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WHITE TEAK

Common Name(s): gmelina, gumhar, Malay beechwood, yemani, mai saw. grey teak and planted as a fast-growing plantation tree in South-East Asia as well as in India, tropical Africa and Brazil.

Scientific Name: Gmelina Ardorea

Distribution: Southeast Asia and Oceania

Janka Hardness: 1020

Color/Appearance: The color is uniformly cream to light yellowish-brown, turning reddish-brown with age. The wood has a high and silky luster.

Grain/Texture: straight to slightly interlocked grain. Texture was moderately coarse.

Workability: Gmelina timber saws easily and has only slight blunting effects on tools. The gluing properties are moderate due to a greasy surface. Gmelina timber saws easily and planes to a smooth finish and polishes well. Rotary peeling is easy even without pretreatment, and the veneers are easy to handle without a tendency to tear; they remain flat after drying. The gluing properties are reported as good. Gmelina is in general very stable timber.

Sustainability: This wood species is not listed in the CITES Appendices, or reported by the IUCN RED LIST.

Common Uses: general utility purposes, especially light construction and structural work, general carpentry, packaging, carvings, utility furniture and decorative veneers with excellent woodworking properties. Additionally, the wood has been used in light flooring, for musical instruments, matches, particle board, as a mine timber, in vehicle bodies and ships.