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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 Drying Rate Luster Mortising Moulding Natural Durability Numerical Data Odor Planing Polishing References Regions of Distribution Resistance to Impregnation Response to Hand Tools Routing & Recessing Sapwood Color Scientific Name Strength Properties Texture Trade Name Tree Size Turning Varnishing Veneering Qualities Scientific Name Lophopetalum duperreanum Trade Name Perupok Family Name Celastraceae Common Names Balpale, Banate, DualAdau, Mata ulat, Perupok, Sang trang, Seng sa, Song sa, Taung-yemare Regions of Distribution Oceania and S.E. Asia Countries of Distribution  [VIEW MAP] Brunei, India, Indonesia, Malaysia, Myanmar, Thailand, Vietnam Common Uses Balusters, Bent Parts, Blockboard, Boat building, Boxes and crates, Building construction, Building materials, Cabinetmaking, Canoes, Casks, Chairs, Chests, Construction, Cutting surfaces, Decorative plywood, Desks, Dining-room furniture, Domestic flooring, Drawer sides, Excelsior, Fine furniture, Flooring, Furniture , Furniture components, Furniture squares or stock, Hardboards, Hatracks, Interior construction, Interior trim, Joinery, Kitchen cabinets, Lifeboats, Light construction, Living-room suites, Millwork, Moldings, Office furniture, Packing cases, Parquet flooring, Particleboard, Pulpwood, Turnery Environmental Profile The environmental status of this species within its natural habitat has not been officially assessed Distribution Overview Species in the Lophopetalum genus are found in the Indo-Malayan region, North Borneo, and Indonesia. Heartwood Color Brown Red Black Purple The heartwood is straw or pinkish when green, or light yellow, light pinkish- or brownish-gray or brown with a purple cast and is mottled with light brown on tangential surfaces. Green material changes color from straw or pinkish to light yellow or light brown after seasoning Sapwood Color White Yellow The wide sapwood is initially pale colored, and is not differentiated from the heartwood Grain Even Straight Interlocked Straight to shallowly interlocked The pattern of the grain produces a feathery pattern on tangential surfaces Texture Medium Fine Fine to medium Even textured Luster Medium High Medium Natural Durability Durable Susceptible to insect attack Moderately durable Resistant to termites Non-resistant to powder post beetles Non-resistant to marine borers Non-resistant to termites Resistant to powder post beetles The heartwood is susceptible to attack by decay fungi and marine borers Odor No distinct taste Freshly-Cut wood temporarily smells like carnations Drying Defects Checking Distortion Splitting The material may check and warp slightly during drying. The sapwood may also stain Ease of Drying Moderately Difficult to Difficult Variable Rapidly Fairly Easy Slowly Easy Kiln Drying Rate Naturally dries at a moderate speed Naturally dries slowly Naturally dries quickly Tree Size Tree height is 30-40 m Sapwood width is 5-10 cm Bole length is 20-30 m Bole length is 10-20 m Tree height is 20-30 m Sapwood width is 0-5 cm Bark width is 15-20 mm Bark width is 5-10 mm Bark width is 10-15 mm The tree is reported to develop straight boles of good form, with a merchantable length of up to 40 feet (12 m). Trunk diameter is 24 to 30 inches (60 to 76 cm) Blunting Effect Blunting effect on machining is slight Boring Fair to good results Fairly easy to very easy End-Grain material may crumble in boring, but the timber is generally easy to work Carving Fair to Good Results Fairly Easy to Very Easy Good results Cutting Resistance Easy to saw The wood has very little cutting resistance Gluing Fairly Difficult to Very Difficult Fairly Easy to Very Easy Fair to Good Results Carefully Controlled Conditions Mortising Fair to Good Results Fairly Easy to Very Easy Good mortising properties Moulding Fair to Good Results Fairly Easy to Very Easy Good moulding properties Planing Fairly Easy to Very Easy Fair to Good Results Lophopetalum timbers are generally easy to work, and plane readily to yield moderately lustrous surfaces Resistance to Impregnation Resistant heartwood Resistant sapwood Sapwood is permeable Heartwood response to preservative treatment is rated as fair to poor Response to Hand Tools Easy to Work Fairly Difficult to Difficult to Work Responds well There may be some crumbling in end-grain material Routing & Recessing Fair to Good Results Fairly Easy to Very Easy The timber responds generally well to routing operations, except end-grain material. Turning Fair to Good Results Fairly Easy to Very Easy Very Good to Excellent Results The timbers work rather easily in most operations, but there may be some crumbling when working end-grain material Veneering Qualities Suitable for peeling Veneers easily Veneers moderately easy Difficult to veneer Suitable for slicing Polishing Fair to Good Results Fairly Easy to Very Easy Very Good to Excellent Results Excellent results Varnishing Poor to Very Poor Results Fairly Difficult to Very Difficult Strength Properties Max. crushing strength = low Compression strength (parallel to grain) = low Bending strength in the air-dried condition (about 12% moisture content) is medium, but lower than Mahogany, and much lower than White oak. It is weaker than Mahogany or Teak. The weight is about average. The wood is high in density Numerical Data Item Green Dry English Bending Strength 5615 8673 psi Density 34 lbs/ft3 Maximum Crushing Strength 2842 5292 psi Shearing Strength 1378 psi Stiffness 1049 1142 1000 psi Toughness 169 inch-lbs Specific Gravity 0.42 Weight 33 27. lbs/ft3 Radial Shrinkage 3 % Tangential Shrinkage 6 % Volumetric Shrinkage 9 % Item Green Dry Metric Bending Strength 394 609 kg/cm2 Density 544 kg/m3 Maximum Crushing Strength 199 372 kg/cm2 Shearing Strength 96 kg/cm2 Stiffness 73 80 1000 kg/cm2 Toughness 194 cm-kg Specific Gravity 0.42 Weight 528 432. kg/m3 Radial Shrinkage 3 % Tangential Shrinkage 6 % References Chudnoff, M.,1984,Tropical Timbers of the World,U.S.A. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Forest Products,Laboratory, Madison. 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