanka is moderately resistant to attack by termites. Black heartwood has high natural resistance. Odor No specific smell or taste Kiln Schedules T3 - C2 (4/4); T3 - C1 (8/4) US Schedule C United Kingdom/T3 - C2 (4/4); T3 - C1 (8/4) US Schedule C United Kingdom Drying Defects Checking Distortion Black portions prone to checking during drying Standing Diospyros trees are often girdled and allowed to season before felling Ease of Drying Slowly Fairly Easy Difficult The material is difficult to season, especially black-colored material. Logs should be converted in the green condition into the smallest possible sizes, and properly stacked under cover Tree Size Tree size is reported to vary Blunting Effect Moderate Severe blunting effect on cutting surfaces Boring Fairly difficult to very difficult Carving Fairly Difficult to Very Difficult Cutting Resistance Logs saw without difficulty when freshly felled Gluing Easy to glue Mortising Fairly Difficult to Very Difficult Moulding Fairly Difficult to Very Difficult Nailing Pre-Boring Recommended Fairly Difficult to Very Difficult Possible if prebored Planing Fairly Difficult to Very Difficult Special attention required High density makes wood difficult to plane and work Difficult to plane Planing material with irregular grain requires a reduced angle of 20 degrees. Wood tends to ride on cutters without adequate pressure. Diospyros timbers are very difficult to work with hand and machine tools in all woodworking operations because of their brittleness and high density. Lighter colored sapwood is generally easier to work than the darker heartwood. Resistance to Impregnation Resistant sapwood Resistant heartwood Response to Hand Tools Fairly Difficult to Difficult to Work Routing & Recessing Fairly Difficult to Very Difficult Screwing Pre-boring recommended Fairly Difficult to Very Difficult Turning Fairly Difficult to Very Difficult Very good Veneering Qualities Suitable for slicing Polishing Fair to Good Results Very Good to Excellent Results Surface Preparation Fairly Easy to Very Easy Excellent results Numerical Data Item Green Dry English Density 50 lbs/ft3 Specific Gravity 0.63 0.67 Weight 61 50 lbs/ft3 Item Green Dry Metric Density 801 kg/m3 Specific Gravity 0.63 0.67 References 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 - Volume I. Malayan Forest Records, No. 15. Malaya Publishing House Ltd., Singapore. 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. Kloot, N. H. and E. Bolza. 1961. Properties of Timbers Imported into Australia. Technological Paper No. 12. Division of Forest Products, Commonwealth Scientific & Industrial Research Organization, Melbourne, Australia. Limaye, V.D. 1954. Grouping of Indian Timbers and their Properties, Uses and Suitability. Indian Forest Records, New Series. Timber Mechanics, Vol. 1, No. 2, Forest Research Institute, Dehra Dun, India. Limaye, V.D. and B.R. Sen. 1953. Weights and Specific Gravities of Indian Woods. Indian Forest Records, New Series. Timber Mechanics, Vol. 1, No. 4, Forest Research Institute, Dehra Dun, India. Troup, R.S. 1909. Indian Woods and Their Uses. The Indian Forest Memoirs, Economic Products Series, Volume 1, No. 1. Superintendent, Government Printing, Calcutta, India.