Tropical wood · Tropical America
Black Cabbage-bark wood
Black Cabbage-bark (Lonchocarpus spp., family Leguminosae) is a tropical timber from tropical America. Dry, its Janka hardness is 2,700 lbf (12,010 N), and air-dry it weighs about 46–58 lb/ft³ (737–929 kg/m³). The figures are from the USDA Forest Products Laboratory's Tropical Timbers of the World, pp. 187–188.
Other names, by country: Machiche, Balché (Mexico), Chaperno (Guatemala, Costa Rica, Panama), Macaratú (Colombia), Guaimaro, Marajagua (Venezuela), Sindjaplé (Surinam), Haiari (Guyana) Imbira de sapo, Timbo (Brazil), Barbasco (Peru).
Key numbers
- Janka hardness, dry
- 2,700 lbf (12,010 N)
- As printed: “Janka side hardness up to 2,700 lb at 12% moisture content.”
- Air-dry density
- 46–58 lb/ft³ (737–929 kg/m³)
- Basic specific gravity
- 0.62–0.76 oven-dry weight, green volume
- As printed: “Basic specific gravity (ovendry weight/green volume) varying with species from 0.62 to 0.76; air-dry density from 46 to 58 pcf.”
- Shrinkage, green to oven-dry
- 8.2% tangential
- Radial 3.9%, volumetric 13.0%
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 12% MC | 25,000 psi (172 MPa) | 3.05 million psi (21 GPa) | 12,100 psi (83 MPa) |
| Green | 14,500 psi (100 MPa) | 1.92 million psi (13.2 GPa) | 5,400 psi (37 MPa) |
| 15% MC | 19,400 psi (134 MPa) | — | 7,600 psi (52 MPa) |
| Green | 18,600 psi (128 MPa) | 2.24 million psi (15.4 GPa) | 9,500 psi (66 MPa) |
| 12% MC | 25,400 psi (175 MPa) | 2.44 million psi (16.8 GPa) | 12,900 psi (89 MPa) |
A dash means the sheet prints no value; none is filled in.
What the data sheet says
- Color, grain and texture
- Heartwood yellowish-brown to dark reddish-brown; sharply demarcated from the thick yellowish sapwood. Heartwood striped with rather fine uniform parenchyma laminations of lighter color. Texture moderately coarse; luster low to medium; grain straight to irregular or interlocked; without distinctive odor or taste.
- Working properties
- In spite of its hardness, it is not particularly difficult to work; smooth planing, however, is difficult because of interlocked grain.
- Durability
- Varies considerably with species. L. castilloi reported to be very resistant to fungus and insect attack; L. hedyosmus, moderately resistant; and L. sericeus, susceptible to attack. Preservation; Generally most species are difficult to treat using either open tank or pressure-vacuum systems. Uses; Heavy construction, flooring, furniture components. Durable species suggested for railroad crossties.
- Where it grows
- Throughout tropical America; generally on open hillsides and rather dry plains at low or moderate elevations. In Surinam occasional to locally frequent in high forests and marsh forests on alluvial flats.
Quoted from Tropical Timbers of the World, pp. 187–188, a USDA Forest Products Laboratory work in the public domain.
Work it out for your project
- Rank woods for your project with the species picker
Weigh black Cabbage-bark against other woods on hardness, weight, movement and color, every figure from the Wood Handbook.