Merbau
Name
• Scientific name: Intsia spp.
• Spanish name: Merbau
Origin

Impregnation
• Sapwood: Impregnable
• Heartwood: Not impregnable
Mechanization
• Sawing: Difficult because its hardness is combined with a high silica content that wears down tools, and oils that can cause irritation.
• Drying: Slow to very slow. Small risk of warping and cracking.
• Planing: In addition to the hardness and silica content, peeling is common due to the interlocked grain.
• Gluing: No difficulties except when the surface is very oily, in which case pre-cleaning may be necessary.
• Nailing and screwing: Requires pre-drilling.
• Finishing: No difficulties.
Applications
• Fine interior and exterior furniture and joinery.
Turned and carved furniture.
• Interior carpentry: doors, paneling, moldings, baseboards, friezes, stairs, parquet flooring, and flooring in general.
• Exterior carpentry: doors and windows.
• Framing carpentry: bridges, shipbuilding.
• Decorative veneers.
Mechanical properties
• Static bending strength: 1,350 kg/cm²
• Modulus of elasticity: 154,000 kg/cm²
• Compressive strength parallel to the axis: 670 kg/cm²
To be considered
- Currently, its importation is limited to wood with some type of processing, not simply planed wood.