Tropical wood · Tropical America
Banak wood
Banak (Virola spp., family Myristicaceae) is a tropical timber from tropical America. Dry, its Janka hardness is 450–640 lbf (2,002–2,847 N), and air-dry it weighs about 27–46 lb/ft³ (432–737 kg/m³). The figures are from the USDA Forest Products Laboratory's Tropical Timbers of the World, pp. 309–310.
Other names, by country: Sangre, Palo de sangre (Guatemala, Honduras), Sangredrago (Nicaragua), Fruta dorada (Costa Rica), Miguelarillo (Panama), Sangre de toro (Colombia), Camaticaro (Venezuela), Baboen (Surinam), Bicuiba (Brazil), Cumala (Peru).
Key numbers
- Janka hardness, dry
- 450–640 lbf (2,002–2,847 N)
- As printed: “Janka side hardness for dry material 450 to 640 lb.”
- Air-dry density
- 27–46 lb/ft³ (432–737 kg/m³)
- Basic specific gravity
- 0.36–0.61 oven-dry weight, green volume
- As printed: “Basic specific gravity (ovendry weight/green volume) varies considerably with species from about 0.36 to 0.61, commonly 0.44; air-dry density 27 to 46 pcf.”
- Shrinkage, green to oven-dry
- 8.8% tangential
- Radial 4.6%, volumetric 13.7%
One source: USDA Forest Products Laboratory, Tropical Timbers of the World (Chudnoff, 1979 edition), the only published source read for this wood
Strength
Bending strength is the modulus of rupture (MOR); stiffness is the modulus of elasticity (MOE); crushing strength is compression parallel to the grain. The sheet collects these from published tests: it prints 5 data sets, from different tests and sources, so they can differ widely; all are shown, in the sheet's order, each at the moisture content printed beside it, never restated as 12%.
| Moisture | Bending strength (MOR) | Stiffness (MOE) | Crushing strength |
|---|---|---|---|
| Green | 5,600 psi (39 MPa) | 1.64 million psi (11.3 GPa) | 2,390 psi (16 MPa) |
| 12% MC | 10,950 psi (75 MPa) | 2.04 million psi (14.1 GPa) | 5,140 psi (35 MPa) |
| Green | 6,520 psi (45 MPa) | 1.38 million psi (9.5 GPa) | 3,180 psi (22 MPa) |
| 12% MC | 11,450 psi (79 MPa) | 1.61 million psi (11.1 GPa) | 5,950 psi (41 MPa) |
| 12% MC | 7,780 psi (54 MPa) | 1.28 million psi (8.8 GPa) | 4,740 psi (33 MPa) |
A dash means the sheet prints no value; none is filled in.
What the data sheet says
- Color, grain and texture
- On drying and exposure, heartwood becomes a pinkish golden-brown or deep reddish-brown; sapwood cream to tan color, pot always sharply demarcated. Luster low to medium; texture rather coarse; grain straight; without distinctive odor or taste.
- Working properties
- Works easily with both hand and machine tools and produces a good finish, glues well; cuts well into veneers.
- Durability
- The wood is not resistant to attack by decay fungi and is very susceptible to attack by termites and other insects. Logs require prompt conversion or water storage to prevent damage by pinhole borers. Bacterial attack resulting in the formation of odoriferous compounds is also reported.
- Uses
- Veneer and plywood, particle and fiberboard, furniture components, boxes and crates, light construction, general carpentry, millwork. Oil is extracted from seeds of Virola and used in soaps and candles.
- Where it grows
- Varying with species from Belize and Guatemala southward to Venezuela, the Guianas, the Amazon region of northern Brazil, southern Brazil, and on the Pacific Coast, to Peru and Bolivia; common in swamp and marsh forests.
Quoted from Tropical Timbers of the World, pp. 309–310, a USDA Forest Products Laboratory work in the public domain.
Work it out for your project
- Rank woods for furniture with the species picker
Weigh banak against other woods on hardness, weight, movement and color, every figure from the Wood Handbook.