Massaranduba is one of the densest exotic woods and, endowed with very good durability, it can be used in contact with fresh water or sea water. It is therefore often used for hydraulic works, boat building and bridges.
Would you like to learn more about massaranduba? WoodPartners explains everything you need to know about massaranduba wood:
- What is massaranduba wood?
- What are the characteristics of massaranduba?
- Massaranduba wood: what is it used for?
- How do you maintain exotic massaranduba wood?
- Other questions about massaranduba
What is massaranduba wood?
Massaranduba wood comes from South America and Central America; like muiracatiara, it belongs to the Sapotaceae family and its scientific names are Manikara bidentata or Manikara huberi. The tree measures on average between 30 and 40 metres in height.
What is more, different names are used for massaranduba depending on the country:
- Brazil: Maçaranduba, Paraju, Maparajuba;
- Colombia : Nispero, Balata;
- France : Massaranduba;
- French Guiana : Balata franc, Balata rouge, Balata gomme, Bois abeille;
- Peru : Quinilla colorada, Pamashto;
- Venezuela : Balata, Massarandu;
- United Kingdom : Bullet wood;
- United States : Bullet wood, Beefwood.
What are the characteristics of massaranduba?
Massaranduba has characteristics of great interest: it is a very dense tropical wood, naturally rot-proof and very durable, which is suited to intensive outdoor use.
Description of massaranduba wood
- Colour : reddish brown;
- Sapwood (the soft, light-coloured part of the wood that forms each year under the bark): clearly distinct;
- Grain : fine;
- Grain direction or fibre orientation : straight;
- Interlocked grain or direction contrary to the axis : absent.
Description of the massaranduba log
- Diameter : between 60 and 120 cm;
- Thickness of the sapwood : between 4 and 6 cm;
- Preservation in the forest : good.
The physical properties of massaranduba wood
- Density (at 12% moisture content with 1 MPa = 1 N/mm²): 1.10;
- Hardness (at 12% moisture content with 1 MPa = 1 N/mm²) : 12.9;
- Volumetric shrinkage coefficient : 0.75%;
- Total tangential shrinkage (TS): 9.4%;
- Total radial shrinkage (RS): 7.1%;
- Ratio between TS and RS : 1.3;
- Fibre saturation point : 27%;
- Stability in service : not very stable.
The natural durability and treatability of massaranduba
- Resistance to fungi: class 1, very durable;
- Resistance to dry wood insects : class D, durable;
- Resistance to termites : class D, durable;
- Treatability : class 4, not treatable;
- Use class: wood class 4, for outdoor use in contact with the ground or with fresh water. What is more, since massaranduba is very dense and hard, it naturally covers class 5, for use in contact with sea water.
Drying exotic massaranduba wood
- Drying speed: slow;
- Risk of distortion : high;
- Risk of case-hardening (accidental hardening): present;
- Risk of checks (splits): high;
- Risk of collapse (waviness, separation of the wood): absent.
Kiln drying is essential if massaranduba is to become very stable, so you should check for this when buying by looking for the mention "KD".
Sawing and machining massaranduba wood
- Blunting effect: fairly considerable;
- Sawing teeth : stellite-tipped teeth;
- Machining tools : tungsten carbide;
- Suitability for peeling : of no interest and not recommended;
- Suitability for slicing : good but requires power.
Assembling massaranduba
The assembly of massaranduba is carried out in two steps:
- Nailing and screwing: good holding, with pre-drilling required;
- Gluing : satisfactory but requires care because of the density of massaranduba wood.
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Massaranduba wood: what is it used for?
Massaranduba wood has undeniable qualities that allow it to be used outdoors in contact with fresh and salt water, as is the case for hydraulic works, boat building and bridges.
- Hydraulic works: since massaranduba is dense and durable, it is ideal for this type of work.
- Boat building : thanks to its rot-proof nature, it can be used in contact with fresh water as well as salt water. It is therefore perfectly suited to this field and allows solid construction.
- Flooring : exotic massaranduba wood is also used indoors, as flooring, thanks to its density and its ease of machining.
- Framework and heavy timber framing : its technical characteristics make it an ideal species for frameworks and heavy timber frames.
- Bridges : as for boat building and hydraulic works, the rot-proof nature of massaranduba wood suits it to building bridges in fresh or salt water.
How do you maintain exotic massaranduba wood?
Massaranduba is very simple to maintain because it needs no particular treatment and proves very durable. The only element you can act on is its shade: either you preserve its natural shade beforehand by applying a saturator, or you can bring it back with a wood brightener.
- Maintaining massaranduba with a saturator: if you have applied this finish to your massaranduba deck, for example, you simply need to clean it once a year with a low-pressure washer.
- Maintaining massaranduba wood once it has greyed : if you have not protected your wood beforehand, it will grey over time. To bring back its natural shade, you can simply get hold of a wood brightener.