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
Contact Us
Call Us