Kapur (Dryobalanops)

Kapur is an imported hardwood

Location

The genus Dryobalanops consists of nine species distributed over parts of Malaysia and Indonesia. For the export trade, the species are combined under the name kapur.

Characteristics

The heartwood is reddish brown and clearly demarcated from the pale sapwood. The wood is fairly coarse textured but uniform. In general, the wood resembles keruing (Dipterocarpus), but on the whole, kapur is straighter grained and not quite as coarse in texture. Density of the wood averages about 720 to 800 kg/m3 (45 to 50 lb/ft3) at 12% moisture content. Strength properties are similar to those of keruing at comparable specific gravity. The heartwood is rated resistant to attack by decay fungi; it is reported to be vulnerable to termites. Kapur is extremely resistant to preservative treatment. The wood works with moderate ease in most hand and machine operations, but blunting of cutters may be severe because of silica content, particularly when the dry wood is machined. A good surface can be obtained from various machining operations, but there is a tendency toward raised grain if dull cutters are used. Kapur takes nails and screws satisfactorily. The wood glues well with urea formaldehyde but not with phenolic adhesives.

Primary Uses

Kapur provides good and very durable construction wood and is suitable for all purposes for which keruing (Dipterocarpus) is used in the United States. In addition, kapur is extensively used in plywood either alone or with species of Shorea (lauan-meranti).

*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.