Determa (Ocotea rubra)

Determa is an imported hardwood

Location

Determa (Ocotea rubra) is native to the Guianas, Trinidad, and the lower Amazon region of Brazil.

Characteristics

The heartwood is light reddish brown with a golden sheen and distinct from the dull gray or pale yellowish brown sapwood. The texture is rather coarse, and the grain is interlocked to straight. Determa is a moderately strong and heavy wood (density of air-dried wood is 640 to 720 kg/m3 (40 to 45 lb/ft3)); this wood is moderately difficult to air dry. It can be worked readily with hand and machine tools with little dulling effect. It can be glued readily and polished fairly well. The heartwood is durable to very durable in resistance to decay fungi and moderately resistant to dry-wood termites. Weathering characteristics are excellent, and the wood is highly resistant to moisture absorption.

Primary Uses

Uses for determa include furniture, general construction, boat planking, tanks and cooperage, heavy marine construction, turnery, and parquet flooring.

*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.