From Argentina

(Maidenhair Tree)  From Japan A deciduous tree which reaches a height of 100 feet and a diameter of 9 feet. This species is the only surviving member of the ancient family Ginkoaceae (order Ginkgoales), which was widespread prior to the Jurassic period. Although cultivated in Japan, its native range is restricted to Chekiang province in China. The wood is light, brittle, and of little commercial value. Used for chess boards, chess men, chopping blocks, and for firewood. 

Western White Pine

Terminalia ivorensis

Other common names: Terminalia or roble marfil 

Distribution: Idigbo was first brought to Costa Rica from Africa in the 1980's because of its fast growth and beautiful wood. 

Tree Data: Idigbo grows rapidly and reaches a height of 120 to 150 feet in the natural forest, with a straight and clear bole up to 70 feet. Its trunk is frequently buttressed and fluted, with diameters of 3 to 5 feet. 

Timber Properties : Idigbo is yellow brown to light pink brown with a straight to slightly irregular grain. The wood is rated as durable.

Working Characteristics: It has a moderate luster and is easy to work with hand and machine tools. Idigbo glues well and takes a good finish. 

Common Uses: Idigbo is used for its attractive appearance and ease of working in the making of furniture, cabinetry, joinery, decorative paneling, veneers, and flooring.

Other common names: pencil cedar and Californina incense-cedar 
Distribution: Grows in northwestern United States 
Tree Data:  
Timber Properties : Straight and even grained with a medium texture. Light brown heartwood, often tinged with red, and nearly white sapwood. Light, soft, moderately low in strength, and low in stiffness and shock resistance. Very good decay resistance and stability in service. 
Working Characteristics: Extremely easy to work with machine or hand tools. Turns, cuts, planes, routs, and bores like a champ. Glues, screws, nails, paints and finishes very well. 
Common Uses: Used for pencils, carving, venetian blinds, chests, toys, fenceposts, poles, shingles, railroad ties, woodenware, trim, millwork, novelties, and plywood. 
General :. 

see Ebony, East Indian

see Rosewood, Indian

see Iroko

Other common names: Ipe, lapacho, cortez Corteza, corteza amarilla 

Distribution:  

Tree Data: Ipe is a large canopy tree, growing to a height of 120 feet in the natural rainforest, with trunk diameter up to 3 feet and a clear bole of 60 feet. Some specimens grow to 150 feet with a 6 foot diameter trunk. 

Timber Properties : Ipe heartwood is light to dark olive brown, often with attractive lighter or darker striping and striking contrasts with the lighter color sapwood. It has a fine texture, medium luster, and a somewhat oily appearance. Ipe is very hard (two to three times as hard as oak), very strong and very heavy. It weighs approximately 70 pounds per cubic foot and sinks in water. Ipe is rated as extremely durable. 1300 KG / M3 

Working Characteristics:  

Common Uses: Ipe is prized for quality furniture and decorative veneers, and because of its strength and durability, is used in boardwalks, tool handles, turnery, industrial flooring, and textile mill items. 

General : Ipe has been exploited for years and is becoming increasingly rare outside of national parks and reserves.

dark brown  prominent grain 1100 kg m-3 – heavy strong  durable – Outdoor construction flooring and joinery

Other common names: kambala, mvule, odum, intule, and tule. 
Distribution: Grows in southern half of Africa. 
Tree Data:  
Timber Properties : Interlocked grain and moderately coarse texture. Light to dark brown heartwood demarcated from paler brown sapwood. Teak like appearance bit darker Often has hard deposits of calcium carbonate embedded in grain. Medium hardness, weight, bending and crushing strength, very low stiffness and shock resistance, moderate steam bending, high decay resistance (heartwood), and good stability. Works well in general but boards with "stone" deposits have abrasive effect on cutting edges. Good gluing, nailing and screwing properties. Polishes to a high finish but filling typically required. Yellowish brown to dark brown with slight countergrain 1000 - 1100 KG / M3Iroko/Kambala exhibits a medium range of color variation once it has fully aged. As it ages from fresh cut to fully aged, it will vary greatly in color. Iroko/Kambala exhibits an extreme degree of color change with pronounced darkening from a bright gold color when freshly milled to a medium brown color once fully oxidized 
Working Characteristics:  
Common Uses: Often used as a substitute for teak and valued for upper-scale interior/exterior joinery, counter and table tops, carving, and turnery. Also used for window frames, sills, doors, ship building, cabinets, garden and park benches, plywood and veneer. fine Interior Joinery - Exterior Joinery - Flooring - Cabinet-Marke 
General : an open pored wood which has been used in the past for a teak substitute.  As it ages it is similar in color to teak. 

Australia

Grey Ironbark Heartwood colour is variable from pale to dark brown and dark red. Texture is coarse and even with an interlocking grain. Structural, Flooring Grey Ironbark is used in heavy engineering construction, poles, piles, decking, flooring and shipbuilding. It is a beautiful timber which is difficult to work and therefore not used to its fullest potential. Grey Ironbark is a hard dense wood which is difficult to work. Heartwood is very durable. Sapwood is usually resistant to lyctid borer attack. 1100kg/cu.m.

see Hophornbeam   see Lignumvitae

closely related to hornbeam. Shallow interlocked grain difficult to work

Naturally durable

see Brazilwood

slow growing tree - medium height dark red timber, very hard and naturally durable

Muhimbi

Fine textured red brown wood with interlocking grain.

Extremely durable

Difficult to work

Witch Hazel From Japan Attains a height of 50 feet and diameter of 48 inches. Wood is dense and lustrous and a good substitute for red sandalwood. Prized for cabinet making, turning etc. 

(Tanbark Oak) From Japan Attains a height of 72 feet and diameter of 41/2 feet. Wood used for sugar barrels, handles, oars and ties. Closely related to our California Tanbark Oak and like it, its bark yields tannin

Tree of 20 the 40 meters of height, gift in the Amazon region, mainly in the state of Pará. Its wood is used for constructions civil and naval, bridges and decks, pisos, furniture, etc 855 kg  very durable .

Maple From Japan Largest of the Japanese maples. Attains height of 60 feet and diameter of 34 inches. Wood is used in house building, cabinet making, carving and turning, and for handles. 

see Mahogany, African

countries of South AmericaIs a nearly white or pale yellowish-brown wood with a generally straight grain. What is most special about this wood is the depth that it shows, caused by the sheen of the grain.

see Pau Marfim

Siphondendron australe

Australia

Scarce white timber with indistinct growth rings, straight grained fine uniform texture

Subject to splits and is brittle

Fourodendron riedelianum

Argentina, brazil

sapwood and heartwood not easily defined - uniform white to pale yellow  colour with no distinguishing figuring

non durable

works well

see Rosewood, Brazilian

see Tulipwood, Brazilian

Other common names: kos or herali (Sinhala), pelaka (Tamil) 
Distribution: The jak tree grows in most parts of Sri Lanka. 
Tree Data: The average height is 25 feet. Fruit bearing is in about the third year. Most trees bear fruits during the Yala season, which is from May to September. There are a few trees that bear fruit from October to April. Some trees bear fruits throughout the year. There is also a hybrid variety of a lower height, which starts bearing fruit at eighteen months. Though it is a year round crop, the tree and the fruit is small and the total yield is also less than the traditional variety 
Timber Properties :  
Working Characteristics:  
Common Uses:  
General : Jak timber is expensive

Other common names: Eucalyptus 
Distribution: The species grows only in the south west of Western Australia, where all plantations are managed on a sustainable basis.  
Tree Data:  
Timber Properties : Typically straight grained but often interlocked and wavy. Moderately coarse, even texture. Rich dark reddish brown heartwood, often with gum veins and boat-shaped flecks. Paler reddish brown sapwood. eavy, hard, strong (particularly crushing strength), and stiff with moderate dimensional stability in service. Highly decay resistant heartwood. Steam-bends moderately well. 800 - 910 kg./cu.m Heartwood is dark red with a sapwood of pale yellow. Texture is fairly even with a slightly interlocking grain that can produce a fiddleback figure. 
Working Characteristics: Fairly difficult to work due to hardness and density. Reduced cutting angle recommended for planing. Turns well. Pre-drilling required for screwing and nailing. Glues and finishes well. Heartwood is quite durable. Sapwood can be attacked by lyctid borer. Treat with preservative when it is to be used in ground. Heartwood is sometimes difficult to impregnate with treatment. considered to be one of the most durable timbers in the world 
Common Uses: Used extensively for construction in Australia, particularly for marine applications such as bridges, dock pilings, wharfs, and ship building. Also used for flooring, cross-ties, shingles, siding, trim, rafters, joists, furniture, interior joinery, chemical vats, and decorative veneers. Valued for striking tool handles. 
General : More jarrah is harvested than any other commercial Australian timber. It is more appropriate than Karri for marine applications but it's not quite as heavy or as strong. The volume of log harvested annually is controlled by the State Government to ensure continuing supply. This has a good appearance grade, even though it does allow some natural defects such as gum streaks and minor knots.

see Teak, Burmese

Other common names: Cuapinol, Guapinol (Mexico), Guapinol (Central America), Locust, Kawanari (Guyana), Rode lokus (Surinam), Algarrobo (Spanish America), Jatahy, Jatoba (Brazil). Brazilian cherry, jatoba, courbaril, Guapinol 
Distribution: Southern Mexico, throughout Central America and the West Indies to northern Brazil, Bolivia, and Peru. 
Tree Data: The tree’s best development is on ridges or slopes and high riverbanks. The Tree May grow to a height of 130 ft with trunk diameters of 5 to 6 ft; usually less than 100 ft high with diameters of 2 to 4 ft. Boles are well formed, often clear for 40 to 80 ft, and basally swollen or buttressed in large trees. 
Timber Properties : pinkish brown beige to red brown - grain : fine, straight sometimes slight counter grain - silver grain .955 -  1,100 KG / M3 Heartwood is salmon red to orange brown when fresh becoming russet to reddish brown when seasoned; often marked with dark streaks. Sapwood is usually wide; white, grey, or pinkish. Texture is medium to rather coarse; grain mostly interlocked; golden lustre; without distinctive odour or taste.. Drying and Shrinkage: The wood is rated as slightly difficult to air-dry; it seasons at a fast to moderate rate with only slight checking and warp. Durability: Laboratory evaluations rate the wood very resistant to brown-rot and white-rot fungi; actual field exposure trials also rate the wood as very durable. Heartwood is also rated very resistant to dry-wood termites; little resistance to marine borers. Preservation: Heartwood is not treatable using open-tank or pressure-vacuum systems. Sapwood, however, is responsive. when first milled is a tan/salmon color w/black striping which turns a rich deep red color over time. This species is the most popular imported species given its inherent beauty, rich coloring and superior hardness. Brazilian Cherry varies from yellowish hues to pink/reds to dark reds with black striping.  Quartered selection yields the most uniform look/color range. Like domestic cherry, Brazilian Cherry will change dramatically over time from the yellow/tan/salmon color when freshly milled into a deep rich reddish color.  In direct sunlight,  the color change will occur within a few days. Out of sunlight,  it will oxidize slowly over six months. Water based finishes tend to retard the color change while oil based finishes enhance it.  
Working Characteristics: Working Properties: The wood is moderately difficult to saw and machine largely because of its high density, but except in planing it can be machined to smooth surface. The wood is somewhat difficult to plane because of the interlocked grain. It is easy to glue and finish satisfactorily; steam-bending properties comparable to white oak. 
Common Uses: fine Interior joinery - Exterior joinery - Flooring - Cabinet-Market  Tool handles and other applications where good shock resistance is needed, steam-bent parts, flooring, turnery, furniture and cabinet work, railroad crossties, tree-nails, gear cogs, wheel rims, and other specialty items.  
General : Tree exudes a rosin-like gum known commercially as South American copal. Seed pods contain an edible pulp.

Other common names: jelutong bukit, jelutong paya 
Distribution: Grows in Malaysia, Borneo, and Sumatra. 
Tree Data:  
Timber Properties : Straight grained with fine, even texture. Creamy-white sapwood and heartwood, maturing to a pale straw-yellow. Light, soft, brittle, and weak with good stability in service, low decay resistance, and a poor steam bending rating. 
Working Characteristics: Works easily with both hand and power tools and planes to a nice, clean surface. Glues, screws, and nails without difficulty. Stains, paints, and varnishes fairly well.  
Common Uses: Popular for model making, patterns, wooden shoes, battery separators, and drawing boards. Also used for interior joinery and corestock for doors. Excellent wood for carving and sculpture due to its softness. 
General : Latex in the wood is extracted for chewing gum. . 

see Jelutong

see Jelutong

An imported wood of increasing importance. Also called Genezero and Kelobra. Used in California for furniture, interior finish of houses and office buildings, show windows, and for cabinets. It is strong and tough and takes a high polish. The Monadnock Building in San Francisco is trimmed throughout with this wood.

Dark red / brown – medium moderately durable 580 kg m-3 joinery, carpentry, furniture, boat building 

Cryptomeria) From Japan This board is from a log long buried underground. Large buried logs are still found. Color varies from olive green to slate grey. Prized by cabinet makers. 

see Cedar Eastern Red JUNIPER from the Mogollon Rim of North Central Arizona where
the mountains suddenly rise to 8,000 ft and the wind 
        sweeps the snow across the landscape, twisting and misshaping 
everything it meets. This fragrant subspecies is unique because the bark looks just like analligator skin.  A protected 
species, we are allowed 
        to harvest only the fallen timbers; however because it is relatively soft, it dries without 
degrading and the wood is free of checks or stress cracks. Junipers grow throughout the United States. 
The wood is quite fragrant and is used for fence posts and long straight poles. Rocky Mountain Juniper is the source 
of many beautiful sub-species, varying in height from 6 inches to 40 feet. Some people use the berries for medicinal purposes.

see Cedar Eastern Red

see Cedar Eastern Red

Other common names: Saino, Sapino (Colombia), Kopi (Surinam), Kabukalli (Guyana). Goupie (French Guiana), Cupiuba (Brazil). 
Distribution: Distribution: Uplands of the lower Amazon, the Guianas, and the Serrania de San Lucas, Carare-Opon, Rio Cauca Valley, and other regions of Colombia. 
Tree Data: A large buttressed, semideciduous, canopy tree; grows to a height of 130 ft and with diameters to 36 in., but usually 20 to 24 in 
Timber Properties : General Characteristics: Heartwood light reddish brown, darkening superficially upon exposure; distinct but not sharply demarcated form thick brownish or pinkish sapwood. Luster medium to rather high; texture medium to coarse; grain straight to interlocked; odor is fetid when fresh but dissipates upon drying though still apparent. Weight: 54 pcf. Drying and Shrinkage: Moderately difficult to air-season, dries at a moderate rate with only slight warping and checking. Durability: Laboratory evaluations indicate good resistance to attack by both brown- and white-rot fungi, but rated only slightly to moderately resistant to decay in field tests in Guyana. Resistant to dry-wood termite attack but has little resistance to marine borers. Preservation: Heartwood is very resistant and sapwood is moderately resistant to preservation treatments using either open-tank or pressure-vacuum systems. 
Working Characteristics: It is rated fair to good in most operations but torn and chipped grain is common in planing because of interlocked grain. Coarser material requires a filler to obtain a smooth finish. 
Common Uses: Heavy construction, industrial flooring, furniture components. A highly favored general purpose timber in the Guianas. 
General : 

Other common names: Var. imbricatus: "Java: djamudju, kihadji, kipuiri, tjemoro (tukung), Tjidadap, S; kadju pakis, tjemara binèh, Md.; SW. Celebes (Bonthain): kayu angin, k. parang; Lesser Sunda Islands: Bali: tarupanda; Sumba: kayu awama, Lairondja, kadju uamang; Lombok: majangmekar; Flores: oh-ru, Ruteng; Timor: haae tuni, W. Timor, Nenas, ai-caqueu fuie, E. Timor, Tetun lang." Distribution: N Burma, far S China, SE Asia, Malaya, Philippines (Luzon, Mindanao), Sumatra, Borneo, Java, Celebes, Moluccas (Morotal, Ceram), Lesser Sunda Islands (Bali-Timor), New Guinea (incl. New Britain and New Ireland), New Hebrides, and Fiji (1).  Var. imbricatus is confined to Java, the Lesser Sunda Islands (Bali-Timor) and the SW. & C Celebes. It is "[m]ostly scattered and common in primary and secondary rain-forest, not rarely as an emergent, and co-dominant in West Java with Podocarpus neriifolius and Altingia noronhae, on the south slope of Mt Tjeremai volcano characterizing the zone between 2400-2700 m without other co-dominants Tree Data: Majestic columnar tree to 50 m tall, up to 2 m diam., crown large, often dome-shaped. Timber Properties :  Working Characteristics:  Common Uses:  General :  

Other common names:  White Pine

Distribution: New Zealand

Tree Data: 60 m (tallest native tree) Bark grey, hammer marked. Leaves - Juvenile long narrow, sickleshaped. Adult overlapping, 2 mm long, in rows along branch.

Timber Properties : Straight-grained.Tough, easy to work, not durable in weather and prone to attack by wood-boring insects.

Uses: Past – Maori waka (canoe), soot for tattooing pigment, toys, packaging for butter, cheese, kitchenware. Present – treated it can be used for, scaffold planks, weatherboards, fascia boards, mouldings, window sashes, feature panelling.

Other common names: Pahautea, Mountain Cedar

Distribution: New Zealand: N and S Is, at 250 to 1,850 m elevation, in wet forests from latitude 36° 50' southwards. Type locality in the Nelson Mountains (1,830 m)

Tree Data: Trees to 21 m tall and 100 cm dbh; young plants fastigate, maturing to a long, bare bole with a pyramidal to conical crown of heavy, almost horizontally spreading branches that form distinctively billowing masses. Bark papery, shed in narrow, thin strips. Branchlets of juveniles are somewhat flattened and up to 3 mm broad, the leaves of the two lateral rows closely set. Branchlets of mature plants are tetragonous, bearing four rows of closely set leaves. Juvenile facial leaves are about 1 mm long and the lateral leaves about 3 mm long; adult leaves are subequal, about 2 mm long, triangular, acute and appressed. There are separate male and female cones, which occur on the same tree. Pollen cones are about 7-11 mm long, borne singly at the tips of short branchlets. Seed cones are ovoid, about 7-8 mm long, and are composed of four woody scales, each bearing a curved dorsal mucro. Seeds 2 (one to each fertile scale).

Timber Properties : Wood is red, soft and straight-grained, but splitting easily

see Muninga

see Rosewood, Indian

see Iroko 

Sapwood is usually lighter in colour and is not sharply defined from the heartwood. Heartwood is variable in colour, dark red-brown in some species and yellow in others. Grain is straight. Texture is moderately fine and even. Used for poles and fence posts. The heavier species are reported to be suitable for bridges and other heavy construction, flooring and pallets.  

Tea Tree

New Zealand

Borneo, Sumatra, Sarawak & the malay peninsula

Sapwood is well-defined and yellowish brown in colour. Heartwood is reddish brown. Grain is straight or slightly interlocked or sometimes deeply interlocked. Texture is moderately coarse and even. Suitable for heavy and medium construction, heavy-duty flooring, beams, joists, rafters, furniture, door and window frames, tool handles, pallets, boxes and crates. 

New Zealand laurel

15m. A handsome coastal canopy tree with leathery glossy green leaves.

Flowering is from late winter through spring.

Berries ripen mid summer to autumn.

The very distinctive fleshy bright orange fruit was used by the Maori people for food. Unless treated properly though the kernel is deadly poisonous.  One of the few native trees cultivated by the Maori people.

(Larch or Tamarack) From Japan Attains a height of 112 feet and diameter of 8 feet. Wood is tough and strong and prized for houses, ships and bridges. 

New Zealand

here are many species of coprosma on the island. The flowers are creamy and insignificant and they are wind pollinated. The berries are brightly coloured and much prized by the birds.

It can be difficult to tell the difference between the species but the little “leaves” called stipules that shield the growing tips vary between some species.

5-10m. A northern growing coprosma. Shrub or small tree with dark green leathery leaves.

Stipules become dry and papery.

Large orange red fruits 1-2.5cm long.

Rapid shade producer.

See  Eucalyptus. 

Sapwood is lighter in colour and not sharply defined from the heartwood, which is pink red or red-brown. Grain is straight or shallowly interlocked. Texture is moderately coarse and even. Suitable for beams, posts, joists, rafters, door and window frames, boat construction, tool handles, plywood, heavy-duty flooring, furniture and interior finishing.   

Also known as heart tree or cake tree. Grows in Japan, China and Korea. Straight grained with fine, even texture and high luster. Light brown colored heartwood with darker brown growth rings. Soft and light, with low stiffness and shock resistance, medium bending and crushing strength, moderate steam bending, low decay resistance, and very good stability in use. A joy to work with using either hand or machine tools. Nail and screw holding properties are poor but glues easily and polishes to a smooth, very nice finish. Excellent wood for carving, wood sculpture, foundry patterns, mouldings, engravings, and drawing boards. Also valued for cabinetry, furniture, interior joinery, pencils, cigar boxes, Japanese shoes (geta), plywood, and decorative veneers.

Other common names:  Distribution: The species grows in the Fiji islands. The resource is not large. Tree Data: The species is pink to light brown in colour, with the colour tending to darken over time.  The timber is straight grained with a fine texture, and machines and finishes very well. 580 kg/m3 Non durable Moderately stable Timber Properties :  Working Characteristics:  Common Uses: Joinery, panelling, mouldings, turned products, and plywood.  General : It is a versatile general purpose timber, most suitable for interior use. 

Other common names: New Zealand Kauri  Almaciga and Damar Minyak 
Distribution: Unfortunately with a natural distribution confined to the northern quarter of the North Island, Kauri forests were reduced from approx. 1.2 million hectares to a remaining few thousand hectares within a century. East Indian Kauri is a large softwood native to South -East Asia extending from the Malaysian mainland through the islands to Papua New Guinea. 
Tree Data: Renown for its magnificent branchless bole with mature trees reaching an age in excess of 2000 years, the largest having a trunk of up to 8 metres in diameter! 
Timber Properties : The Kauri produced huge quantities of the knot free, honey coloured timber prized by boat builders and furniture makers alike with a characteristic "fleck" in the grain producing a beautiful three dimensional effect, with colours ranging from honey to amber. 800kg/m3 green 550kg/m3 dry 
Working Characteristics: The timber is very easy to work, drys well and has a very low shrinkage range. It nails and glues well and is excellent as veneer.. 
Common Uses: Although used for flooring it is probably too soft for high traffic areas. More common applications would be patternmaking , musical instruments,eating and cooking utensils, furniture and joinery 
General : Kauri forests were decimated by early settlers keen to exploit the trees for boat building, spars, flooring, framing and indeed most purposes to which timber could be put. 2.7kN dry 

Other common names: Includes several species including New Zealand kauri, Queensland kauri, Fijian kauri, and East Indian kauri. 
Distribution: Grows in Australia, New Zealand, New Guinea, Malayasia, and other Pacific islands. 
Tree Data:  
Timber Properties : Straight grained, fine, silky texture, with pale to dark red-brown heartwood. Moderate in weight and shock resistance, high stiffness, and moderate to high strength (one species is claimed to be the strongest of the world's softwoods). Stable in service. 
Working Characteristics: Works well with hand and machine tools - good for turnery. Rates highly in screwing, nailing, gluing and finishing. 
Common Uses: Used for vats, tanks, wooden machinery, boat building, building construction, joinery, cabinetry, butter boxes, churns, and pattern making. Cheaper grades used for plywood, boxes, and crates. 
General :

Other common names: Kauri, Fiji Kauri, Dakua 
Distribution: A close relative of New Zealand Kauri (Agathis australis), the species grows in the Fiji islands. The resource is not large. 
Tree Data:  
Timber Properties : The timber is straight grained with a fine texture, and machines and finishes very well. 540 – 550  kg/m3 Non durable Moderately stable 
Working Characteristics:  
Common Uses: High quality furniture, panelling, door manufacture, boat building. 
General :

New Zealand

Pepper tree

Japanese Nutmeg Cedar Attains a height of 120 feet and diameter of 70 inches. Wood is compact, elastic and durable; used in house and ship building, chess boards, etc. Closely related to California Nutmeg. 

Sapwood is not distinct from the heartwood, which is generally yellowish white to buff. Some species produce a streaky core while others produce a jet black core, which is marketed as Ebony. Grain is straight to slightly interlocked. Texture is fine and even. The darker streaked corewood is highly prized as a superior cabinet wood, suitable for high class decorative furniture, sliced veneer, panelling and other interior finishing. The lighter coloured material is suitable for furniture, plywood, pallets and other general utility purposes.  

Sapwood is not well-defined from the heartwood, which is pale orange-brown streaked with lighter coloured zones of parenchyma. Grain is interlocked Texture is coarse and uneven due to the presence of abundant wood parenchyma. Used for medium construction, furniture, turnery, interior finishing, flooring, partitioning and for boxes and crates. 

Sapwood is not well-defined. Heartwood is red-brown or claret red in colour and is attractively streaked with lighter coloured layers and often has a small brown-black corewood. Grain is fairly straight or only shallowly interlocked. Texture is moderately fine and even. Suitable for all heavy and medium construction, posts, beams, door and window frames, tool handles, heavy-duty flooring and parquet flooring. The attractive darker portion of the corewood can be used for decorative purposes such as wall panelling 

Sapwood is not well-defined from the heartwood, which is light brown, pink- brown, red-brown or purple-brown with a grey tinge. Grain is interlocked, irregular or wavy. Texture is moderately fine and even. Suitable for posts, beams, joists, rafters, door and window frames, bridges, wharves and agricultural implements.  

Sapwood is light yellow to yellow-brown and well-defined. Heartwood is orange-brown or brown weathering to dark brown. Grain is deeply interlocked.Texture is moderately coarse to coarse and even. Suitable for beams, posts, joists,. rafters, door and window frames, staircases, furniture, decorative work, parquet flooring, panelling, joinery, cabinet-making, boat construction and wooden mathematical instruments; also the favourite wood for expensive hewn coffins among the Chinese community in Malaysia.  

Malaysia

Sapwood is well-defined and yellow in colour. Heartwood is pinkish when fresh and darkening to a bright orange-red or deep brown. Grain is interlocked, often very interlocked. Texture is coarse and even. Suitable for heavy construction, railway sleepers, transmission posts, beams, joists, bridges, wharves, fence posts, piling, parquet and strip flooring, panelling, heavy-duty furniture, heavy-duty pallets, boxes, crates and tool handles.  Kempas is a course grained, very hard, red colored wood that is widely used for flooring in the Far EasKempas offers a wide range of color variability from pink colors to medium rose colors through to darker red colors. Kempas undergoes a medium degree of muting of the color range over time and a slight darkening to a medium reddish color.

Attains a height of 50 feet and diameter of 22 inches. Wood is heavy and hard and takes a high polish. Used for ornamental parts of houses, cabinet making and turning. Prized as a substitute for wood of the mulberry. 

see Birch, Paper

Sapwood is well-defined and white to yellowish white in colour. Heartwood is gold-brown or red-brown weathering to dark brown. Grain is deeply interlocked and sometimes wavy giving rise to attractive stripe figure. Texture is fine to moderately coarse and even. Suitable for heavy construction, interior finishing, panelling, parquet flooring, strip flooring, handles for striking tools, police batons and heavy-duty flooring.  

see Cherry, European

Sapwood is well-defined and grey-brown in colour. Heartwood is red-brown or purple-red weathering to a dark red-brown. Grain is straight to deeply interlocked. Texture is moderately coarse to coarse and even. Suitable for heavy and general building construction, bridges, harbour works, railway sleepers, transmission posts, framework of wagons and wagon flooring, container flooring and truck bodywork. 

Sapwood is pale yellow. Heartwood is reddish brown. Grain is straight. Texture is rather coarse and uneven. Used for heavy construction, flooring, panelling and sliced veneer.

see Bubinga

(Japanese Elm) From Japan Japan's most important hardwood. Attains height of 120 feet and diameter of 16 feet. Wood is hard, strong and durable, and not apt to check or warp. Invaluable in Japan in house and ship building, for bridges and wheels. Figured grain specimens highly prized for panels.

see Mahogany, African

see Muninga

Also known as violete, violetta, and violet wood. Grows in Brazil. Straight to finely roey grained with a fine, uniform texture, and bright luster. Rich, violet-brown heartwood streaked with golden yellow lines of varying darkness. Cream-colored sapwood. Very heavy, hard, strong and brittle with good decay resistance and stability in use. Works well (with sharp tools!) and pre-drilling required for screwing or nailing. Care needed in gluing due to waxy surface. Finishes to an exceptionally smooth, naturally waxy finish and develops a metallic sheen over time. In great demand or restoration and reproduction of antique furniture. Small size of tree and scarcity of supply generally restricts most uses to inlays, marquetry, turned articles, and sculpture.

Astronium fraxinifolium

Zebrawood

Rare timber

popular for use in high class furniture

Sapwood is light coloured, heartwood is lightish brown, with a red tint and darker stripes

Naturally durable

(Empress Tree) From Japan Attains a height of 30 feet and diameter of 22 inches. Wood is very white and very soft. Is made into chests, wardrobes, musical instruments and floats. A good insulator against heat. Used in Eastern U.S. as an ornamental tree

(Cork Tree) From Japan Attains a height of 75 feet and diameter of 34 inches. Used in housebuilding and cabinet making and cabinet work. A drug and yellow dye are made from the bark. 

see Ponderosa Pine

Other common names: Hawaiian Koa, Hawaiian mahogany and Ukelele wood. 
Distribution: Hawaii 
Tree Data:  
Timber Properties : Highly figured with uniform texture Considerable variation from light to medium brown, with distinct golden sheen, sometimes with irregularly darker streaks. Curly Koa is particularly beautiful, though fairly rare. Hard and strong. Heartwood light to dark brown with distinct golden luster, sometimes with irregular darker streaks. Grain wavy to rosy.  
Working Characteristics: Similar to soft-textured OAK in density, but is easy to work. 
Common Uses: fixtures, interior finish, cabinets, musical instruments, and show windows.   
General : It is hard and strong, and takes a high polish. It is one of the only two woods of Hawaii that has much commercial value and is principally a cabinet wood. The other wood (Metrosideros polymorphya) is, fortunately for Hawaii, a general utility wood. Volcanic eruptions and consequent lava flows in Hawai have buried a considerable portion of the Koa forests. Becoming scarce and expensive.Alternative; California Walnut or Coco Bolo. Unfortunately, the supply of Koa, which grows only in Hawaii, has dwindled to near extinction.  Consequently, there is now a ban on harvesting any new trees.  As a result, suitable Koa lumber is difficult to obtain, and usually far too expensive.

(White Oak) From Japan An important deciduous oak, extensively grown in Japan. Attains a height of 60 feet and diameter of 20 inches. Wood is similar to that of Q. crispula. 

see PurpleHeart

(Tanbark Oak) Very similar to Castanopsis cuspidata. Ita - Shi

see Utile

600 kg m-3

10m. Grows throughout N.Z. Chathams and Chile.

Kowhai are generally found growing along stream sides and lowland forest open margins.

During spring they bear bright yellow flowers in great profusion. The base of which is filled with nectar a favourite for the nectar feeders Tui, Bellbird, and Stitchbird.

Kowhai trees have medicinal properties – used by the Maori people – poultices were made from the bark for applying to wounds and mixed with Manuka was used for treating internal pains.

Sapwood is light yellow in colour and is moderately well-defined from the heartwood, which is dark purple-brown to dark red-brown. Grain is shallowly to deeply interlocked. Texture is moderately fine and even. Suitable for medium construction, posts, beams, joists, rafters, door and window frames, bridges, salt water piling, keels and framework of boats, railway sleepers, transmission posts and flooring. 

see Golden Tainui

Gamari

India

Resembles teak but lighter and not so course grained

Sapwood and heartwood not differentiated - light brown - no distinctive figuring

Not difficult to work but can be brittle

Moderately durable

(Chestnut) From Japan Widely distributed, often forming pure forests. Attains a height of 50 feet and diameter of 4 1/2 feet. Wood is hard and durable, used for foundations, ties, and as a substitute for Zelkowa in cabinet making. 

(Black Pine) From Japan Attains a height 100 feet, diameter 16 feet. Thrives on the coast. Used in house building, but wood is inferior to red pine. 

(Japanese Walnut) Attains height of 60 feet and diameter of 30 inches. Wood resists checking and warping and is used for rifle stocks, furniture, carving and cabinet making. Abundant. 

Camphor Wood) From Japan Attains height of 120 feet and diameter of 18 feet. Largest specimens are found around temples. Wood is hard and compact, resists insects. Used in house building and cabinet making. Produces the camphor of commerce. 

Other common names: Merbau Joh nstone River teak, scrub mahogany (north Queensland), merbau (Malaysia), vesi (Fiji), Moluccan ironwood (United Kingdom), go-nux (Vietnam), ipil (Philippines), hintzy (Madagascar), melila, bendora (Papua New Guinea), lumpho, lum-paw, makamong (Thailand), kivoli, vuvula (Solomon Islands) 
Distribution: Occurs in the Johnstone River and Daintree areas of north Queensland, Malaysia, Fiji, Vietnam, Philippines, Madagascar, Papua New Guinea, Thailand, Solomon Islands, New Caledonia, Vanuatu and Samoa. A large hardwood native to South-East Asia from the Malaysian mainland through the islands to New Guinea and as far east as Fiji and the Solomon Islands with some occurance in northern Australia. The two very closely related species are widely distributed throughout Malaysia, Indonesia, Papua New Guinea, and the Pacific Islands (Fiji, Solomons, Vanuatu). The resource is not large, but international demand for the timber is high. 
Tree Data: A large hardwood attaining 40 m in height, with a trunk of 0.6 m diameter. Often a bushy tree forming a spreading canopy.  
Timber Properties : Heartwood yellowish-brown or orange-brown when first cut, turning darker with age to brown or deep reddish brown. Sapwood white, pale yellow or buff and sharply differentiated from heartwood. Grain variable but usually interlocked or wavy, texture is coarse but even. Attractive figure on backsawn material.830 to 865 kgm-3  Highly resistant to decay when fully exposed to the weather, clear of the ground and well drained with free air circulation. Only moderately decay resistant in the ground. Untreated sapwood susceptible to lyctid borer attack.Sapwood accepts preservative impregnation. Sapwood Sharply differentiated from the heartwood.Heartwood Dark red-brown or yellow-brown in colour.Texture Coarse and even; grain often interlocked. The heartwood is orange-brown to brown or dark red-brown while the sapwood is usually pale yellow and very easy to distinguish. The texture is moderatly coarse but evan with an interlocked grain and highly visable vessels containing a yellow substance as well as the presence of growth rings. The timber has a very low shrinkage rate and dries with very little degrade The species contains a natural resin which will bleed and discolour the timber while it is drying. When dry, the timber will not bleed, and will naturally age to a silver grey colour. Both green and dry Kwila machine and finish well. 
Working Characteristics: Working properties variable. Cuts cleanly but may have a blunting or gumming effect on cutting edges. Cutting angle should be reduced to 20 degrees when planing quarter sawn stock. Turns well. Although very dense the timber work fairly well, dresses and turns to a smooth surface however the rather greasy charactistic of the wood tends to clog saws and planer blades easily. 
Common Uses: In Asia it is used regularly for furniture, panelling, boatbuilding and veneers whilst in Australia it is imported for flooring , joinery, predominatly staircase and handrail material, and is highly prized as decking. 
General : Outdoor furniture, exterior joinery, flooring, exterior decking, a range of exterior uses (both structural and decorative) where stability and durability are important.

see Pau Marfim

see Teak, Burmese

OTHER COMMON NAMES:   Ipe (Brazil), bethabara  850– 970 kg  

DURABILITY:   Outsanding 

SOURCE:   Members of the Lapacho Group in the Tabebuia genus are native throughout tropical Latin America. 

DESCRIPTION:   Lapacho is the Argentine name for the wood normally sold in the U.S. as ipe. Color may vary from grayish olive drab to dark chocolate brown with black streaks. All members of the Lapacho Group are fine textured, extremely dense and have excellent decay resistance. Attractively pigmented stock is used for decorative veneers, while less colorful material is used for heavy construction and decking. Wood contains a compound called lapachol, which is a potential allergen. 

Timber of little economic importance

Heartwood is dark brown, sapwood is yellowish, straight grained with variable texture and a distinctive figuring

Used for inlays, marquetry and truning

Pinkish, with heavy flake patternBrazilLacewood is a reddish brown species with an unusual graining pattern which consists of a multitude of "eyes". The grain has web-like patterns that look almost like snakeskin. It is used primarily for accent strips. Lacewood offers a medium degree of color range from lighter tan/browns through to darker browns. Lacewood undergoes a slight muting of the color range found when fresh milled and will darken slightly over time to a medium orangey brown. Lacewood has one serious drawback, however, which is why I believe it has been passed over by just about everybody.  It’s extremely difficult to finish.  It is not only very porous, which means it requires a ton of grain filler; but the grain itself is quite difficult to completely smooth out.

see Mahogany, African

 see Degame

Homalium tomentosum

light red brown straight grained very fine uniform texture

Very strong wood  liable to crack and split during seasoning

Used locally for structural work and farm implements

See Balsa

see Ramin

see Western Larch

see Larch, European

Also known as European larch, common larch, lark, and tamarack. Grows in Europe and southeast Asia. Typically straight, but sometimes spiral grained with a fine, uniform texture. Pale red to brick red heartwood and narrow, pale yellow sapwood. Growth rings well defined. Moderately heavy and hard with moderate stiffness, bending strength, crushing strength, and decay resistance. Very stable in service. Works fairly easily with hand or machine tools but knots may blunt cutting edges and cause chip-out. Glues satisfactorily. Pre-drilling required for screwing or nailing. Accepts paints, stains, and finishes well. Used primarily for utility poles, pilings, pit props, and stakes. Also used for boat planking, flooring, bridge construction, railway sleepers, exterior joinery, clogs, shingles, siding, trim, stair rails, plywood, paneling, and decorative veneers. Japanese larch has very similar properties.

see Western Larch

see Western Larch

see Western Larch

see Larch, European

see Tupelo, Black

See pacific Maple Shorea spp. Pacific Maple is the common trading name for a number of S.E.Asian hardwoods marketed in Australia. Sometimes just called Maple, the individual specie names are also used when identified. The species are;Lauan,Meranti and Seraya.  Meranti is by far the dominant specie in this Shorea timber grouping but all have similar properties. The timber of these species are usually divided into two groups ie Light Red and Dark Red, and is more based on wood density than on heartwood colour. 

Timber Properties Density(average) Light Red 500kg/m3 dry Dark Red 680kg/m3 dry DurabilityClass 4 Strength Group Light Red SD7 dry Dark RedSD6 dry Hardness Ratings(average) Light Red 2.6kN dry Dark Red 3.5kN dry Light Red of the species are the more common , with the timber relatively easy to work. Heartwood is pale to mid red-brown, while the Sapwood is usually yellow, pink or grey and easily distinguised. Texture is course but even. Grain interlocked which may give a stripped or ribbon affect to the radial surface. The sapwood is Lyctid borer susceptible and is typically treated against this pest. Relatively easily worked, and used extensively throughout Australia in a variety of milled products such as skirting, architrave, door jambs, panelling and plywood. The heartwood is of variable durability and must be classified as unsuitable for external applications.

See BAGTIKAN:

Various species of Shorea also go under this name. A tall, straight tree up to 4 feet in diameter. A light, soft, perishable wood. Used for light and temporary construction and inferior cabinet work. One of the most abundant of the Philippine woods and the most widely distributed of its family. 

 Mediterranean

tree reaches a maximum of 15m

Timber is whitish with, sometimes, a red tint, straight grained but occasionally interlocked

used for novelties, carvings, inlay and marquetry

see Queensland Walnut

see Laurel, California

Also known as Oregon myrtle, myrtle, bay laurel, pepperwood, and spice tree. Grows in Oregon and California, United States. Straight to wavy grain with a medium texture. Yellowish brown or olive heartwood with pale brown sapwood. Noted for its exquisite figure and color. Hard, moderately heavy, high shock resistance, and low bending strength and stiffness. Very durable heartwood. Easily worked by machine or hand tools. Excellent turning properties. Polishes to a beautiful sheen. Considered one of the best woods for novelties due to its natural beauty. Burls often sliced into cabinet-grade veneer. One of the most expensive woods in the United States. A common hardwood of the moist canyon and river bottoms of California. Known also as Oregon myrtle, pepperwood, bay and spice bush. Occurs from Coos County, Ore. south through the coast ranges and Sierra foothills of California. Usually 20-75 ft. high and 2 ft. in diameter, occasionally over 150' high and 6' in diameter. Leaves, fruit, bark and wood have a pungent aromatic odor. The wood is very hard, heavy, lustrous, wear resistant, often highly figured. Much used for turned novelties, and formerly for bar tops rollers, furniture, fixtures, and interior trim. 

Laurelia aromatica

Sapwood is uniform greyish brown, heartwood is purple brown streaked with green or purple, straight moderately close grain

Suffers from shrinkage

non durable

Used for interior fittings, mouldings and cheap furniture

India

sapwood is reddish white, heartwood is light to deep chocolate brown, varaible grain and course uneven texture

Hard, dense and difficult to season

Naturally durable

difficult to work but nachined reasonable well

Used in furniture making, cabinetry and veneers

see Cedar, Port-Orford

 see Degame

Lenga is the biggest Chilean hardwood export. Indeed, it is hard and light-coloured and has convinced many furniture makers. Its easy milling and appearance, close to French cherry, make it the best replacement variety on the European market. South America - Chili / Argentina Distinct white cambium. Perfect white to light beige wood. Extremely fine grain. Furniture. Veneers. The J.Lalanne Company seeks out the finest tree populations right in the heart of Patagonia to deliver logs or sawn timber to you at the port of your choice. Sound knowledge of the environment and an extensive logistics chain are our essential advantages so we can provide you with full satisfaction. 679 kg / m3

Australia- Roto and Ivanhoe in mid-western New South WalesDark brown/reddish with tight graining

see Sapele

see Guarea

See BAGTIKAN:

Also known as guayacan, palo santo, and ironwood. Composed of three species that grow in Central and South America. Closely interlocked grain with a fine, uniform texture. Dark greenish brown to nearly black heartwood and yellowish sapwood. Naturally oily with a low luster. Very hard, strong, heavy, stiff, shock resistant, and decay resistant. Not suitable for steam bending. Very difficult to work by machine or by hand. Turns very well but natural resins clog sandpaper and make gluing difficult. Polishes easily and often requires no additional finishing. Ideal for underwater use due to self-lubricating properties. Used for ship propeller bushings and bearings, mallets, rollers, casters, small wheels, pulleys, stencil and chisel blocks, handles, and miscellaneous turned items. Probably the strongest and densest wood on the market. This important wood has been known to commerce for over 400 years, at first for the medicinal properties attributed to its oil, later for its wood - unsurpassed for hardness, wear resistance and density. The wood, at one time, was used extensively for bowling balls. It is now used for friction and pulley blocks, skids, furniture casters and turnery. It is indispensable to the shipbuilding trade for lining out-board bearings. Sold by the pound at about five dollars. 

see Hophornbeam

White and Black Limba comes from Africa, and is somewhat difficult to come by Limba is usually classified as either black limba or white limba, depending on the coloration of the grain.  Black limba looks much more interesting, is slightly more lightweight, and is easier to find for sale; while white limba is the traditional choice.  The distinction between the two is not a matter of different species, like the difference between Philippine and Honduran mahogany.  It’s simply the difference in grain pattern.

see Lime, European see Basswood

see Basswood

Also known as Lime, tilleul and linden. Grows in Europe and eastern Asia Generally straight grained with a fine, uniform texture and medium luster. Creamy-white heartwood and sapwood. Soft, light, low in strength, shock resistance and decay resistance. Poor for steam bending. Works well with sharp machine or hand tools and is excellent for carving (soft and resists splitting). Glues, screws, nails, stains, and finishes. Valued for butcher blocks, food containers and eating utensils (does not impart stain or odor). Also used for toys, novelties, cooperage, pattern making, artificial limbs, bobbins, broom and brush handles, carvings, musical instruments, venetian blinds, ship and airplane models, core stock, and decorative veneer.

see Lime, European

see Basswood

see Sweetgum

 see Southern Yellow Pine