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RAMIN (Gonystylus bancanus)

Trade Name

Ramin

Scientific Name

Gonystylus bancanus (Miq.) Kurz

Family

Thymeleaceae

Common Names

Sepetis; Salasa-ai; Pandit; Panaguraring; Nangkaon; Manggasinoro; Malanangka; Malanagka; Malagopinai; Mala-apdo; Lanutan-bagio; Gisok-puti; Gisok-babae; Garu buaja; Claro; Busilak; Badiako; Asana; Ahmin; Garu buaya (Indonesia); Ainunura (Solomon Islands); Melawis (United Kingdom); Fungunigalo (Solomon Islands); Ramin (Indonesia); Gaharu buaya (Indonesia); Ramin (Borneo); Lanutan bagio (Philippines); Ramin (Sweden); Ramin batu (Malaysia); Ramin telur (Sarawak); Garu-buaja (Indonesia); Akenia (Indonesia); Medang keram (Indonesia); Lantunan-bagio (Philippines); Latareko (Solomon Islands); Ramin (Netherlands); Melawis (United States of America); Ramin (Italy); Ramin (Spain); Ramin (France); Ramin (United States of America); Ramin (United Kingdom); Petata (Solomon Islands); Melawis (Malaysia); Ramin (Germany)

Description Of The Tree

Botanical Description

It is a medium-sized to fairly large tree of up to 40 m tall. The bole is cylindrical, up to120 cm in diameter but usually less, sometimes slightly fluted at the base, with many knee-roots.

Natural Habitat

A gregarious, often dominant, tree of lowland freshwater swamp and peat-swamp forest. It is known or inferred that the harvesting of specimens from the wild for international trade has, or may have, a detrimental impact on the species by EITHER. Exceendin

Natural Distribution

It can be found in peat swamp forests of Malaya through parts of Sumatra, west coast of Borneo, and the Philippines.

Wood Identification

Anatomic Description Of Wood

Wood diffuse porous. Vessels in tangential pattern. Vessel clusters common. Colored deposits in heartwood vessels. Vessels per mm2 5 to 20. Vascular/vasicentric tracheides present. Occasionally helical thickenings in vessel elements present. Simple perforation p Paratracheal axial parenchyma scanty and/or vasicentric. Occasionally axial parenchyma aliform. Occasionally axial parenchyma confluent. Axial parenchyma confluent unilateral paratracheal. Two cells per parenchyma strand. 3 to 4 cells per parenchyma strand. Occ Rays less than 4 per mm (rare). Rays of two distinct sizes. Ray height more than 1 mm. Larger rays more than 4 seriate. Sheath cells. Body ray cells procumbent with one row of upright and/or square marginal cells (Kribs-III). Fibers with simple to minutely bordered pits.

  • Wood Macro Photo Tangential Plane
  • Wood Micro Photo Of Transversal Section

Availability

Cites Status

CITES II

General Wood Description

Odor

It has an unpleasant odor when fresh.

Color

The sapwood is hardly distinguishable, yellowish. The heartwood is yellowish when fresh, after exposure it fades to whitish yellow.

COLOR INDEX (1=Black, 7=Light yellow,white)

6

Grain

It is very straight, uniform.

Texture

The texture is medium coarse, long drawn out veins often contain dark deposits.

Luster

The wood surface is slightly lustrous.

Natural Durability

It is perishable and very susceptible to blue stain, rapid insect infestation is also reported.

Natural durability index (1= Very high durability, 7=Vey low durability)

5

Silica Content

Silica Content: Silica is absent. Silica Value: 0

Resistance To Impregnation

The timber is treatable with preservatives.

Wood Physical Properties

Basic Density or Specific Gravity (O.D. weight/vol. green) (g/cm³)

0.60

Air-dry Density (Weight and volume at 12%MC) (g/cm³)

0.67

Total shrinkage Tangential (Saturated to 0%MC) (%)

9.8

Total shrinkage Radial (Saturated to 0%MC) (%)

4.3

Drying Defects

Ease of Drying: Boards of 13 mm and 38 mm thick take respectively 3-4 months and 4.5-5 months to air dry. Drying Defects: Degrade during seasoning is mainly due to insect attack and blue stain. There is risk of end-checking.

Recommended Dry Kiln Schedule

UK-C; US-T3-C2; JP-9

Dimensional stability ratio (Total Tangential Shrinkage %/Total Radial Shrinkage %)

2.3

Wood Chemical Properties

Wood Mechanical Properties

Bending Strength (MOR),12%MC (kgf/cm²)

1313

Stiffness (MOE) 12%MC (kgf/cm²)

157350

Compression parallel to fiber 12%MC (kgf/cm²)

667

Shear strength radial 12%MC (kgf/cm²)

95

Janka hardness (side) 12%MC (kgf)

449

Janka hardness (end grain) 12%MC (kgf)

380

Workability

Sawing

Wood of this species is easy to cut.

Rotary Veneer Cutting

Good veneer can be produced at a peeling angle of 92.5 degrees without pretreatment, but mild soaking in hot water renders peeling easier.

Sliced Veneer

Good veneer can be produced at a peeling angle of 92.5 degrees without pretreatment, but mild soaking in hot water renders peeling easier.

Machining

Machining operations are reported to be easy but sharp cutters are needed.

Planing

Planing is reported to be easy.

Moulding

Molding operations are rather easy.

Turning

30

Boring

Boring is reported to be fair to difficult.

Mortising

It is easy to mortise.

Nailing

Risk of splitting when nailing, pre-boring is recommended.

Gluing

This species is easy to glue.

Sanding

It has a good sanding behavior.

Finishing

Finishing of this wood gives good results.

Staining

Staining of this wood is easy.

Polishing

This species is reported to be easy to polish.

Response To Hand Tools

This species is reported to be easy to work with hand tools.

REFERENCED USES

End Uses Summary

HOUSING GENERAL, boards, flooring, frames, panelling, FURNITURE AND CABINETS, PLYWOOD AND VENEER, TURNING, cutlery, TOOLS, tool handles, PACKING, OTHER AND MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS, handicrafts, coffin, moldings

General Housing
  • 10 - Silica in Timbers
Boards
  • 13 - Dry kiln schedules for commercial woods. Temperate and tropical. Section III. Latin American (Mexico, Central, and South America) Woods–Conventional Temperatures
Flooring
  • 14 - Handbook of Hardwoods
Frames
  • 16 - Woods of the World
Paneling
  • 18 - W3TROPICOS Missouri Botanical Garden
Furniture Cabinets
  • 21 - Tropical timbers of the world. Part III-Southeast Asian and Oceanian Species.
Panels, Veneers
  • 25 - Directory of Timber Trade Malaysia
Turning
  • 30 - Embassy of Honduras in Japan
Knife Handles
  • 33 - Embassy of Gabon in Japan
Tools
  • 42 - Utilización Industrial de Nuevas Especies Forestales en el Perú.
Tool Handles
  • 43 - Maderas de Bolivia (Características y Usos de 55 Maderas Tropicales)
Packing
  • 45 - Recopilación y Análisis de Estudios Tecnológicos de Maderas Peruanas
Handcraft
  • 66 - Maderas latinoamericanas. VII. Caracteristicas anatomicas. propiedades fisicomecanicas, de secado, y tratabilidad de la madera juvenil de Cordia alliodora (Ruiz & Pav. Oken.)
Coffin
  • 78 - Amazonian Timbers for the International Market
Molding
  • 79 - Padronização da Nomenclatura Comercial Brasileira das Madeiras Tropicais Amazônicas, Sugestão

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