Shorea Guiso (Balau)

Scientific Name
Shorea guiso

Trade Name
Balau

Family Name
Dipterocarpaceae

Common Names
Balau, Balau merah, Guijo, Membatu, Red balau, Red selangan, Red selangan batu

Regions of Distribution
Oceania and S.E. Asia

Countries of Distribution  [VIEW MAP]
Brunei, Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines, Thailand

Common Uses
Baskets, Bent Parts, Boat building, Building materials, Cabinetmaking, Canoes, Chairs, Chests, Cooperages, Core Stock, Decorative veneer, Desks, Dining-room furniture, Domestic flooring, Drawer sides, Excelsior, Figured veneer, Fine furniture, Flooring, Food containers, Framing, Fuelwood, Furniture , Furniture components, Furniture squares or stock, Hatracks, Interior construction, Interior trim, Joinery, Kitchen cabinets, Lifeboats, Living-room suites, Millwork, Office furniture, Pallets, Paneling , Parquet flooring, Plain veneer, Tables , Veneer, Woodenware

Environmental Profile

Rare in Thailand, while its environmental status in Sumatra is officially classified as either Extinct, Endangered, Vulnerable, or Rare

Distribution Overview
The Balau group of Shorea spp. are found on the Malay Peninsula, Indochina, Indonesia, and the Philippines. The trees are reported to often grow in pure stands. Shorea genus contains several species that are widely distributed, from India and Sri Lanka in the west and throughout Burma and several countries in Southeast Asia, up to the Philippines in the east. Most of the species are found in the forests of Borneo, Sumatra, and the Malay Peninsula.

Heartwood Color

Sapwood Color

Grain

Texture

Luster

Natural Growth Defects

Natural Durability

Odor

Kiln Schedules

Drying Defects

Ease of Drying

Kiln Drying Rate

Tree Size

Product Sources
Species in the Shorea genus are a major source of timber from Southeast Asia. They are plentiful, and supplies are universally available, especially in the form of veneers. This popular wood is priced in the inexpensive range.

Many species in the Shorea genus are also a source of other economically important non-timber products. Seeds of some species yield fat which is used in the manufacture of chocolate. Others produce nuts, the most common of which is the illipe nuts of commerce produced by S. gysbertisiana . The nuts yield a fat which is similar to cocoa-butter in some of its properties. Shorea trees are also tapped for oleo-resin, and typical dammar is obtained from S. wiesneri which grows in Java and Sumatra. The tree of S. robusta produces dammar which is used as a disinfectant and as incense in religious ceremonies in India. Other non-timber products from Shorea are reported to include tannin and fibers.

Blunting Effect

It is hard, heavy, and very dense and also because of the presence of interlocked grain

Boring

They are hard and heavy, and usually contain interlocked grain.

Carving

Cutting Resistance

Gluing

Mortising

Moulding

Balau timbers are usually hard and heavy

Movement in Service

Nailing

Planing

Resistance to Impregnation

Response to Hand Tools

Routing & Recessing

Sanding

Screwing

Turning

Veneering Qualities

Steam Bending

Polishing

Staining

Strength Properties

It has superior properties in compression parallel to grain in the air-dry condition than Teak, White oak, or Hard maple

Numerical Data

References
Arno, J. 1988. Shorea spp. – Luan. In A Guide to Useful Woods of the World. Flynn Jr., J.H., Editor. King Philip Publishing Co., Portland, Maine. 1994. Page 329-330.

Chowdhury, K.A. and S.S. Ghosh. 1958. Indian Woods – Their Identification, Properties and Uses, Volume I – Dilleniaceae to Elaeocarpaceae. Published by the Manager of Publications, Delhi, India.

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

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

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

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

Lavers, G. M. 1966. The Strength Properties of Timbers. Forest Products Research Bulletin, No. 50. Ministry of Technology, Her Majesty’s Stationery Office, London.

Limaye, V.D. and B.R. Sen. 1956. Weights and Specific Gravities of Indian Woods. Indian Forest Records (New Series). Timber Mechanics. Volume 1 No. 4. Manager of Publications (Publisher, Delhi

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

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