Wood Trailer Flooring

Many different species of wood have been used for truck trailer flooring. The most common species in use today are hardwood Apitong which is also known as Keruing, American Red and White Oak, and softwood Southern Yellow Pine. The Apitong wood weighs approximately twice as much as the Southern Yellow Pine wood and the Apitong is roughly three times the strength and the hardness. When comparing Apitong wood to Red Oak or White Oak wood, again Apitong has both higher strength properties, hardness and density.

Tropical Woods Used as Trailer Flooring

Tropical wood, primarily from Southeast Asia and South America, is generally much more durable, has higher strength properties and weighs more than domestic North American hardwoods or softwoods. Of course, there are many low density woods that grow in the tropics as well, but the list of higher density woods that have been used on trailer floors is long: Purpleheart, Angelim Pedra, Jatoba, Ipe, Cumaru, Greenheart, Bulletwood, Massaranduba, Tauroniro, Shibidan, Tanimbuca - just to name a few.

Below is a table comparing the various types of wood that may be used in the trailer flooring industry:

SPECIES	Approximate Weight per MBF at 10% MC	Modulus of Rupture (psi)	Modulus of Elasticity (1000 psi)	Maximum Crushing Strength (psi)	Side Hardness (lbs)	Compression Perpendicular (psi)	Shear (psi)
Purpleheart	4,800	21,300	2,420	11,380	2,060	1,910	1,830
Tatajuba	4,500	20,050	2,580	11,560	1,730	NA	NA
Apitong	4,600	19,900	2,070	10,500	1,270	NA	2,070
Angelim Pedra	4,400	17,600	2,050	8,990	1,720	A	2,010
White Oak	4,200	15,200	1,780	7,440	1,360	1,070	1,360
Red Oak	3,900	14,300	1,820	6,760	1,070	1,010	1,780
Southern Yellow Pine	3,100	14,200	1,880	7,750	750	890	1,490
Douglas Fir	2,700	12,400	1,950	7,230	710	800	1,130

US Dept. of Agriculture Handbook No. 207
US Dept. of Agriculture Handbook No. 72, pp 4-24