Balau (Shorea)

Balau is an imported hardwood

Location

Balau, red balau, and selangan batu constitute a group of species that are the heaviest of the 200 Shorea species. About 45 species of this group grow from Sri Lanka and southern India through southeast Asia to the Philippines.

Characteristics

The heartwood is light to deep red or purple-brown, and it is fairly distinct from the lighter and yellowish- to reddishor purplish-brown sapwood. The texture is moderately fine to coarse, and the grain is often interlocked. The wood weighs more than 750 kg/m3 (47 lb/ft3) at 12% moisture content. Balau is a heavy, hard, and strong timber that dries slowly with moderate to severe end checks and splits. The heartwood is durable to moderately durable and very resistant to preservative treatments.

Primary Uses

Balau is used for heavy construction, frames of boats, decking, flooring, and utility furniture.

*Much of the base wood information presented here is made available by the USDA FPL FS. If you are interested in a much more technical description of wood properties, I encourage you to visit the source.