Technical Wood Properties for Brazilian Cherry Hardwood
Technical information about Brazilian Cherry, Jatoba from TrailerDecking.com
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- Scientific Name, Other Names: Hymenaea courbaril, Jatoba, Brazilian Cherry, Copal, Azucar, Jatai, Jutai, Locust
- Description: Brazilian Cherry or Jatoba is the most popular imported wood for interior flooring. It is medium red-brown and darkens with exposure to light. It is occasionally used as residential decking and for the construction of furniture. It has beautiful grain patterns, is very stable, and is naturally durable.
- Janka Hardness: 2,350 pounds
- Strength (MOR): 19,400 psi
- Stiffness (MOE): 2,160 1000 psi
- Density (KG/m3): 800
- Tangential Shrinkage: 6.2%
- Radial Shrinkage: 4.8%
- About: For industrial applications, Brazilian Cherry makes great components. It can also be used for S4S board applications. It is very hard and dense, but it is stable as well.
- Family: Leguminosae
- Tree Characteristics: The Brazilian Cherry tree can grow to a height of 130 ft with the diameter of the trunk reaching 5 to 6 feet. The average tree height is 100 feet with a diameter of 2-4 feet.
- Geographic Area: Central America, the West Indies, northern Brazil, Bolivia, Peru, and Southern Mexico. The tree can typically be found on high riverbanks, ridges, or slopes.
- Color: Brazilian Cherry heartwood can range from pinkish-red to brown-orange when it is fresh, transitioning to tan to reddish-brown when seasoned. The sapwood is typically gray, white, or pinkish in shade.
- Photosensitivity: Brazilian Cherry's color will darken over time to a deeper shade of red when exposed to light. After approximately 3 months of light exposure, the color will remain constant.
- Luster: Golden luster
- Grain: Mostly interlocked
- Texture: Medium to coarse
- Drying Characteristics: Slightly difficult to air dry
- Working Characteristics: Brazilian Cherry is rated as moderately difficult to saw and and machine as a result of high density. For planing purposes, it can be machined to a smooth surface. Planing can be complicated by the wood's interlocked grain. Gluing and finishing Brazilian Cherry is rated as easy.
- Durability Rating: Brazilian Cherry is rated as very durable. It is very resistant to brown-rot and white-rot fungi, and dry rot termites.
- Applications: Flooring, prefinished, unfinished and engineered, decking, outdoor furniture, interior paneling and trim, furniture, railroad crossties, tree-nails, gear cogs, wheel rims, steam-bent parts, tool handles
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