Merbau is medium brown colored wood with reddish/orange highlights with a course graining. Many pieces exhibit yellow "flecking" in the pores.

BOTANICAL NAME: 

Intsia biuga, Intsia palembanica spp.

ORIGIN: 

Merbau grows in the Indo-Malayan region, as well as in the Philippines, Indonesia, Australia, and many of the western Pacific islands.

COMMON NAMES: 

Ipil, Kwila, Lumpha, Lumpho, Tat-talun, Vesi

JANKA HARDNESS:

1925

DIMENSIONAL STABILITY:

Excellent - Change Coefficient .00158 - 57% more stable than Northern Red Oak.

RELATIVE ABUNDANCE: 

Information currently unavailable.

INTERESTING FACTS: 

Information currently unavailable.

GENERAL DESCRIPTION: 

When freshly cut, the heartwood of merbau is a yellowish to orange-brown color, but then darkens to brown or red brown. The grain of this coarse-textured wood varies from straight to interlocked or wavy. One of the distinctive properties of this wood is that surface of the boards may have yellow "flecking" in the pores; thus, when finished, the wood may appear almost flecked with gold.

COLOR CHANGE: 

Merbau undergoes a medium to large degree of color change, with the muting of the color variation from when fresh milled and with darkening over time to deeper orangey brown color

MAIN USES: 

Flooring is just one of the many uses for this durable wood. It can also be found in furniture, joinery, paneling, decorative woodwork, cabinets, and musical instruments. Merbau is also a source for dyes.

PHYSICAL PROPERTIES:

Merbau is almost as stable as teak. And although comparable to hickory in strength, merbau has a much lower density. It has excellent dimensional stability and is highly resistant to termites.

WORKING PROPERTIES:

This wood gums saw teeth and dulls cutting edges, so sawing is difficult, and the use of carbide tools when working merbau is recommended. It sands and finishes well and has good holding ability. Care must be taken with merbau, as contact with moisture or iron and ferrous metals can stain the wood black.