Tropical wood · Southeast Asia and Oceania
Kokko wood
Kokko (Albizia lebbek, family Leguminosae) is a tropical timber from Southeast Asia and Oceania. Dry, its Janka hardness is 1,240–1,440 lbf (5,516–6,405 N), and air-dry it weighs about 39 lb/ft³ (625 kg/m³). The figures are from the USDA Forest Products Laboratory's Tropical Timbers of the World, pp. 551–552.
Other names, by country: Dormilón (Colombia), Barba de caballero (Venezuela), Siris tree, East Indian Walnut (United Kingdom), Siris (India).
Key numbers
- Janka hardness, dry
- 1,240–1,440 lbf (5,516–6,405 N)
- As printed: “Janka side hardness ranged from 1,240 lb to 1,440 lb for dry material.”
- Air-dry density
- 39 lb/ft³ (625 kg/m³)
- Basic specific gravity
- 0.51 oven-dry weight, green volume
- As printed: “Basic specific gravity (ovendry weight/green volume) 0.51; air-dry density 39 pcf.”
- Shrinkage, green to oven-dry
- 5.8% tangential
- Radial 2.9%, volumetric 9.6%
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 3 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 | 9,500 psi (66 MPa) | 1.58 million psi (10.9 GPa) | 5,100 psi (35 MPa) |
| 11% MC | 15,640 psi (108 MPa) | 2.06 million psi (14.2 GPa) | 10,300 psi (71 MPa) |
| 12% MC | 13,400 psi (92 MPa) | — | 7,950 psi (55 MPa) |
A dash means the sheet prints no value; none is filled in.
What the data sheet says
- Color, grain and texture
- Heartwood golden-brown when freshly cut turning to a rich dark brown with lighter streaks on exposure; distinct from the whitish sapwood. Texture medium to coarse; luster medium; grain deeply interlocked; without distinctive odor or taste.
- Working properties
- The wood is reported to be somewhat difficult to saw and machine because of the roey grain; takes a smooth surface and finishes well; slices well for decorative veneers. Sawdust may be irritating to eyes, nose, and throat.
- Durability
- Heartwood is rated as moderately durable.
- Uses
- Furniture and cabinetwork, decorative veneers, parquet and strip flooring, joinery.
- Where it grows
- The species is widely distributed in India, Burma, Andaman Islands, Philippines, Indochina, and Malaysia. Planted and naturalized throughout the tropics as an ornamental and for shade.
Quoted from Tropical Timbers of the World, pp. 551–552, 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 kokko against other woods on hardness, weight, movement and color, every figure from the Wood Handbook.