Pterocarpus Indicus (NarraAndaman padauk)

Scientific Name
Pterocarpus indicus

Trade Name
NarraAndaman padauk

Family Name
Leguminosae

Synonyms
Pterocarpus indicus

Common Names
Amboyna, Andaman padauk, Andaman redwood, Angsama, Angsana, Chalanga-da, East Indian mahogany, Indian redwood, Liki, Nara, Narra, Narravitail, New Guinea rosewood, Nonalu, Padauk, Papua New Guniea rosewood, Red narra, Ringii, Rosewood, Sena, Solomons padauk, Sonokembang, Vermilion wood, Warave, Yaya sa, Yellow narra

Regions of Distribution
Oceania and S.E. Asia

Countries of Distribution  [VIEW MAP]
India, Indonesia, Madagascar, Malaysia, Myanmar, Papua New Guinea, Philippines, Solomon Islands, Thailand

Common Uses
Bedroom suites, Boat building (general), Boat building, Boat building: framing, Boxes and crates, Building construction, Building materials, Cabin construction, Cabinetmaking, Canoes, Carvings, Casing, Ceiling, Chairs, Chests, Concealed parts (Furniture), Construction, Decks, Decorative plywood, Decorative veneer, Desks, Dining-room furniture, Domestic flooring, Dowell pins, Dowells, Drawer sides, Drum sticks, Excelsior, Exterior trim & siding, Exterior uses, Factory construction, Factory flooring, Figured veneer, Fine furniture, Fixtures, Floor lamps, Flooring, Form work, Foundation posts, Framing, Furniture , Furniture components, Furniture squares or stock, Furniture, Hatracks, Heavy construction, Interior construction, Interior trim, Joinery (external): ground contact, Joinery, Joists, Kitchen cabinets, Lifeboats, Light construction, Living-room suites, Millwork, Mine timbers, Moldings, Musical instruments , Musical instruments, Musical instruments: piano, Novelties, Office furniture, Organ pipes, Paneling, Parquet flooring, Piano keys, Pianos , Plywood, Plywood: veneer (marine), Poles, Pulp/Paper products, Radio – stereo – TV cabinets, Rustic furniture, Sounding boards, Tables, Turnery, Vehicle parts, Veneer, Veneer: decorative

Environmental Profile

Distribution Overview
This species is one of about 60 in the Pterocarpus genus, which consists of small to large trees distributed throughout the tropics. Pterocarpus indicus is indigenous to Malaysia, but is also found in the Philippines, Borneo, Burma, New Guinea, and the Malay Archipelago. It is also often planted as an ornamental and a shade tree in several regions, including India, along roadsides, and in gardens because of its flowers and handsome foliagePterocarpus is a genus of over 60 species consisting of small and large trees that are distributed throughout the tropical regions of the world. Pterocarpus dalbergioides is confined to and common in the deciduous and semi-deciduous forests of the Andaman Islands. It is described as the principal timber tree on the islands and is usually found growing on or near riverbanks. also reported to cultivated on a small scale, mostly in gardens, in mainland India.

Heartwood Color

Sapwood Color

Grain

The wood is often marked with little twisted curls and knots which give a pronounced fine figure. Flat sawn surfaces are reported to have a flame figure, and quartersawn surfaces usually exhibit a ribbon figure.

Texture

Luster

Natural Durability

Resistant woods may last between 15 nd 25 years in contact with the ground and without any chemical protection.

Odor

Toxicity

Kiln Schedules

Drying Defects

Ease of Drying

Kiln Drying Rate

Tree Identification

Tree Size

Product Sources
Supplies of Andaman padauk are rather limited, and when available, it is often priced in the costly range.

Certified Source

Substitutes
Burma padauk (Pterocarpus macrocarpus)

Comments
General finishing qualities are rated as good

General finishing qualities are rated as poor

Blunting Effect

Boring

Carving

Cutting Resistance

Gluing

Mortising

Moulding

Movement in Service

Nailing

Planing

Resistance to Impregnation

Response to Hand Tools

Routing & Recessing

Sanding

Screwing

Turning

Veneering Qualities

Steam Bending

Painting

Polishing

Staining

Varnishing

Strength Properties

Modulus of Elasticity (stiffness) = high

Numerical Data

References
Bodig, J. and B. A. Jayne. 1982. Mechanics of Wood and Wood Composites. Van Nostrand Reinhold Company, New York.

Bolza, E., Keating, W.G.,1972,African Timbers – the Properties, Uses and Characteristics of 700 Species,C.S.I.R.O. Div. of Building Research

Bolza, E., Kloot, N.H.,1976,The Mechanical Properties of 81 New Guinea Timbers,C.S.I.R.O. Div. Building Res. Tec.Paper (2nd series) 11

Bolza, E.,1975,Properties and Uses of 175 Timber Species from Papua New Guinea and West,Irian,C.S.I.R.O. Div. Building Research Report,no.34

Bolza, E.,1976,Timber and Health,Div. Building Res. C.S.I.R.O. Australia

Boone, R.S., C.J. Kozlik, P.J. Bois and E.M. Wengert. 1988. Dry Kiln Schedules for Commercial Woods: Temperate and Tropical. United States Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Forest Products Laboratory, General Technical Report FPL-GTR-57, Madison, Wisconsin.

Browne, F.G.,1955,Forest Trees of Sarawak and Brunei and their Products.,Government Printing Office, Kuching, Sarawak

Brown, W.H.,1969,Properties and uses of Tropical hardwoods in the United Kingdom. Part 1,Nonstructural properties and uses.,Conference on Tropical hardwoods SC-5/TN-5, Syracuse University

Brown, W.H.,1978,Timbers of the World, No. 3 Southern Asia,TRADA, Red Booklet Series

Brown, W.H.,1978,Timbers of the World, No.5 Philippines and Japan,TRADA, Red Booklet Series

Brush, W.D.,1944,Foreign Woods – Okoume (Aucoumea klaineana,U.S.A. Department of Agriculture Forest Service

Cameron, S.,1945,Some Notes on Utilisation of Timbers in the South-West Pacific,New Zealand Journal of Forestry Volume 5(2) 117-127

Chudnoff, M.,1984,Tropical Timbers of the World,U.S.A. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Forest Products,Laboratory, Madison.

Clifford, N.,1953,Commercial Hardwoods – Their Characteristics Identification and,Utilization,Sir Isaac Pitman & Sons Ltd. London

Clifford, N.,1957,Timber Identification for the Builder and Architect,Leonard Hill (Books) LTD. London

Cox, H.A.,1939,A Handbook of Empire Timbers,Forest Products Research Laboratory, Princes Risborough

Da Costa, E.W.B., Osborne, L.D.,1967,Comparative decay resistance of 26 New Guinea timber species in,accelerated laboratory tests,Comm. Forestry Review 46(1) pp63-74

Das Gupta, P.R.,1969,Wood water relationship in Pterocarpus dalbergioides,Indian Forester 95(3) pp165-72

Desch, H. E. 1957. Manual of Malayan Timbers. Malayan Forest Records, 28(30):315-318.

EcoTimber International, San Francisco, California. Personal Communication, 1993.

Eddowes, P.J. 1977. Commercial Timbers of Papua New Guinea – Their Properties and Uses. Forest Products Research Center, Office of Forests, Department of Primary Industry, Papua New Guinea.

Eddowes, P.J.,1977,Commercial Timbers of Papua New Guinea: Their Properties and Uses,Hebano Press, Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea

Farmer, R.H.,1972,Handbook of Hardwoods,HMSO

Forest Products Research Laboratory, U.K.,1945,A Handbook of Empire Timbers,Department of Scientific and Industrial Research Forest Products Research

Forests Products Research Laboratory, U.K.,1956,A Handbook of Hardwoods,Forest Products Research Laboratory, Princes Risborough, Department of,Science and Industrial Research, Building Research Establishment

France – C.T.F.T.,1962,Padouk des Andamans – Pterocarpus dalbergioides,C.T.F.T. Information Technique No.157

Gamble, J.S.,1902,A Manual of Indian Timbers,Sampson Low, Marston & Co. London

Harrar, E.S.,1942,Some Physical Properties of Modern Cabinet Woods 3. Directional and Volume,Shrinkage,Tropical Woods,9(71, pp26-32

HMSO. 1972. Handbook of Hardwoods, 2nd Edition. Revised by R.H. Farmer. Department of the Environment, Building Research Establishment, Princes Risborough Laboratory, Her Majesty’s Stationery Office, London.

Howard, A.L.,1948,A Manual of Timbers of the World.,Macmillan & Co. Ltd. London 3rd ed.

I. Soerianegara and R.H.M.J. Lemmens (Editors,1993,Plant Resources of South-East Asia 5,(PROSEA, 1,Timber trees: Major commercial timbers,Pudoc Scientific Publishers, Wageningen 1993

Kaiser, Jo-Ann. Wood of the Month: Padauk – A Red Wood by Another Name. Wood & Wood Products, July, 1990. Page 68.

Kartasujana, I., Martawijaya, A.,1973,Commercial Woods of Indonesia,Forest Products Research Institute, Department Pertanian, Bogor Indonesia,Report No.3

Keating, W.G., Bolza, E.,1982,Characteristics properties and uses of timbers. South East Asia, Northern,Australia and the Pacific,C.S.I.R.O. Div. Chemical Technology,Inkata Press,1

Kline, M. 1976. Pterocarpus dalbergioides – Andaman padauk. In A Guide to Useful Woods of the World. Flynn Jr., J.H., Editor. King Philip Publishing Co., Portland, Maine. 1994. Page 295-296.

Kloot, N. H. and E. Bolza. 1961. Properties of Timbers Imported into Australia. Technological Paper No. 12. Division of Forest Products, Commonwealth Scientific & Industrial Research Organization, Melbourne, Australia.

Kukachka, B.F.,1970,Properties of Imported Tropical Woods,Forest Research Paper FPL 125

Lauricio, F. M., Bellosillo, S. B. 1966. The Mechanical and Related Properties of Philippine Woods, The Lumberman, 12(5):A-H.

Lee, Y.H., Lopez, D.T.,1968,The Machining Properties of some Malayan Timbers,Malayan Forester,3,pp194-210

Limaye, V.D. 1954. Grouping of Indian Timbers and their Properties, Uses and Suitability. Indian Forest Records, New Series. Timber Mechanics, Vol. 1, No. 2, Forest Research Institute, Dehra Dun, India.

Limaye, V.D. and B.R. Sen. 1953. Weights and Specific Gravities of Indian Woods. Indian Forest Records, New Series. Timber Mechanics, Vol. 1, No. 4, Forest Research Institute, Dehra Dun, India.

Limaye, V.D.,1933,The Physical and Mechanical Properties of woods grown in India (Third,Interim Report on Project 1,Indian Forest Records,18(10,pp1-70

Lincoln, W.A. 1986. World Woods in Color. Linden Publishing Co. Inc., Fresno, California.

Narayanamurti, D.,1956,Composite Wood Timbers: Pterocarpus dalbergiodes – Padauk,Composite Wood 3(4) pp71-75 contd. on p78

Papua New Guinea Department of Forests,1972,New Horizons,Forestry in Papua New Guinea,Jacaranda Press PTY Ltd, Brisbane

Patterson, D.,1988,Commercial Timbers of the World, 5th Edition,Gower Technical Press

Pearson, R.S., Brown, H.P.,1932,Commercial Timbers of India,Govt. Printer Calcutta,2 vols

Ramesh, Rao K., Juneja, K.B.S.,1971,Field Identification of Fifty Important timbers of India,Dehra Dun India

Ramesh, Rao K., Purkayastha, S.K.,1972,Indian Woods – Their Identification Properties and Uses,Dehra Dun India,Vol. 3

Rao, K.R. and S.K. Purkayastha. 1972. Indian Woods – Their Identification, Properties and Uses, Volume III – Leguminosae to Combretaceae. Published by the Manager of Publications, Delhi, India.

Rendle, B.J.,1969,World Timbers (3 Vols.,Ernest Benn Ltd. London

Sekhar, A.C.,1967,Some Indian Timbers Equivalent to Foreign Timbers,Van Vigyan 5(1&2,pp18-24

Solomon Islands, Ministry of Natural Resources, Forestry Division,1979,Solomon Islands Timbers – Minor Species,Solomon Islands, Ministry of Natural Resources, Forestry Division, Honiara,Timber Booklet 2

Streets, R.J.,1962,Exotic Forest Trees in the British Commonwealth,Clarendon Press Oxford

Strugnell, E.J.,1931,Notes on woods for furniture making,Malaysian Forester 1 pp69-73

Tewari, M.C., Jain, J.C.,1980,Utilization of Secondary Species,Journal of the National Building Organization 25(2) pp1-6

The Ecological Trading Company Limited (ETC, Newcastle upon Tyre, United Kingdom.

Timber Development Association Ltd.,1955,World Timbers (3 Vols.,Timber Development Association Ltd.

Titmuss, F.H.,1965,Commercial Timbers of the World,Technical Press Ltd., London, 3rd edition

WCMC. 1992. Conservation Status Listing – Trees and Timbers of the World. World Conservation Monitoring Center-Plants Programme, Cambridge, CB3 ODL, United Kingdom.

Whitmore, T.C. (Ed.,1972,Tree Flora of Malaya A Manual for Foresters Volume 1,Forest Department Ministry of Agriculture and Lands Malaysia