Calophyllum - Calophyllum spp. incl.

Calophyllum is popular for a variety of end uses including furniture manufacture and cabinet work as well as for veneer and plywood manufacture.

  • The timbers range in colour from a pale pinkish-brown to pale red-brown to pale red. Quarter-sawn boards produce a pronounced ribbon figure, whilst back sawn material is nicely figured with a fine zig-zag pattern.
  • The timbers can be dried satisfactorily. Quarter-sawn material dries well with little degrade. Back-sawn material has a tendency to cup and twist especially in wide boards.
  • Calophyllum is a useful, general purpose timber. Due to its wide range in density, its mechanical properties can be variable. It is suitable for a wide range of end uses including; furniture and cabinet work, interior joinery, mouldings, architraves, door jambs, general building construction, flooring and exterior cladding.
Names
Family:
Guttiferae
Species:
Calophyllum spp. incl.
C. papuanum Laut.
C. pauciflorum A.C.Sm.
C. peekelii Laut.
C. pseudovitiense Stevens
C. soulattri Burm.
Standard Trade Names:
Calophyllum
Other Names:
Bush Calophyllum, Kalofilum (Papua New Guinea); Bintangor (Malaysia); Bintangur (Indonesia); Bitanghol, Dangkalan (Phillipines); Damanu (Fiji); Entangor, Bakokol, Mentanngor (Sarawak); Ba’aula, Gwarogwaro (Solomon Islands), Bintanina (Madagascar)
PROPERTIES
Density:
540-620 Kg/m3 @ 12% m.c
Colour:
Pale pinkish-brown to pale red.
Texture:
Moderately coarse and slightly uneven.
Grain:
Varies from straight to deeply interlocked.
Figure:
Ribbon or striped effect on quarter-sawn faces.
Durability:
Class 3: Moderately Durable
Permeability:
Class 4: Highly resistant; heartwood is untreatable and sapwood is comparatively narrow
WORKABILITY
General:
Reasonably good working and finishing properties.
Sawing:
Readily sawn; some boards a little fibrous in nature.
Planing:
Generally planes well dependent on grain and cutting angle. A reduction of cutter angle (20°) will assist.
Blunting:
Low
Boring:
Good characteristics; may be a little fibrous.
Turning:
Generally good; may be a little fibrous.
Nailing:
Pre-drilling on board ends advisable to prevent splitting.
Gluing:
Glues very well with all adhesives.
Finishing:
With care, smooth finish obtainable. Polishes very well.
MECHANICAL PROPERTIES
Strength:
SD6
Structural Grade:
F22(select grade)
Hardness(Janka):
4.6kN (seasoned), 3.6kN (unseasoned).
Max. Crushing Strength:
58MPa (seasoned), 34Mpa (unseasoned).
Modulus of Elasticity:
14GPa (seasoned), 11GPa (unseasoned).
Modulus of Rupture:
102MPa (seasoned), 59MPa (unseasoned).
SEASONING
General:
Seasons readily and well providing proper drying practices are adhered to regarding sticker and weighting of stacks.
Movement:
Medium
Shrinkage:
Medium