Search for  
 
 
top

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.

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 Schedules
Mortising
Moulding
Nailing
Natural Durability
Numerical Data
Odor
Planing
Plantation species?
Polishing
Product Sources
References
Regions of Distribution
Resistance to Abrasion
Resistance to Impregnation
Response to Hand Tools
Routing & Recessing
Sanding
Sapwood Color
Scientific Name
Staining
Strength Properties
Synonyms
Texture
Trade Name
Turning

Scientific Name
Eucalyptus tereticornis

Trade Name
Forest red gum

Family Name
Myrtaceae

Synonyms
Eucalyptus umbellata


Wood Image 1

Common Names
Blue gum, Forest gum, Forest red gum, Red forest gum, Red gum, Tereticornis gum

Plantation species?
Yes

Regions of Distribution
Africa, Latin America, Mediterranean Sea Region, Oceania and S.E. Asia

Countries of Distribution  [VIEW MAP]
Australia, Brazil, Fiji, Ghana, India, Madagascar, Morocco, Pakistan, Papua New Guinea, Rwanda, Solomon Islands, South Africa, Tanzania, Uganda, Zimbabwe

Common Uses
Agricultural implements, Boat building (general), Boat building, Boat building: framing, Boxes and crates, Building construction, Building materials, Cabin construction, Cabinetmaking, Canoes, Carvings, Charcoal, Construction, Domestic flooring, Excelsior, Factory construction, Flooring, Flooring: commercial heavy traffic, Flooring: industrial heavy traffic, Fuelwood, Furniture, Handles: general, Heavy construction, Interior construction, Interior trim, Joinery (external): ground contact, Joinery, Ladders, Lifeboats, Light construction, Matches, Millwork, Mine timbers, Moldings, Paneling, Parquet flooring, Particleboard, Piling, Plywood, Posts, Pulp/Paper products, Railroad ties, Shipbuilding, Sporting Goods, Sub-flooring, Toys, Trimming, Turnery, Vats, Vehicle parts, Veneer, Wainscotting, agricultural implements

Environmental Profile
Status has not been officially assessed


Distribution Overview
With a wide latitudinal range (6–38°S) of ca 3,000 km from sea level to 1,800 m, the forest redgum is native from eastern Australia into New Guinea and Papua, the species is widely introduced, faring notably in South Africa for example. Reported in Argentina, Botswana, Brazil (national average yield 18 m3/ha/yr), Congo, Cuba, Fiji, Ghana, Guyana, India, Indonesia, Pakistan, Papua, Paraguay, Peru, Sudan, Uruguay, and Zimbabwe.

Heartwood Color
Red
Pink
Pale red to pink
Dark brown
Red


Sapwood Color
White to yellow
Grayish white
Different than heartwood
Creamy in color


Grain
Interlocked
Wavy
Closed
Even
Straight

Interlocked
Wavy
Generally straight, but not always


Texture
Fine
Even or uniform
Uniform
Fine
Fine to medium
Even textured


Natural Durability
Non-resistant to marine borers
Non-resistant to termites
Susceptible to attack from powder post (Lyctid & Bostrychid) beetles
Durable
Susceptible to attack from termites (Isoptera)
Moderately resistant to Marine Borer attack
Resistant to decay
Resistant to attack from marine borers
Moderately resistant to termite (Isoptera) attack
Moderately durable
Good weathering properties


Odor
Has an odor
No specific smell or taste


Kiln Schedules
Dry at a moderate speed


Drying Defects
Discoloration
Distortion
Moderate surface checking
Expect slight collapse and honeycombing


Ease of Drying
Reconditioning Treatement
Fairly Easy
Little degrade
Moderate

Stacks should be covered during air-drying

Product Sources
Long lengths of the timber are very rare.

Comments
Hard and strong

Heavy

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
Cuts well


Gluing
Fair to Good Results
Fairly Easy to Very Easy
Easy to glue
Requires reconditioning


Mortising
Fair to Good Results
Fairly Easy to Very Easy


Moulding
Fairly Easy to Very Easy
Fair to Good Results


Nailing
Fair to Good Results
Fairly Easy to Very Easy
Holds nails well


Planing
Fair to Good Results
Fairly Easy to Very Easy
Response to hand and machine tools is fairly good
Good planing properties
Ease of planing is moderate


Resistance to Abrasion
Highly resistant to wear
Good for flooring


Resistance to Impregnation
Resistant sapwood
Resistant heartwood
Permeable sapwood
Sapwood is permeable
Heartwood is resistant
Sapwood is resistant
Sapwood is permeable
Sapwood is extremely resistant
Heartwood resistance to preservative treatment is very high
Heartwood is moderately resistant
Heartwood is extremely resistant


Response to Hand Tools
Responds Readily
Easy to machine
Responds well to hand tools
Moderate working qualities


Routing & Recessing
Fair to Good Results
Fairly Easy to Very Easy


Sanding
Fair to Good Results
Fairly Easy to Very Easy


Turning
Fair to Good Results
Fairly Easy to Very Easy


Polishing
Good results


Staining
Fair to Good Results
Very Good to Excellent Results


Strength Properties
Max. crushing strength = high
Shearing strength (parallel to grain) = medium
Shrinkage, Radial = fairly large
Density (dry weight) = 61<
Bending strength (MOR) = medium
Shearing strength (parallel to grain) = high
Bending strength (MOR) = high
Shrinkage, Tangential = large
Shrinkage, Tangential = fairly large
Density (dry weight) = 53-60
Shrinkage, Tangential = moderate
Shearing strength (parallel to grain) = low


Numerical Data
ItemGreenDryEnglish
Bending Strength1142817458psi
Crushing Strength13872141psi
Density54lbs/ft3
Hardness2125lbs
Maximum Crushing Strength59599142psi
Shearing Strength2098psi
Static Bending766410290psi
Stiffness176920431000 psi
Toughness152inch-lbs
Specific Gravity0.710.82
Weight5545lbs/ft3
Radial Shrinkage5%
Tangential Shrinkage9%
ItemGreenDryMetric
Bending Strength8031227kg/cm2
Crushing Strength97150kg/cm2
Density865kg/m3
Hardness963kg
Maximum Crushing Strength418642kg/cm2
Shearing Strength147kg/cm2
Static Bending538723kg/cm2
Stiffness1241431000 kg/cm2
Toughness175cm-kg
Specific Gravity0.710.82
Weight881721kg/m3
Radial Shrinkage5%

References
Banks, C.H., Schoeman, J.P., Otto, K.P.,1977,The Mechanical Properties of Timbers with particular reference to South,Africa,South African Forestry Research Institute Bulletin,(Ed.,Schoeman, J.P. 1973 & Otto K.P. 1976,No.48

Boas, I.H.,1947,The Commercial Timbers of Australia - Their Properties and Uses,Council for Scientific and Industrial Research, Melbourne

Bolza, E., Keating, W.G.,1972,African Timbers - the Properties, Uses and Characteristics of 700 Species,C.S.I.R.O. Div. of Building Research

Bolza, E., Kloot, N. H. 1963. The Mechanical Properties of 174 Australian Timbers. Technological Paper No. 25. Division of Forest Products, Center for Scientific and Industrial Organization (CSIRO, Melbourne, Australia.

Bolza, E.,1975,Properties and Uses of 175 Timber Species from Papua New Guinea and West,Irian,C.S.I.R.O. Div. Building Research Report,no.34

Hillis, W.E. and A.G. Brown, Editors. 1984. Eucalyptus for Wood Production. Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organization, Academic Press, Australia.

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

Limaye, V. D. and B. R. Sen. 1956. Weights and Specific Gravities of Indian Woods. Indian Forest Records (New Series). Timber Mechanics. Volume 1 No. 4. Manager of Publications (Publisher, Delhi.

Poynton, R.J.,1957,Notes on Exotic Forest Trees in South Africa (Second Edition, Revised,South African Forestry Department Bulletin No.38

Scott, M.H.,1935,Weights of South African Growth Timbers,South African Department of Agriculture and Forestry Bulletin,No.145,Forest Products Institute, Forestry Series No.1

Shukla, N.K. and Rajput, S.S.,1983,Physical and Mechanical Properties of Eucalypts grown in India,Indian Forester 109(112) 933-43

Takahashi, A.,1978,Compilation of Data on the Mechanical Properties of Foreign Woods (Part,III) Africa,Shimane University, Japan, Research Report on Foreign Wood No. 7

The Australian Timber Journal & Building Products, Merchandiser,1969,Timber Durability and Preservation,Supplement to Australian Timber Journal 35(4) Tech. Timb. Guide No.8

Wallis, N.K. 1956. Australian Timber Handbook. Sponsored by The Timber Development Association of Australia. Angus & Robertson, Ltd., 89 Castlereagh Street, Sydney, Australia.