Dark Red Meranti Wood

Dark Red Meranti is a highly versatile and moderately durable light hardwood sourced from Malaysia, belonging to the Shorea genus (Dipterocarpaceae). It is also known by vernacular names such as meranti, seraya, and nemesu. This timber is supplied as square-edged, air-dried boards. It is graded as 'Standard and Better' and is an excellent all-round timber, particularly suitable for general joinery and framing sizes.

The sapwood of Dark Red Meranti is pink with a grey tinge, not clearly defined from the heartwood, which ranges from medium red to deep red to deep red-brown. The timber exhibits a moderately coarse and even texture with an interlocked grain. It is easy to saw and work and consistently produces a smooth planed surface. The nailing property of Dark Red Meranti is rated as good. Its seasoned timber is classified with small movement in service.

Key Characteristics

• Origin: Malaysia.
• Color: Pink to deep red-brown.
• Density: It is a Light Hardwood with an air-dry density ranging from $415-885~kg/m^{3}$. LekStar's Dark Red Meranti typically has a density of $630-670~kg/m^{3}$.
• Durability: Classified as moderately durable, with an average service life ranging from about 2.0 to 3.9 years in standard graveyard tests conducted by the Forest Research Institute Malaysia (FRIM). Some species have shown a service life of 10-15 years under temperate conditions.
• Movement in Service: Small.
• Availability: Supplied as square-edged, air-dried boards.
• Grade: 'Standard and Better'.
• Thicknesses Available: 1", 1.25", 1.5", 2", 2.5", 3" & 4".
• Specification: 6" and wider, 6' and longer.

Applications

Dark Red Meranti wood is suitable for a wide array of applications:

• General Joinery
• Furniture
• High-class interior finishing
• Flooring and Decking
• Panelling and Partitioning
• Mouldings and Skirtings
• Fancy doors, door and window frames and sills
• Staircase components such as angle blocks, rough bracket, and tread
• Plywood
• Railway sleepers
• Posts, beams, joists, and rafters
• Pallets (expendable type)
• Vehicle bodies including framework, floor boards, and planking
• Ship and boat building for keels, keelsons, framework, and general planking
• Cooling tower (non-structural members)
• Other light constructional works

Defects and Considerations

All timbers in the meranti group are liable to be attacked by shot-hole and pin-hole beetles, though the attack is usually not serious in species of dark red meranti. Spongy heart is a common defect in the red meranti group, which can result in brittleness and reduced strength properties. Large sized logs of dark red meranti may tend to rot at the center leaving a hollow core with active termite attack on the fringes. A prominent feature is the presence of exceptionally numerous and conspicuous lines of resin canals.