Merbau
INTSIA PALEMBANICA

Merbau is a popular timber for joinery applications in Europe. Its grain and growth ring figure together with its dark red-brown color gives it a very attractive appearance which is suitable for high class joinery including door and window frames and facades. The timber is also used for interior paneling, strip and parquet flooring and other decorative uses. Merbau is a very hard timber with a truly special beauty.

FAMILY
Caesalpiniaceae.

OTHER COMMON NAMES
Ipil, Quila, Lumpha, Lumpho, Tat-talun, Vesi.

ORIGIN
Indo-Malayan region, Philippines, Indonesia, Australia and western Pacific islands.

APPEARANCE
Good appearance and typically free of defects. Heartwood is yellowish to orange-brown when freshly cut, darkening to medium to dark red-brown on exposure. Sapwood is pale yellow, sharply defined from heartwood. Liable to stain in contact with iron and bleeds in wet conditions, so not recommended for outdoor use. The surface is smooth, glossy and coarse-textured. Grain varies from straight to interlocked or wavy. One of the distinctive properties of this wood is that the surface of the boards may have yellow flecking in the pores; thus, when finished, the wood may appear almost flecked with gold, producing a ribbon figure on radial faces.

DENSITY AND BUOYANCY
Janka hardness is 1925, 49% harder than Red Oak (1210 Janka). Average weight is relatively heavy at 50 lbs./cu. ft. Specific gravity is .68, making this wood fairly buoyant.

DRYING AND SHRINKAGE
Dries well and fairly rapidly, stated to be lacking in resilience. Low movement and shrinkage.

WORKABILITY
This wood gums saw teeth and dulls cutting edges, so sawing is difficult. Carbide tools recommended. It sands and finishes well and has good holding ability. Contact with moisture or iron and ferrous metals can stain the wood black.

DURABILITY
Heartwood durable with little degrade. It has excellent dimensional stability and is highly resistant to termites.

PRESERVATION
Highly impermeable, does not require any preservative treatment.

USES
Suitable for paneling, flooring, furniture, decorative woodwork, cabinets and millwork.

GENERAL CHARACTERISTICS
This Asian hardwood is ideal for projects that demand high quality. It ranges in color from yellow to orange-brown when freshly milled, and bronze to dark-red upon exposure to light. Some pieces may contain yellow deposits in the pores, which creates an attractive gold fleck when finished.

Merbau offers:

• high durability and stability
• hardness rated 49% higher than northern red oak
• moderate color variation
• sands, nails and finishes well

LUMBER
Standard and custom sizes available in flooring, paneling and mouldings.

• 4/4", 5/4", 8/4" thickness
• 4" and wider
• 6' and longer, up to 18'

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