Hevea brasiliensis properties

Rubberwood (spp. brasiliensis) is a light hardwood suitable for interior furniture making.

With more than 20 clones of Hevea widely planted in Malaysia, there is some clonal variations that are reflected in the wood characteristics. In general rubberwood is homogenous with a pale light cream color and fairly straight grains. The air-dry density is between 560-650 kg/m 3 making it a light hardwood. It has good overall wood-working and machining qualities for sawing, boring, turning, nailing and gluing. It takes finishes and stains well. Its strength and mechanical properties are comparable to traditional timbers used for furniture making and wood working.

The favorable qualities and its light color has enabled rubberwood to be substituted or used as alternative for Ramin (a Malaysian timber noted for its quality for furniture and other applications). The light color also enabled it to be stained to the desire of the consumers by application of different colored wood-stains.

Japan was among the first countries to import rubberwood and rubberwood products from Malaysia. It is generally assumed that the good wood working properties, its light cream colors and its assured supply from the replanting programs are factors that have favored the development of rubberwood utilization. In recent years rubberwood has been accepted as an `environment friendly' timber because it is grown in renewable plantations. This has become a distinct advantage for the marketing and acceptance of rubberwood products especially in countries where there is a strong commitment to buying environmentally responsible products. The processing of rubberwood is now a major component of the wood based industry in Malaysia especially for the production of furniture and reconstituted wood based products such as chipboards and medium density fiberboards.