Wood species
Indian rosewood wood
Indian rosewood is a hardwood (Dalbergia latifolia). At 12% moisture content it has a Janka hardness of 3,170 lbf (14,101 N) and it weighs about 55 lb/ft³ (885 kg/m³), 4.6 lb (2.09 kg) per board foot.
Key numbers
- Janka hardness, 12% MC
- 3,170 lbf (14,101 N)
- Green: 1,560 lbf (6,939 N)
- Weight at 12% MC
- 55 lb/ft³ (885 kg/m³)
- 4.6 lb per board foot
- Specific gravity (oven-dry weight)
- 0.75 on green volume
- Shrinkage, green to oven-dry
- 5.8% tangential
- Radial 2.7%, volumetric 8.5%
One source: USDA Forest Products Laboratory, collected from the world literature (its Tables 5-5 and 4-4)
Why: From the USDA Wood Handbook, which collected these values from the world literature; Indian rosewood's density is worked from its specific gravity with the Handbook's own equations.
How much Indian rosewood moves
A 12 in wide flatsawn board of indian rosewood that goes from 6% to 12% moisture content swells about 0.15 in (about 5/32 in, 3.7 mm). Quartersawn, the same board moves about 0.07 in (about 1/16 in, 1.7 mm). Flatsawn faces move 2.1 times as much as quartersawn ones, because the wood shrinks 5.8% around the growth rings but only 2.7% across them.
Worked from the Wood Handbook's shrinkage values (Table 4-4) with its Eq. 13-4; the Handbook gives no movement coefficients for imported woods. Individual boards vary: the Handbook gives shrinkage a coefficient of variation of about 15% (p. 4-11).
Color, grain and working
- Color
- Golden brown to dark purplish brown with blackish streaks at the end of each growth zone; narrow yellowish sapwood.
- Grain and texture
- Uniform, moderately coarse texture.
- Working and character
- Heavy and strong, particularly hard for its weight. Moderately hard to work by hand; mineral deposits dull tools quickly. Turns well and holds screws well; pores may need filling for a very smooth finish.
- Uses
- High-quality furniture and cabinetwork, mostly as veneer in the US.
The Handbook reports that Indian rosewood is listed in CITES Appendix II.
Adapted in our own words from the Wood Handbook, Chapter 2, p. 2-35.
Strength
Bending strength is the modulus of rupture (MOR); stiffness is the modulus of elasticity (MOE). Values for indian rosewood from Wood Handbook Table 5-5b (p. 5-24), which the Handbook says were collected from the world literature, on clear, straight-grained specimens. Knots and cross grain make lumber weaker than these clear samples (Handbook Chapter 5).
| Property | Green | 12% MC |
|---|---|---|
| Bending strength (MOR) | 9,200 psi (63 MPa) | 16,900 psi (117 MPa) |
| Stiffness (MOE) | 1,190,000 psi (8.2 GPa) | 1,780,000 psi (12.3 GPa) |
| Crushing strength (compression parallel to grain) | 4,530 psi (31 MPa) | 9,220 psi (64 MPa) |
| Shear parallel to grain | 1,400 psi (10 MPa) | 2,090 psi (14 MPa) |
A dash means the Handbook prints no value; none is filled in.
Dust and health
- Wood dust is classed as carcinogenic to humans (Group 1) by the International Agency for Research on Cancer, chiefly for cancers of the nose and sinuses.
- NIOSH recommends keeping wood dust exposure to 1 mg/m³ of total dust, as quoted in OSHA's sawmill guidance.
- Germany's federal list of sensitizing substances (TRGS 907) names Dalbergia latifolia as a skin sensitizer.
This is what the named authorities publish, not medical advice.
Compare with
Why these numbers
Why these numbers?
The situation
The Wood Handbook prints 3,170 lbf of side hardness at 12% moisture content for indian rosewood, a value it says was collected from the world literature (Table 5-5b, p. 5-24).
One source: USDA Forest Products Laboratory, collected from the world literature (its Tables 5-5 and 4-4) , sources [1]
What that means
Side hardness (Janka) is the load needed to press a 0.444 in (11.28 mm) steel ball halfway into the wood across the grain; a higher number dents less (Handbook p. 5-5).
One source: USDA Forest Products Laboratory, collected from the world literature (its Tables 5-5 and 4-4) , sources [1]
So
The Handbook gives only the green specific gravity (0.75) for indian rosewood, so it is moved to 12% with the volumetric shrinkage of 8.5% (Eqs. 4-9 and 4-11), then multiplied by water's density and 1.12 (Eq. 4-14).
Arithmetic: exact by definition , sources [1]
The number
About 55 lb/ft³, or 4.6 lb per board foot (1/12 ft³), at 12% moisture content.
Arithmetic: exact by definition
Sources