The Standard Malaysian Name for the timber of Coelostegia spp., Durio spp., Kostermansia sp. and Neesia spp. (Bombacaceae). Vernacular names applied include durian (Peninsular Malaysia, Sabah and Sarawak) with various epithets as well as other localised names too numerous to list here. Major species include Coelostegiaborneensis, C.griffithii; Duriocarinatus, D.grandiflorus, D.graveolens, D.lowianus, D.malaccensis, D.oxleyanus, D.singaporensis, D.wyatt-smithii, D.zibethinus; Kostermansiamalayana; Neesiaaltissima, N.kostermansiana, N.malayana and N.synandra. The sapwood is almost white in Durio, pale yellow in Neesia and light orange-yellow in Coelostegia and is sharply defined in Durio and Neesia but only moderately sharply defined in Coelostegia, from the heartwood, which is pink-brown, grey-brown, brown with a red tinge or light orange-brown.
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Light Hardwoods - Durian Batu
Also known as Durian (Brunei); Bengang, Durian, Durian hantu, Ki bengang and Sibengang (Indonesia); Durian (Philippines); and Chang haek and Turian (Thailand).
DENSITY
Durian is a Light Hardwood with a density of 420-865 kg/m3 air dry.
NATURAL DURABILITY
Four species of durian were tested for their durability by the standard graveyard test and the results indicated that durian timbers are not durable if exposed to natural Malaysian weather conditions. The test samples with dimension of 50 mm x 50 mm x 600 mm were destroyed in a relatively short period of time, for example, Neesiaaltissima (1.5 years), Duriolowianus (1.7 years) and Coelostegiagriffithii (1.5 years) (MohdDahlanJantan et. al., 1987). However, it should be stressed here that the above durability ratings are only applicable to Malaysia where termites are common and fungi are very active throughout the year. In temperate countries, however, the threat of 'infestation' by both insects and fungi are very much reduced and the durability of the timber will be greatly extended.
PRESERVATIVE TREATMENT
It is easy to treat with preservatives.
TEXTURE
Texture is moderately coarse to coarse and even in Neesia but uneven in Durio and Coelostegia, with straight to slightly interlocked grain.
STRENGTH PROPERTIES
The timber falls into Strength Group C (Engku, 1988b) or SG 6 (MS 544:Part 2:2001).
| Species | Test Condition | Modulus of Elasticity(MPa) | Modulus of Rupture(MPa) | Compression parallel to grain (MPa) | Compression perpendicular to grain (MPa) | Shear strength(MPa) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| C.Griffithii | Green | 14.300 | 71 | 38.5 | 4.00 | 8.3 |
| Air dry | 15,800 | 95 | 53.9 | 5.65 | 9.2 | |
| D.Oxleyanus | Green | 10,600 | 55 | 27.4 | 2.96 | 7.2 |
| Air dry | 11,700 | 74 | 39.1 | 4.14 | 8.0 | |
| N.Altissima | Green | 8,600 | 51 | 26.5 | 2.59 | 5.9 |
| Air dry | 9,500 | 65 | 32.5 | 2.72 | 6.8 |
MACHINING PROPERTIES
It is easy to slightly difficult to resaw and easy to difficult to cross-cut. Planing is easy to moderately easy and the planed surface is smooth to moderately smooth and sometimes even rough, especially in the radial boards.
| Species | Test Condition | Sawing | Planning | Boring | Turning | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Re Sawing | Cross Cutting | Ease of planing | Quality of finish | Ease of boring | Quality of finish | Ease of Turning | Quality of finish | ||
| C.Griffithii | Green | Fairly Easy | Difficult | Easy | Modrately Smooth | Slightly Difficult | Modrately Smooth | - | - |
| Air dry | Slightly Difficult | Difficult | Modrately Easy | Modrately Smooth | Slightly Difficult | Modrately Smooth | Slightly Difficult | Modrately Difficult | |
| D.Zibethinus | Green | Easy | Easy | Easy | Smooth | Easy | Fairly Smooth | - | - |
| Air dry | Easy | Easy | Easy | Smooth | Easy | Fairly Smooth | Easy | Rough | |
| N.Altissima | Green | Easy | Easy | Easy | Rough, especially radial | Easy | Rough | - | - |
| Air dry | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | |
Nailing Property
Nailing property ranges from good to excellent.
Air drying
Seasoning properties vary according to species, which are summarised as follows:
| Species | Time to air dry (Months) | Remarks | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 13 mm thick boards | 38 mm thick boards | ||
| C.Griffithii | 2.5 | 3.5 | Moderately fast drying; moderate staining; slight dimensional movement and splits; shrinkage low. |
| D.Oxleyanus | 3 | 4 | Fairly slow drying; moderate insect attack; slight cupping; shrinkage high. |
| N.Altissima | 1.5 - 2 | 3 - 4 | Moderately fast drying; slight end-checking and splitting; average shrinkage. |
Kiln-Drying
Kiln Schedule D is tentatively recommended for the drying of durian timbers. The timber of durian can be kiln-dried at a moderately fast rate with only slight twisting except for the timber of D. oxleyanus, which requires up to 1.5 months to dry boards of 70 mm x 127 mm with variable lengths. It is also recommended that sawn timber of durian be air dried for a minimum period of 2 weeks before being kiln-dried to save on cost.
| Moisture Content(%) | Temperature (Dry Bulb) | Temperature (Wet Bulb) | Relative Humidity (%)(approx.) | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| F | F | F | F | ||
| Green | 105 | 40.5 | 101 | 30.0 | 85 |
| 60 | 105 | 40.5 | 96 | 35.5 | 70 |
| 40 | 105 | 40.5 | 96 | 35.5 | 70 |
| 35 | 110 | 43.5 | 97 | 36.0 | 60 |
| 30 | 115 | 46.0 | 97 | 36.0 | 50 |
| 25 | 125 | 51.5 | 101 | 38.0 | 40 |
| 20 | 140 | 60.0 | 105 | 40.5 | 30 |
| 15 | 150 | 65.5 | 112 | 44.5 | 30 |
SHRINKAGE
Shrinkage varies according to species, which are summarised as follows:
| Species | Shrinkage (%)(Green to air dry) | |
|---|---|---|
| Radial | Tangential | |
| C.Griffithii | 1.3 | 1.6 |
| D.Oxleyanus | 2.4 | 4 |
| N.Atissima | 1.3 | 2.4 |
MOVEMENT IN SERVICE
The movement of seasoned timber is classified under Type IV.
DEFECTS
The logs of all the timber producing species of the Bombacaceae are normally sound and free of defects except for a small area of sponginess around the pith, and damage by ambrosia and, occasionally, longicorn beetles. An area of 2 to 3 inches (51 to 76 mm) of sponginess has been observed in logs of Durio spp. and Neesiaaltissima but the compression failures usually associated with this type of defect have not been encountered. The timber of species of Durio contains abundant starch, and, although not very susceptible to sap stain, is liable to attack by all forms of wood-boring insects and to heavy infestation by Lyctus. On the other hand, the limited amount of material of N. altissima that has been examined contained very little starch and was attacked only by a small number of pin-hole borers.
Uses
The timber is suitable for light construction under cover, flooring, door and window frames, panelling, mouldings, partitioning, planking, joinery, cabinet making, furniture, cooling tower (non-structural purposes), railway sleepers, pallets (expendable type), plywood, joists (for light construction only), wooden sandals and low grade coffins.
REFERENCES
Engku Abdul Rahman Chik. 1988b. Basic and Grade Stresses for Strength Groups of Malaysian Timbers. Malayan Forest Service Trade Leaflet No.38. The Malaysian Timber Industry Board and Forest Research Institute Malaysia, Kuala Lumpur. 13 pp.
Menon, P.K.B. 1986. Uses of Some Malaysian Timbers. Revised by Lim, S.C. Timber Trade Leaflet No. 31. The Malaysian Timber Industry Board and Forest Research Institute Malaysia, Kuala Lumpur.48 pp
MohdDahlanJantan and Tam, M.K.1987. Natural Durability of Malaysian Timbers. Timber Trade Leaflet No.28. The Malaysian Timber Industry Board and Forest Research Institute Malaysia, Kuala Lumpur. 12 pp.
MS 544:Part 2:2001. Code of Practice for the Structural Use of Timber: Permissible Stress Design of Solid Timber.
Thomas, A.V. 1979. Malayan Timbers - Durian and Bengang. Timber Trade Leaflet No.19. Third reprinting. The Malaysian Timber Industry Board and Forest Research Institute Malaysia, Kuala Lumpur. 4 pp.
Wong, T.M. 1982. A Dictionary of Malaysian Timbers. Malayan Forest Records No.30. Forestry Department, Peninsular Malaysia.
Wong, T.M. 1982. A Dictionary of Malaysian Timbers. Revised by Lim S.C.& Chung R.C.K. Malayan Forest Records No.30. Forest Research Institute Malaysia, Kuala Lumpur.201 pp.
Wong, W.C.&Lim, S.C. 1990. Malaysian Timbers - Durian. Timber Trade Leaflet No.113. The Malaysian Timber Industry Board and Forest Research Institute Malaysia, Kuala Lumpur.12 pp.