Search for

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 Luster Mortising Moulding Movement in Service Nailing Natural Durability Numerical Data Odor Planing Polishing Product Sources References Regions of Distribution Resistance to Impregnation Routing & Recessing Sanding Sapwood Color Scientific Name Screwing Silica Content Staining Steam Bending Texture Toxicity Trade Name Tree Size Turning Varnishing Scientific Name Diospyros mindanaensis Trade Name East Indian ebony Family Name Ebenaceae Common Names Ata ata, Camagon, East Indian ebony, Ebony persimmon, Itom itom, Kamagong, Kanran, Kaya arang, Kayu malam, Kukuo, Marblewood, Mgiriti, Msindi, Nyareti, Omenowa, Philippine ebony, Tayung, Ugau Regions of Distribution Oceania and S.E. Asia Countries of Distribution  [VIEW MAP] Philippines Common Uses Carvings, Drum sticks, Inlay work, Marquetry, Musical instruments , Organ pipes, Ornamental work , Piano keys, Pianos , Sounding boards, Turnery, Violin bows, Violin, Woodwork , Xylophones Environmental Profile Status unknown due to inadequate information Status has not been officially assessed Distribution Overview Indo-Malayan region, probably at low altitudes in the primary forests in the Philippines. Heartwood Color Brown Black Yellow Pink Highly variable Red Orange Small heartwood Jet black Frequently defective Black heartwood more brittle than lighter colored sapwood Sapwood Color Tan Green/Grey Yellowish after drying Wide Whitish Clearly differentiated from the heartwood The sapwood is wide, and is described as almost white, turning yellowish after drying. It often stains to light gray, either evenly or in streaks and mottlings Grain Even Figure Straight Irregular Irregular Generally straight, but not always Texture Coarse Fine Medium Fine to medium Luster Low Natural Durability Durable Moderately durable Non-resistant to powder post beetles Non-resistant to marine borers Non-resistant to termites Moderately resistant to attack by termites Heartwood is very durable Wood from Sri Lanka and India are rated as moderately resistant to attack by termites. Black heartwood is very durable. Odor Has an odor No specific smell or taste Silica Content Siliceous Toxicity Some toxic effects 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 Resin Exudation Checking Collapse Distortion Black portions prone to checking during drying Standing Diospyros trees are often girdled and allowed to season before felling Ease of Drying Moderately Difficult to Difficult Thick Stock Requires Care Medium to High Shrinkage Darker wood is difficult to season Tree Size Bole length is 20-30 m Tree height is 30-40 m Tree size is described as small to medium. Stems are straight, well-formed, and usually 16 to 27 feet (5 to 8 m) long Product Sources The species is one of the largest and the most widely distributed of the genus Diospyros in the Philippines, and probably the best known. Its common name Ata-ata is often used to refer to other species in the genus when their origin is unknown. Blunting Effect High to severe Moderate Severe blunting effect on cutting surfaces Boring Fair to good results Fairly easy to very easy Carving Fair to Good Results Fairly Easy to Very Easy Cutting Resistance Easy to saw Fairly Difficult to Very Difficult to saw Satisfactory sawing properties Gluing Fairly Difficult to Very Difficult Easy to glue Mortising Fair to Good Results Fairly Easy to Very Easy Moulding Fair to Good Results Fairly Easy to Very Easy Movement in Service Unstable with Poor Stability - Large Movement Nailing Fair to Good Results Fairly Easy to Very Easy Possible if prebored Planing Fairly Easy to Very Easy Fair to Good Results Special attention required High density makes wood difficult to plane and work Difficult to plane Although lighter colored sapwood is generally easier to work than the darker hardwood, Diospyros timbers are very difficult to work with hand and machine tools in all operations because of their brittleness and high density. Material containing irregular grain requires a reduced angle of 20 degrees to plane. Wood tends to ride on cutters without adequate pressure. Resistance to Impregnation Resistant sapwood Resistant heartwood Routing & Recessing Fair to Good Results Fairly Easy to Very Easy Sanding Fair to Good Results Fairly Difficult to Very Difficult Fairly Easy to Very Easy Screwing Fair to Good Results Fairly Easy to Very Easy Turning Fair to Good Results Fairly Easy to Very Easy Good results Steam Bending Exudation Poor to Very Poor Results Fairly Difficult to Very Difficult Polishing Fairly Difficult to Very Difficult Poor to Very Poor Results Excellent results Staining Poor to Very Poor Results Fairly Difficult to Very Difficult Varnishing Poor to Very Poor Results Fairly Difficult to Very Difficult Numerical Data Item Green Dry English Bending Strength 12642 17841 psi Hardness 2029 lbs Static Bending 8098 13269 psi Stiffness 1965 2077 1000 psi Toughness 431 inch-lbs Specific Gravity 0.63 0.66 Item Green Dry Metric Bending Strength 888 1254 kg/cm2 Hardness 920 kg Static Bending 569 932 kg/cm2 Stiffness 138 146 1000 kg/cm2 Toughness 496 cm-kg 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. Lauricio, F. M., Bellosillo, S. B., The Mechanical and Related Properties of Philippine Woods, The Philippine Lumber Journal, 12(5):A-H. Reyes, L.J. 1938. Philippine Woods. Department of Agriculture and Commerce, Technical Bulletin 7, Commonwealth of the Philippines, Bureau of Printing, Manila. 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.