A tropical hardwood which is a very dense tightly grained hardwood that is heavily laden with rich tropical oils and resins. Shorea’s texture is very fine and even. For centuries Shorea has been used for shipbuilding, heavy-duty furniture, and heavy construction, coveted for it’s excellent strength and weather resistant qualities. Shorea is also a responsibly managed species and although it’s mechanical properties are superior, Shorea has not experienced the overpricing that Tectona has. Below you will find a property comparison between Tectona and Shorea.
The ultimate and most widely used heavy construction wood in Holland for more then a century. Shorea timbers, that have been extracted (dug up) from the "mud" of Holland and buried for more than 100 years, show no signs of decay or deterioration.
Shorea Plantation
(1) Pacific tropical hardwoods are categorized accordingly:
Heavy Hardwoods Medium Hardwoods Light Hardwoods
Durability: Group 1 Very Durable Group 2 Durable.....................Shorea Group 3 Moderately Durable....Tectona Group 4 Not Durable
Strength: Group A Extremely Strong…...Shorea Group B Very Strong Group C Strong......................Tectona Group D Weakest
Shorea Hardwood
With the above in mind, Tectona is rated as a Medium Hardwood and Shorea a Heavy Hardwood. With regard to durability, Tectona has a durability rating of Group 3 or Moderately durable and Shorea is rated a Group 2, Durable. In the strength category, Tectona is rated a Group C or Strong whereby Shorea is rated the very best as a Group A or Extremely Strong.
To bring this all into perspective one needs to analyze the working stress data per category as follows:
(2) WORKING STRESSES IN FLEXTURE - POUNDS PER SQUARE INCH
Shorea:.....2600 lbs
Tectona:...1300 lbs
references:
(1) Timber Species of Tropical Hardwoods, STTP, 1st Edition, 1996
(2) Malaysian Timber Industry Board, Second Reprint, November 1994
