List of Hardwoods
In this article, each species or group of species is described in terms of its principal location, characteristics, and uses. Information on historical and traditional uses is provided for some species to illustrate their utility.
1. Alder, Red
Red alder (Alnus rubra) grows
along the Pacific coast between Alaska and California. It is the principal
hardwood for commercial manufacture of wood products in Oregon and Washington
and the most abundant commercial hardwood species in these two states.
The wood of red alder varies from
almost white to pale pinkish brown, and there is no visible boundary between
heartwood and sapwood. Red alder is moderately light in weight and intermediate
in most strength properties but low in shock resistance. It has relatively low
shrinkage.
2. Ash (Black Ash Group)
The black ash group includes black
ash (Fraxinus nigra) and pumpkin ash (F. profun‑ da). Black ash grows in the
Northeast and Midwest, and pumpkin ash in the South.
Principal uses for the black ash
group are decorative veneer, cabinets, millwork, furniture, cooperage, and
crates.
3. Ash (White Ash Group)
Important species of the white ash
group are American white ash (Fraxinus americana), green ash (F.
pennsylvanica), blue ash (F. quadrangulata), and Oregon ash (F. latifolia).
The first three species grow in
the eastern half of the United States. Oregon ash grows along the Pacific Coast.
American white ash is used
principally for nonstriking tool handles, oars, baseball bats, and other
sporting and athletic goods. For handles of the best grade, some handle
specifi- cations call for not less than 2 nor more than 7 growth rings per
centimeter (not less than 5 nor more than 17 growth rings per inch). The
additional weight requirement of
4. Aspen
Aspen is a generally recognized
name that is applied to bigtooth (Populus grandidentata) and quaking (P.
tremuloides) aspen. Aspen lumber is produced principally in the northeastern
and Lake States, with some production in the Rocky Mountain States.
Aspen is cut for lumber, pallets,
boxes and crating, pulp- wood, particleboard, strand panels, excelsior,
matches, veneer, and miscellaneous turned articles. Today, aspen is one of the
preferred species for use in oriented strandboard, a panel product that
dominates the sheathing market.
5. Basswood
American basswood (Tilia
americana) is the most important of the native basswood species; next in importance
is white bass- wood (T. heterophylla), and no attempt is made to distinguish
between these species in lumber form. In commercial usage, “white basswood” is
used to specify the white wood or sapwood of either species. Basswood grows in
the eastern half of North America from the Canadian provinces southward. Most
basswood lumber comes from the Lake, Middle Atlantic, and Central States.
Basswood lumber is used mainly in
venetian blinds, sashes and door frames, moulding, apiary supplies, wooden
ware, and boxes. Some basswood is cut for veneer, cooperage, ex- celsior, and
pulpwood, and it is a favorite of wood carvers.
6. Beech, American
Only one species of beech,
American beech (Fagus grandifolia), is native to the United States. It grows in the eastern one-third of the United States and adjacent
Canadian provinces. The greatest production of beech
lumber is in the Central and Middle Atlantic States.
Most beech is used for flooring,
furniture, brush blocks, handles, veneer, woodenware, containers, and cooperage.
When treated with preservative, beech is suitable for rail- way ties.
7. Birch
The three most important species
are yellow birch (Betula alleghaniensis), sweet birch (B. lenta), and paper
birch (B. papyrifera). These three species are the source of most birch lumber
and veneer.
Other birch species of some
commercial Yellow and sweet birch lumber is used primarily for the manufacture
of furniture, boxes, baskets, crates, wooden ware, cooperage, interior
woodwork, and doors; veneer plywood is used for doors, furniture, paneling,
cabinets, aircraft, and other specialty uses.
Paper birch is used for
toothpicks, tongue depressors, ice cream sticks, and turned products, including
spools, bobbins, small handles, and toys.
8. Buckeye
Buckeye consists of two species,
yellow buckeye (Aesculus octandra) and Ohio buckeye (A. glabra). These species
range from the Appalachians of Pennsylvania, Virginia, and North Carolina
westward to Kansas, Oklahoma, and Texas.
Buckeye is suitable for pulping
for paper; in lumber form, it has been used principally for furniture, boxes
and crates, food containers, wooden ware, novelties, and planing mill products.
9. Butternut
Also called white walnut,
butternut (Juglans cinerea) grows from southern New Brunswick and Maine west to
Minnesota. Its southern range extends into northeast- ern Arkansas and eastward
to western North Carolina.
Principal uses are for lumber and
veneer, which are further manufactured into furniture, cabinets, paneling,
interior woodwork, and miscellaneous rough items.
10. Cherry, Black
Black cherry (Prunus serotina) is
sometimes known as cherry, wild black cherry, and wild cherry. It is the only
native species of the genus Prunus that produces commercial lumber. Black
cherry is found from south-eastern Canada throughout the eastern half of the United States.
Production is centered chiefly in the Middle Atlantic States.
Black cherry is used principally
for furniture, fine veneer panels, and architectural woodwork. Other uses
include burial caskets, wooden ware, novelties, patterns, and paneling.
11. Chestnut, American
American chestnut (Castanea
dentata) is also known as sweet chestnut. Before this species was attacked by a
blight in the 1920s, it grew in commercial quantities from New England to north-
ern Georgia. Practically all standing chestnut has been killed by blight, and
most sup- plies of the lumber come from salvaged timbers. Because of the
species’ natural resistance to decay, standing dead trees in the Appalachian
Mountains continued to provide substantial quantities of lumber for several
decades after the blight, but this source is now exhausted.
Chestnut was once used for
flooring, poles, railroad cross- ties, furniture, caskets, boxes, shingles,
crates, and core- stock for veneer panels. At present, it appears most fre-
quently as wormy chestnut for paneling, interior woodwork, and picture frames.
12. Cottonwood
Cottonwood includes several
species of the genus Populus. Most important are eastern cottonwood (P.
deltoides and its varieties), also known as Carolina poplar and whitewood;
swamp cottonwood (P. heterophylla), also known as river cottonwood and swamp poplar; black
cottonwood (P. trichocarpa); and balsam poplar (P. balsamifera).
Cottonwood is used principally for
lumber, veneer, pulp- wood, excelsior, and fuel. Lumber and veneer are used
pri- marily for boxes, crates, baskets, and pallets.
13. Elm
Six species of elm grow in the
eastern United States: American (Ulmus americana), slippery (U. rubra), rock
(U. thomasii), winged (U. alata), cedar (U. crassifolia), and September (U.
serotina) elm. American elm is also known as white elm, slippery elm as red
elm, rock elm as cork elm, and winged elm as wahoo. American elm is threatened
by two diseases, Dutch Elm disease and phloem necrosis, which have killed
hundreds of thousands of trees.
Historically, elm lumber was used
for boxes, baskets, crates, slack cooperage, furniture, agricultural supplies
and implements, caskets and burial boxes, and wood compo- nents in vehicles.
Today, elm lumber and veneer are used mostly for furniture and decorative
panels. Hard elm is pre- ferred for uses that require strength.
14. Hackberry
Hackberry (Celtis occidentalis)
and sugarberry (C. laevigata) supply the lumber known in the trade as
hackberry. Hackberry grows east of the Great Plains from Alabama, Georgia,
Arkansas, and Oklahoma northward, except along the Canadian boundary. Sugar-
berry overlaps the southern part of the hackberry range and grows throughout
the Southern and South Atlantic States.
Most hackberry is cut into lumber;
small amounts are used for furniture parts, dimension stock, and veneer.
15. Hickory (Pecan Hickory Group)
Species of the pecan hick- ory
group include bitternut hickory (Carya cordiformis), pecan hickory (C. illinoensis),
water hickory (C. aquatica), and nutmeg hickory (C. myristiciformis). Bitter-
nut hickory grows throughout the eastern half of the United States; pecan
hickory, from central Texas and Louisiana to Missouri and Indiana;
Heavy pecan hickory is used for
tool and implement handles and flooring. The lower grades are used for pallets.
Many higher grade logs are sliced to provide veneer for fur- niture and
decorative paneling.
16. Hickory (True Hickory Group)
True hickories are found
throughout the eastern half of the United States. The species most important
commercially are shagbark (Carya ovata), pignut (C. glabra), shellbark (C.
laciniosa), and mock- ernut (C. tomentosa). The greatest commercial production
of the true hickories for all uses is in the Middle Atlantic and Central
States, with the Southern and South Atlantic States rapidly expanding to handle
nearly half of all hickory lumber.
The major use for high quality
hickory is for tool handles that require high shock resistance. It is also used
for ladder rungs, athletic goods, agricultural implements, dowels, gymnasium
apparatuses, poles, and furniture. Lower grade hickory is not suitable for the
special uses of high quality hickory because of knottiness or other growth
features and low density. However, the lower grade is useful for pallets and
similar items. Hickory sawdust, chips, and some solid wood are used to flavor
meat by smoking.
17. Honeylocust
The wood of honeylocust (Gleditsia
triacanthos) has many desirable qualities, such as attractive figure and color,
hardness, and strength, but it is little used because of its scarcity. This
species is found most commonly in the eastern United States, except for New
England and the South Atlantic and Gulf Coastal Plains.
When available, honeylocust is
primarily used locally for fence posts and general construction. It is
occasionally used with other species in lumber for pallets and crating.
18. Locust, Black
Black locust (Robinia
pseudoacacia) is sometimes called yellow locust. This species grows from
Pennsylvania along the Appalachian Mountains to northern Georgia and Alabama.
It is also native to western Arkansas and southern Missouri. The greatest
production of black locust timber is in Tennessee, Kentucky, West Virginia, and
Virginia.
Historically, black locust was
important for the manufacture of insulator pins and wooden pegs used in the
construction of ships, for which the wood was well adapted because of its
strength, decay resistance, and moderate shrinkage and swelling.
19. Magnolia
Commercial magnolia consists of
three species: southern magnolia (Magnolia grandi ora), sweet- bay (M.
virginiana), and cucumbertree (M. acuminata).
Other names for southern magnolia are evergreen magnolia, big laurel, and bull
bay. Sweetbay is sometimes called swamp magnolia. The lumber produced by all
three species is simply called magnolia. The natural range of sweetbay extends
along the Atlantic and Gulf Coasts from Long Island to Texas, and that of
southern magnolia ex- tends from North Carolina to Texas.
Magnolia lumber is used
principally in the manufacture of furniture, boxes, pallets, venetian blinds,
sashes, doors, ve- neer, and millwork.
20. Maple (Hard Maple Group)
Hard maple includes sugar maple
(Acer saccharum) and black maple (A. nigrum). Sugar maple is also known as rock
maple, and black maple as black sugar maple. Maple lumber is manu-
factured principally in the Middle Atlantic and Great Lake States, which
together account for about two-thirds of production.
Hard maple is used principally for
lumber and veneer. A large proportion is manufactured into flooring, furniture,
cabinets, cutting boards and blocks, pianos, billiard cues, handles, novelties,
bowling alleys, dance and gymnasium floors, spools, and bobbins.
21. Maple (Soft Maple Group)
Soft maple includes silver maple
(Acer saccharinum), red maple (A. rubrum), boxelder (A. negundo), and bigleaf
maple (A. macrophyllum). Silver maple is also known as white, river, water, and
swamp maple; red maple as soft, water, scarlet, white, and swamp maple;
boxelder as ash-leaved, three-leaved, and cut-leaved maple; and bigleaf maple
as Oregon maple. Soft maple is found in the eastern United States except for
bigleaf maple, which comes from the Pacific Coast.
Soft maple is used for railroad
crossties, boxes, pallets, crates, furniture, veneer, wooden ware, and
novelties.
22. Oak (Red Oak Group)
Most red oak comes from the
Eastern States.
The principal species are northern
red (Quercus ru‑ bra), scarlet (Q. coccinea), Shumard (Q. shumardii), pin (Q.
palustris), Nuttall (Q. nuttallii), black (Q. velutina), southern red (Q.
falcata), cherrybark (Q. falcatavar. pagodaefolia), water (Q. nigra), laurel (Q.
laurifolia), and willow (Q. phellos) oak. The sapwood is nearly white
and roughly 2 to 5 cm (1 to 2 in.) wide. The heartwood is brown with a tinge of
red.
The red oaks are primarily cut
into lumber, railroad cross- ties, mine timbers, fence posts, veneer, pulpwood,
and fuelwood. Ties, mine timbers, and fence posts require pre- servative
treatment for satisfactory service. Red oak lumber is remanufactured into
flooring, furniture, general millwork, boxes, pallets and crates, agricultural
implements, caskets, wooden ware, and handles. It is also used in railroad cars
and boats.
23. Oak (White Oak Group)
White oak lumber comes chiefly
from the South, South Atlantic, and Central States, including the southern
Appalachian area. Principal species are white (Quercus alba), chestnut (Q.
prinus), post (Q. stellata), overcup (Q. lyrata), swamp chestnut (Q.
michauxii), bur (Q. macrocarpa), chinkapin (Q. muehlenbergii), and swamp white
(Q. bicolor). The most important western oak species, Oregon white oak (Q.
garryana), is a member of this group.
White oaks are usually cut into
lumber, railroad crossties, cooperage, mine timbers, fence posts, veneer,
fuelwood, and many other products. High-quality white oak is es- pecially
sought for tight cooperage. An important use of white oak is for planking and
bent parts of ships and boats; heartwood is often specified because of its
decay resistance. White oak is also used for furniture, flooring, pallets,
agri- cultural implements, railroad cars, truck floors, furniture, doors, and
millwork.
24. Sassafras
Sassafras (Sassafras albidum)
ranges from south eastern Iowa and eastern Texas eastward. Sassafras is easily
confused with black ash, which it resembles in color, grain, and texture.
Sapwood is light yellow, and heartwood varies from dull grayish brown to dark
brown, sometimes with a reddish tinge. Freshly cut surfaces have a
characteristic odor. The wood is moderately heavy, moderately hard, moderately
weak in bending and endwise compression, quite high in shock resistance, and
resistant to decay.
Sassafras was highly prized by the
native Americans for dugout canoes, and some sassafras lumber is still used for
small boats. Locally, sassafras is used for fence posts and rails and for
general millwork.
25. Sweetgum
Sweetgum (Liquidambar styraci ua)
grows from southwestern Connecticut westward into Missouri and southward to the
Gulf Coast. Almost all lumber is produced in the Southern and South Atlantic
States.
Sweetgum is used principally for
lumber, veneer, plywood, slack cooperage, railroad crossties, fuel, pulpwood,
boxes and crates, furniture, interior moulding, and millwork.
26. Sycamore, American
American sycamore (Platanus
occidentalis) is sometimes called button- wood or buttonball-tree. Sycamore
grows from Maine to Nebraska, southward to Texas, and eastward to Florida.
Sycamore is used principally for
lumber, veneer, railroad crossties, slack cooperage, fence posts, and fuel. The
lum- ber is used for furniture, boxes (particularly small food containers),
pallets, flooring, handles, and butcher blocks. Veneer is used for fruit and
vegetable baskets and some decorative panels and door skins.
27. Tanoak
Tanoak (Lithocarpus densi orus) is
also known as tanbark-oak because high-grade tan- nin was once obtained in
commercial quantities from its bark. This species is found from southwestern
Oregon to southern California, mostly near the coast but also in the Sierra
Nevadas.
Because of its hardness and
abrasion resistance, tanoak is excellent for flooring in homes or commercial
buildings.
It is also suitable for industrial
applications such as truck flooring. Tanoak treated with preservative has been
used for railroad crossties. The wood has been manufactured into baseball bats
with good results, and it is also suitable for veneer, both decorative and
industrial, and for high quality furniture.
28. Tupelo
The tupelo group includes water
(Nyssa aquatica), black (N. sylvatica), swamp (N. sylvatica var. biora), and
Ogeechee (N. ogeche) tupelo. Water tupelo is also known as tupelo gum, swamp
tupelo, and sourgum; black tupelo, as blackgum and sourgum; swamp tupelo, as
swamp blackgum, blackgum, and sourgum; and Ogeechee tupelo, as sour tupelo, gopher plum, and Ogeechee
plum. All except black tupelo grow principally in the southeastern United
States. Black tupelo grows in the eastern United States from Maine to Texas and
Missouri.
Tupelo is cut principally for
lumber, veneer, pulpwood, and some railroad crossties and slack cooperage.
Lumber goes into boxes, pallets, crates, baskets, and furniture.
29. Walnut, Black
Black walnut (Juglans nigra)
ranges from Vermont to the Great Plains and southward into Louisiana and Texas.
About three-quarters of walnut wood is grown in the Central States.
The heartwood of
black walnut varies from light to dark brown; the sapwood is nearly white and
up to 8 cm (3 in.) wide in open-grown trees. Black walnut is normally straight
grained, easily worked with tools, and stable in use. It is heavy, hard,
strong, and stiff, and has good resistance to shock. Black walnut is well
suited for natural finishes.
Because of its good properties and
interesting grain pattern, black walnut is much valued for furniture,
architectural woodwork, and decorative panels. Other important uses are
gunstocks, cabinets, and interior woodwork.
30. Willow, Black
Black willow (Salix nigra) is the
most important of the many willows that grow in the United States. It is the
only willow marketed under its own name. Most black willow comes from the Mississippi Valley, from Louisiana to
southern Missouri and Illinois.
Black willow is principally cut
into lumber, which is then remanufactured into boxes, pallets, crates, caskets,
and fur- niture. Small amounts have been used for slack cooperage, veneer,
excelsior, charcoal, pulpwood, artificial limbs, and fence posts.
31. Yellow-Poplar
Yellow-poplar (Liriodendron
tulipifera) is also known as poplar, tulip-poplar, and tulip- wood. Sapwood
from yellow-poplar is some- times called white poplar or whitewood. Yellow-
poplar grows from Connecticut and New York southward to Florida and westward to
Missouri. The greatest commercial production of yellow- poplar lumber is in the
South and Southeast.
The lumber is used primarily for
furniture, interior moulding, siding, cabinets, musical instruments, and
engineered wood composites. Boxes, pallets, and crates are made from
lower-grade stock. Yellow-poplar is also made into ply- wood for paneling,
furniture, piano cases, and various other special products.
32. Afrormosia
Afrormosia or kokrodua (Pericopsis
elata), a large West African tree, is sometimes used as a sub- stitute for teak
(Tectona grandis).
The heartwood is fine textured,
with straight to
Afrormosia is often used for the
same purposes as teak, such as boat construction, joinery, flooring, furniture,
interior woodwork, and decorative veneer.
33. Albarco
Albarco, or jequitiba as it is
known in Brazil, is the common name applied to species in the genus Cariniana.
The 10 spe- cies are distributed from eastern Peru and northern Bolivia through
central Brazil to Venezuela and Colombia.
Albarco is primarily used for
general construction and carpentry wood, but it can also be used for furniture
com- ponents, shipbuilding, flooring, veneer for plywood, and turnery.
34. Andiroba
Because of the wide- spread
distribution of andiroba (Carapa guianensis) in tropical America, the wood is
known under a variety of names, including cedro macho, carapa, crabwood, and
tangare. These names are also applied to the related species C. nicaraguensis,
whose properties are generally inferior to those of C. guianensis.
On the basis of its properties,
andiroba appears to be suited for such uses as flooring, frame construction in
the tropics, furniture and cabinetwork, millwork, utility and decorative
veneer, and plywood.
35. Angelique
Angelique (Dicorynia guianensis)
comes from French Guiana and Suriname. Because of the variability in heartwood color between different
trees, two forms are commonly recognized by producers. The heartwood that is
russet-colored when freshly cut and becomes superficially dull brown with a
purplish cast is referred to as “gris.”
The strength and durability of
angelique make it espe- cially suitable for heavy construction, harbor
installations, bridges, heavy planking for pier and platform decking, and
railroad bridge ties. The wood is also suitable for ship deck- ing, planking,
boat frames, industrial flooring, and parquet blocks and strips.
36. Avodire
Avodire (Turraeanthus africanus)
has a rather extensive range in Africa, from Sierra Leone west- ward to the
Congo region and southward to Zaire and Angola. It is most common in the
eastern region of the Ivory Coastand is scattered elsewhere. Avodire is a
medium-size tree of the rainforest where it forms fairly dense but localized
and discontinuous timber stands.
Figured material is usually
converted into veneer for use in decorative work, and it is this kind of
material that is chiefly imported into the United States. Other uses include
furni- ture, fine joinery, cabinetwork, and paneling.
37. Azobe (Ekki)
Azobe or ekki (Lophira alata) is
found in West Africa and extends into the Congo basin. The heartwood is dark red,
chocolate–brown, or purple–brown with conspicuous white deposits Azobe is
excellent for heavy construction work, harbor construction, heavy-duty
flooring, and railroad crossties.
Azobe is excellent for heavy
construction work, harbor con- struction, heavy-duty flooring, and railroad
crossties.
38. Balata
Balata or bulletwood (Manilkara
bidentata) is widely distributed throughout the West Indies, Central America,
and northern South America.
Balata is suitable for heavy
construction, textile and pulp- mill equipment, furniture parts, turnery, tool
handles, floor- ing, boat frames and other bentwork, railroad crossties, violin
bows, billiard cues, and other specialty uses.
39. Balau
Balau, red balau, and selangan
batu constitute a group of species that are the heaviest of the 200 Shorea
species. About 45 species of this group grow from Sri Lanka and southern India
through southeast Asia to the Philippines.
Balau is used for heavy
construction, frames of boats, deck- ing, flooring, and utility furniture.
40. Balsa
Balsa (Ochroma pyramidale) is
widely distributed throughout tropical America from southern Mexico to southern
Brazil and Bolivia, but Ecuador has been the principal source of supply since
the wood gained commercial importance. It is usually found at lower elevations,
especially on bottom-land soils along streams and in clearings and cutover
forests. Today, it is often cultivated in plantations.
Because of its light weight and
exceedingly porous composition, balsa is highly efficient in uses where
buoyancy, insulation against heat or cold, or low propagation of sound and
vibration are important. Principal uses are for life- saving equipment, floats,
rafts, corestock, insulation, cushioning, sound modifiers, models, and
novelties.
41. Banak, Cuangare
Various species
of banak (Virola) occur in tropical America, from Belize and Guatemala south-
ward to Venezuela, the Guianas, the Amazon region of northern Brazil, and
southern Brazil, and on the Pacific Coast to Peru and Bolivia. Most of the wood
known as banak is V. koschnyi of Central America and V. surinamensis and V.
sebifera of northern South America. Botanically, cuan- gare (Dialyanthera) is
closely related to banak, and the woods are so similar that they are generally
mixed in the trade.
Banak is considered a general
utility wood for lumber, veneer, and plywood. It is also used for moulding,
millwork, and furniture components.
42. Benge, Ehie, Bubinga
Although benge (Guibourtia
arnoldiana), ehie (or ovangkol) (Guibourtia ehie), and bubinga (Guibourtia
spp.) belong to the same West African genus, they differ rather marked- ly in
color and somewhat in texture.
These woods are used in turnery,
flooring, furniture components, cabinetwork, and decorative veneers.
43. Cativo
Cativo (Prioria
copaifera) is one of the few tropical American species that occur in abundance
and often in nearly pure stands. Commercial stands are found in Nicaragua,
Costa Rica, Panama, and Colombia.
Considerable quantities of cativo
are used for interior woodwork, and resin-stabilized veneer is an important
pat- tern material. Cativo is widely used for furniture and cabinet parts,
lumber core for plywood, picture frames, edge banding for doors, joinery, and
millwork.
44. Ceiba
Ceiba (Ceiba
pentandra) is a large tree that grows to 66 m (200 ft) in height with a
straight cylindrical bole 13 to 20 m (40 to 60 ft) long. Trunk diameters of 2 m
(6 ft) or more are common. Ceiba grows in West Africa, from the Ivory Coast and Sierra Leone to
Liberia, Nigeria, and the Congo region. A related species is lupuna (C.
samauma) from South America.
Ceiba is available in large sizes,
and its low density combined with a rather high degree of dimensional stability
make it ideal for pattern and corestock. Other uses include blockboard, boxes
and crates, joinery, and furniture components.
45. Courbaril, Jatoba
The genus Hymenaea consists of
about 25 species that occur in the West Indies and from southern Mexico through
Central America into the Amazon basin of South America. The best-known and most
important species is H. courbaril, which occurs throughout the range of the
genus. Courbaril is often called jatoba in Brazil.
Courbaril is used for tool handles
and other applications that require good shock resistance. It is also used for
steam- bent parts, flooring, turnery, furniture and cabinetwork, veneer and
plywood, railroad crossties, and other specialty items.
46. Degame
Degame or lemon- wood (Calycophyllum
candidissimum) grows in Cuba and ranges from southern Mexico through Central
America to Colombia and Venezuela. It may grow in pure stands and is common on
shaded hillsides and along waterways.
Degame is little used in the
United States, but its character- istics have made it particularly adaptable
for shuttles, picker sticks, and other textile industry items that require
resilience and strength. Degame was once prized for the manufacture of archery
bows and fishing rods. It is also suitable for tool handles and turnery.
47. Determa
Determa (Ocotea rubra) is native
to the Guianas, Trinidad, and the lower Amazon region of Brazil.
Uses for determa include
furniture, general construction, boat planking, tanks and cooperage, heavy
marine construction, turnery, and parquet flooring.
48. Ekop
Ekop or gola (Tetraber‑ linia
tubmaniana) grows only in Liberia.
Ekop is a general utility wood
that is used for veneer, plywood, and furniture components.
49. Gonçalo Alves
Most imports of gonçalo alves
(Astronium graveo‑ lens and A. fraxinifolium) have been from Brazil.
In the United States, gonçalo
alves has the greatest value for specialty items such as archery bows, billiard
cue butts, brushbacks, and cutlery handles, and in turnery and carving
applications.
50. Greenheart
Greenheart (Chlorocardium rodiei)
is essentially a Guyana tree, although small stands also occur in Suriname.
Greenheart is used principally
where strength and resistance to wear are required. Uses include ship and dock
building, lock gates, wharves, piers, jetties, vats, piling, planking,
industrial flooring, bridges, and some specialty items (fishing rods and
billiard cue butts).
51. Hura
Hura (Hura crepitans) grows
throughout the West Indies from Central America to northern Brazil and Bolivia.
Hura is often used in general
carpentry, boxes and crates, and lower grade furniture. Other important uses
are veneer and plywood, fiberboard, and particleboard.
52. Ilomba
Ilomba (Pycnanthus an‑ golensis)
is a tree of the rainforest and ranges from Guinea and Sierra Leone through
tropical West Africa to Uganda and Angola. Common names include pycnanthus,
walele, and otie.
In the United States, this species
is used only in the form of plywood for general utility purposes. However,
ilomba is definitely suited for furniture components, interior joinery, and
general utility purposes.
53. Ipe
Ipe, the common name for the
lapacho group of the genus Tabebuia, consists of about 20 species of trees and occurs in practically
every Latin America country except Chile. Other commonly used names are
guayacan and lapacho.
Ipe is used almost exclusively for
heavy-duty and durable construction. Because of its hardness and good
dimensional stability, it is particularly well suited for heavy-duty floor- ing
in trucks and boxcars. It is also used for decks, railroad crossties, turnery,
tool handles, decorative veneers, and some specialty items in textile mills.
54. Iroko
Iroko consists of
two species (Milicia excelsa and M. regia). Milicia excelsa grows across the
entire width of tropical Africa from the Ivory Coast southward to Angola and
eastward to East Africa.
Because of its color and durability,
iroko has been suggested as a substitute for teak (Tectona grandis). Its
durability makes it suitable for boat building, piles, other marine work, and
railroad crossties. Other uses include joinery, flooring, furniture, veneer,
and cabinetwork.
55. Jarrah
Jarrah (Eucalyptus marginata) is
native to the coastal belt of southwest- ern Australia and is one of the
principal species for that country’s sawmill industry.
Jarrah is used for decking and
underframing of piers, jetties, and bridges, as well as piles and fenders for
docks and harbors. As flooring, jarrah has high resistance to wear, but it is
inclined to splinter under heavy traffic. It is also used for railroad
crossties and other heavy construction.
56. Jelutong
Jelutong (Dyera costulata) is an
important species in Malaysia where it is best known for its latex production
in the manufacture of chewing gum rather than for its wood.
Because of its low density and
ease of working, jelutong is well suited for sculpture and pattern making,
wooden shoes, picture frames, and drawing boards.
57. Kaneelhart
Kaneelhart or brown silverballi
are names applied to the genus Licaria. Species of this genus grow mostly in
Guyana, French Guiana, and Suriname and are found in association with
greenheart (Chlorocardium rodiei) on hilly terrain and wallaba (Eperua) in
forests.
Uses of kaneelhart include
furniture, turnery, boat building, heavy construction, and parquet flooring.
58. Kapur
The genus Dryobalanops consists of
nine species distributed over parts of Malaysia and Indonesia. For the export
trade, the species are combined under the name kapur.
Kapur provides good and very
durable construction wood and is suitable for all purposes for which keruing
(Dipterocarpus) is used in the United States. In addition, kapur is extensively
used in plywood either alone or with species of Shorea (lauanmeranti).
59. Karri
Karri (Eucalyptus diversicolor) is
a very large tree limited to southwestern Australia.
Karri is inferior to jarrah for
underground use and water- works. However, where flexural strength is required,
such as in bridges, floors, rafters, and beams, karri is an excellent wood.
Karri is popular in heavy construction because of its strength and availability
in large sizes and long lengths that are free of defects.
60. Kempas
Kempas (Koompassia malaccensis) is
distributed throughout the lowland forest in rather swampy areas of Malaysia
and Indonesia.
Kempas is ideal for heavy
construction work, railroad crossties, and flooring.
61. Keruing (Apitong)
Keruing or apitong (Dip‑
terocarpus) is widely scattered throughout the Indo- Malaysian region. Most of
the more than 70 species in this genus are marketed under the name keruing.
Keruing is used for general
construction work, framework for boats, flooring, pallets, chemical processing
equipment, veneer and plywood, railroad crossties (if treated), truck floors,
and boardwalks.
62. Lignumvitae
For many years, the only species
of lignumvitae used on a large scale was Guaiacum officinale, which is native
to the West Indies, northern Venezuela, northern Colombia, and Panama.
Lignumvitae wood is used chiefly
for bearing or bushing blocks for ship propeller shafts. The great strength and
tenacity of lignumvitae, combined with self-lubricating properties resulting
from the high resin content, make it especially adaptable for underwater use.
It is also used for such articles as mallets, pulley sheaves, caster wheels,
sten- cil and chisel blocks, and turned products.
63. Limba
Limba (Terminalia superba), also
referred to as afara, korina, or ofram, is widely distributed from Sierra Leone
to Angola and Zaire in the rainforest and savanna forest. Limba is also favored
as a plantation species in West Africa.
Principal uses include plywood,
furniture, interior joinery, and sliced decorative veneer.
64. Macawood
Macawood and trebol are common
names applied to species in the genus Platymiscium. Other common names include
cristobal and macacauba. This genus is distributed across continental tropical
America from southern Mexico to the Brazilian Amazon region and Trinidad.
Macawood is a fine furniture and
cabinet wood. It is also used in decorative veneers, musical instruments,
turnery, joinery, and specialty items such as violin bows and billiard cues.
65. Mahogany
The name mahogany is presently
applied to several distinct kinds of commercial wood. The original mahogany
wood, produced by Swietenia mahagoni, came from the American West Indies. This
was the premier wood for fine furniture cabinet work and shipbuilding in Europe
as early as the 1600s.
66. Mahogany, African
The bulk of “African mahogany”
shipped from west-central Africa is Khaya ivorensis, the most widely
distributed and plentiful species of the genus found in the coastal belt of the
so-called high forest.
Principal uses for African
mahogany include furniture and cabinetwork, interior woodwork, boat
construction, and veneer.
67. Mahogany, American
True, American, or Honduras
mahogany (Swiete‑ nia macrophylla) ranges from southern Mexico through Central
America into South America as far south as Bolivia. Planta- tions have been
established within its natural range and elsewhere throughout the tropics.
The principal uses for mahogany
are fine furniture and cabi- nets, interior woodwork, pattern woodwork, boat
construc- tion, fancy veneers, musical instruments, precision instru- ments,
paneling, turnery, carving, and many other uses that call for an attractive and
dimensionally stable wood.
68. Manbarklak
Manbarklak is a common name
applied to species in the genus Eschweilera. Other names include kakaralli,
machin- mango, and mata-mata. About 80 species of this genus are distributed from eastern Brazil
through the Ama- zon basin, to the Guianas, Trinidad, and Costa Rica.
Manbarklak is an ideal wood for
marine and other heavy construction uses. It is also used for industrial
flooring, mill equipment, railroad crossties, piles, and turnery.
69. Manni
Manni (Symphonia globu‑ lifera) is
native to the West Indies, Mexico, and Central, North, and South America. It
also occurs in tropical West Africa. Other names include ossol (Gabon), anani
(Brazil), waika (Africa), and chewstick (Belize), a name acquired because of
its use as a primitive toothbrush and flossing tool.
Manni is a general purpose wood
that is used for railroad ties, general construction, cooperage, furniture
components, flooring, and utility plywood.
70. Marishballi
Marishballi is the common name
applied to species of the genus Licania. Other names include kauta and anaura.
Species of Licania are widely distributed in tropical America but most abundant
in the Guianas and the lower Amazon region of Brazil.
Marishballi is ideal for
underwater marine construction, heavy construction above ground, and railroad
crossties (treated).
71. Meranti Groups
Meranti is a common name applied
commercially to four groups of species of Shorea from southeast Asia, most
commonly Malaysia, Indonesia, and the Philippines.
Species of meranti constitute a
large percentage of the total hardwood plywood imported into the United States.
Other uses include joinery, furniture and cabinetwork, moulding and millwork,
flooring, and general construction. Some dark red meranti is used for decking.
72. Merbau
Merbau (Malaysia), ipil
(Philippines), and kwila (New Guinea) are names applied to species of the genus
Intsia, most commonly I. bijuga. Intsia is distributed throughout the
Indo–Malaysian region, Indonesia, Philippines, and many western Pacific islands, as well as
Australia.
Merbau is used in furniture, fine
joinery, turnery, cabinets, flooring, musical instruments, and specialty items.
73. Mersawa
Mersawa is one of the common names
applied to the genus Anisoptera, which has about 15 species distributed from the Philippine
Islands and Malaysia to east Pakistan. Names applied to this wood vary with the
source, and three names are generally used in the lumber trade: krabak
(Thailand), mersawa (Malaysia), and palosapis (Philippines).
The major volume of mersawa is
used as plywood because conversion in this form presents considerably less
difficulty than does the production of lumber.
74. Mora
Mora (Mora excelsa and M.
gonggrijpii) is widely distributed in the Guianas and also occurs in the Ori-
noco Delta of Venezuela.
Mora is used for industrial
flooring, railroad crossties, shipbuilding, and heavy construction.
75. Oak (Tropical)
The oaks (Quercus) are abundantly
represented in Mexico and Central Amer- ica with about 150 species, which are
nearly equally divided between the red and white oak groups.
Utilization of the tropical oaks
is very limited at present because of difficulties encountered in the drying of
the wood. The major volume is used in the form of charcoal, but the wood is
used for flooring, railroad crossties, mine timbers, tight cooperage, boat and
ship construction, and decorative veneers.
76. Obeche
Obeche (Triplochiton scleroxylon)
trees of west-central Africa reach a height of 50 m (150 ft) or more and a
diameter of up to 2 m (5 ft). The trunk is usually free of branches for a
considerable height so that clear lumber of considerable size can be obtained.
The characteristics of obeche make
it especially suitable for veneer and corestock. Other uses include furniture,
com- ponents, millwork, blockboard, boxes and crates, particle- board and
fiberboard, patterns, and artificial limbs.
77. Okoume
The natural distribution of okoume
(Aucoumea klai‑ neana) is rather restricted; the species is found only in
west-central Africa and Guinea. However, okoume is extensively planted
throughout its natural range.
In the United States, okoume is
generally used for decora- tive plywood paneling, general utility plywood, and
doors. Other uses include furniture components, joinery, and light
construction.
78. Opepe
Opepe (Nauclea diderrichii) is
widely distributed in Africa from Sierra Leone to the Congo region and eastward
to Uganda. It is often found in pure stands.
Opepe is a general construction
wood that is used in dock and marine work, boat building, railroad crossties,
flooring, and furniture.
79. Pau Marfim
The range of pau marfim
(Balfourodendron riede‑ lianum) is rather limited, extending from the State of
Sao Paulo, Brazil, into Paraguay and the provinces of Corrientes and Missiones
of northern Argentina.
In its areas of growth, pau marfim
is used for much the same purposes as are sugar maple and birch in the United
States. Introduced to the U.S. market in the late 1960s, pau marfim has been
very well received and is especially esteemed for turnery.
80. Peroba de Campos
Peroba de campos (Paratecoma
peroba), also referred to as white peroba, grows in the coastal forests of
eastern Brazil, ranging from Bahia to Rio de Ja- neiro. It is the only species
in the genus Paratecoma.
In Brazil, peroba de campos is
used in the manufacture of fine furniture, flooring, and decorative paneling.
The prin- cipal use in the United States is shipbuilding, where peroba de
campos serves as substitute for white oak (Quercus alba) for all purposes except
bent members.
81. Peroba Rosa
Peroba rosa is the common name
applied to a number of similar species in the genus Aspidosperma. These species
occur in southeastern Brazil and parts of Argentina.
Peroba is suited for general
construction work and is favored for fine furniture and cabinetwork and
decorative veneers. Other uses include flooring, interior woodwork, sashes and
doors, and turnery.
82. Pilon
The two main species of pilon are
Hieronyma alchorneoides and H. laxi ora, also referred to as suradan. These
species range from southern Mexico to southern Brazil including the Guianas,
Peru,
Pilon is especially suited for
heavy construction, railway crossties, marinework, and flooring. It is also
used for furni- ture, cabinetwork, decorative veneers, turnery, and joinery.
83. Piquia
Piquia is the common name
generally applied to species in the genus Caryocar. This genus is distributed
from Costa Rica southward into northern Colombia and from the upland forest of
the Amazon valley to east- ern Brazil and the Guianas.
Piquia is recommended for general
and marine construction, heavy flooring, railway crossties, boat parts, and
furniture components. It is especially suitable where hardness and high wear
resistance are needed.
84. Primavera
The natural distribution of
primavera (Tabebuia don‑ nell–smithii) is restricted to southwestern Mexico,
the Pacific coast of Guate- mala and El Salvador, and north-central Honduras.
The dimensional stability, ease of
working, and pleasing appearance make primavera a suitable choice for solid
furniture, paneling, interior woodwork, and special exterior uses.
85. Purpleheart
Purpleheart, also referred to as
amaranth, is the name applied to species in the genus Peltogyne. The center of
distribution is in the north-central part of the Brazilian Amazon region, but
the combined range of all species is from Mexico through Central America and
southward to southern Brazil.
The unusual and unique color of
purpleheart makes this wood desirable for turnery, marquetry, cabinets, fine
furniture, parquet flooring, and many specialty items, such as billiard cue
butts and carvings. Other uses include heavy construction, shipbuilding, and
chemical vats.
86. Ramin
Ramin (Gonystylus banca‑ nus) is
native to southeast Asia from the Malaysian Peninsula to Sumatra and Borneo.
Ramin is used for plywood,
interior woodwork, furniture, turnery, joinery, moulding, flooring, dowels, and
handles of nonstriking tools (brooms), and as a general utility wood.
87. Roble
Roble, a species in the roble
group of Tabebuia (generally T. rosea), ranges from southern Mexico through
Central America to Venezuela and Ecuador.
Roble is used extensively for
furniture, interior woodwork, doors, flooring, boat building, ax handles, and
general construction. The wood veneers well and produces attrac- tive paneling.
For some applications, roble is suggested as a substitute for American white
ash (Fraxinus americana) and oak (Quercus).
89. Rosewood, Brazilian
Brazilian rosewood (Dal‑ bergia
nigra), also referred to as jacaranda, occurs in eastern Brazilian forests from
the State of Bahia to Rio de Janeiro. Because it was exploited for a long time,
Brazilian rosewood is no longer abundant.
Brazilian rosewood is used
primarily in the form of veneer for decorative plywood. Limited quantities are
used in the solid form for specialty items such as cutlery handles, brush
backs, billiard cue butts, and fancy turnery.
90. Rosewood, Indian
Indian rosewood (Dalber‑ gia
latifolia) is native to most provinces of India except in the northwest.
Indian rosewood is essentially a
decorative wood for high- quality furniture and cabinetwork. In the United
States, it is used primarily in the form of veneer.
91. Sande
Practically all commercially
available sande (mostly Brosimum utile) comes from Pacific Ecuador and
Colombia. However, the group of species ranges from the Atlantic Coast in Costa
Rica southward to Colombia and Ecuador.
Sande is used for plywood,
particleboard, fiberboard, carpentry, light construction, furniture components,
and moulding.
92. Santa Maria
Santa Maria (Calophyllum
brasiliense) ranges from the West Indies to south- ern Mexico and southward
through Central America into northern South America.
The inherent natural durability,
color, and figure on the quarter-sawn face suggest that Santa Maria could be
used as veneer for plywood in boat construction. Other uses are flooring,
furniture, cabinetwork, millwork, and decorative plywood.
93. Sapele
Sapele (Entandrophragma
cylindricum) is a large African tree that occurs from Sierra Leone to Angola
and eastward through the Congo to Uganda.
As lumber, sapele is used for
furniture and cabinetwork, joinery, and flooring. As veneer, it is used for
decorative plywood.
94. Sepetir
The name sepetir applies to
species in the genus Sindora and to Pseudosindora palustris. These species are
distributed throughout Malaysia, Indochina, and the Philippines.
Sepetir is a general carpentry
wood that is also used for fur- niture and cabinetwork, joinery, flooring
(especially truck flooring), plywood, and decorative veneers.
95. Seraya, White
White seraya or bagtikan, as it is
called in the Philip- pines, is a name applied to the 14 species of Parashorea,
which grow in Sabah and the Philippines.
White seraya is used for joinery,
light construction, mould- ing and millwork, flooring, plywood, furniture, and
cabinet work.
96. Spanish-Cedar
Spanish-cedar or cedro consists of
a group of about seven species in the genus Cedrela that are widely distributed
in tropical America from southern Mexico to northern Argentina.
Spanish-cedar is used locally for
all purposes that require an easily worked, light but straight grained, and
durable wood. In the United States, the wood is favored for mill- work,
cabinets, fine furniture, boat building, cigar wrappers and boxes, humidores,
and decorative and utility plywood.
97. Sucupira (Angelin,
Para-Angelim)
Sucupira, angelin, and paraangelim
apply to species in four genera of legumes from South America. Sucupira applies
to Bowdichia nitida from northern Brazil, B. virgili‑ oides from Venezuela, the
Guianas, and Brazil.
Sucupira, angelin, and
para-angelim are ideal for heavy construction, railroad crossties, and other
uses that do not require much fabrication. Other suggested uses include
flooring, boat building, furniture, turnery, tool handles, and decorative
veneer.
98. Teak
Teak (Tectona grandis) occurs in
commercial quantities in India, Burma, Thailand, Laos, Cambodia, Vietnam, and
the East In- dies. Numerous plantations have been developed within its natural
range and in tropical areas of Latin America and Africa, and many of these are
now producing teakwood.
Teak is one of the most valuable
woods, but its use is lim- ited by scarcity and high cost. Because teak does
not cause rust or corrosion when in contact with metal, it is extremely useful
in the shipbuilding industry, for tanks and vats, and for fixtures that require
high acid resistance. Teak is cur- rently used in the construction of boats,
furniture, flooring, decorative objects, and decorative veneer.
99. Tornillo
Tornillo (Cedrelinga
cateniformis), also referred to as cedro-rana, grows in the Loreton Huanuco
provinces of Peru and in the humid terra firma of the Brazilian Amazon region.
Tornillo can grow up to 52.5 m (160 ft) tall, with trunk diameters of 1.5 to 3
m (5 to 9 ft). Trees in Peru are often smaller in diameter, with merchantable
heights of 15 m (45 ft) or more.
Tornillo is a general construction
wood that can be used for furniture components in lower-grade furniture.
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