Scientific name
Shorea spp., Parashorea spp. Family: Dipterocarpaceae
Local names
There are many species of Shorea and Parashorea growing in South-East Asia. The timber of these species is marketed in Australia as meranti, Borneo cedar, seraya, lauan and Philippine mahogany.
Description and natural occurrence
Large trees ranging up to 70 m in height and 1.5 m in stem diameter. Stems usually have moderately large buttresses and straight cylindrical trunks.
A tropical rainforest species found throughout South-East Asia and the islands of the South West Pacific region including the Philippines, Indonesia and east Malaysia.
Wood appearance
Colour. The heartwood varies from pale pink to dark red in the light and dark red groups and from white through straw to yellow in the yellow-white groups. Sapwood cannot always be reliably identified by colour difference.
Grain. Moderately coarse textured with quarter sawn material often displaying an attractive ribbon figure.
Wood properties
Density. Meranti (dark red) 670 kg/m3, Meranti (light red) 560 kg/m3, Meranti (white) 705 kg/m3, Meranti (yellow) 660 kg/m3.
Shrinkage to 12% MC. 6.5-8.0% (tangential); 4.0-5.0% (radial).
Termite resistance. Yellow meranti is resistant but all other types of meranti are not resistant.
Preservation. Sapwood readily accepts preservative impregnation but penetration of heartwood is negligible using currently available commercial processes.
Seasoning. All species can be satisfactorily dried using conventional air and kiln seasoning methods.
Hardness. Firm to soft (rated 4 and 5 on a 6 class scale) in relation and ease of working with hand tools.
Machining. Machines reasonably well to a smooth surface. However, some of the lower density species may give a woolly cut if sharp tools are not used.
Fixing. No difficulty has been experienced with the use of standard fittings and fastenings.
Gluing. Can be satisfactorily bonded using standard procedures.
Finishing. Can be painted, stained or polished. However, due to its open grain timber surfaces may need to be filled before finishing.
Uses
Decorative. Flooring, panelling, furniture, joinery, mouldings, plywood, turnery, carving.
Identification features
Sapwood. Sometimes, but not always, lighter in colour than heartwood.
Heartwood. Colour varies from white or yellow through to light red or pink-brown.
Texture. Rather coarse but even.
Wood structure
Growth rings. Absent.
Vessels. Moderately large with simple perforation plates, few or moderately few in number, mostly solitary, some in oblique or radial pairs or radial multiples up to four; diffuse, occasional clusters. Tyloses present; vessel deposits absent.
Parenchyma. Paratracheal parenchyma as incomplete, narrow vasicentric, aliform or occasionally confluent. Apotracheal parenchyma as irregularly spaced bands enclosing resin canals and as diffuse strands, often as short, narrow lines between the rays.
Rays. Medium to fine, may be visible without a lens; may be conspicuous on radial surfaces.
Intercellular canals. Longitudinal canals often prominent in concentric series; distinctly visible without a lens in cross-section and longitudinal section; canals plugged with white coloured resin.
