Tropical wood · Tropical America
Lechero wood
Lechero (Sapium spp., family Euphorbiaceae) is a tropical timber from tropical America. Dry, its Janka hardness is 700 lbf (3,114 N), and air-dry it weighs about 36 lb/ft³ (577 kg/m³). The figures are from the USDA Forest Products Laboratory's Tropical Timbers of the World, pp. 271–272.
Other names, by country: Hierba mala, Mago (Mexico), Olivo (Panama), Palo de leche, Caucho (Colombia), Lechero (Venezuela), Pau de leite, Tapurú (Brazil), Caucho-mashán (Peru), Curupi, Lecherón (Argentina).
Key numbers
- Janka hardness, dry
- 700 lbf (3,114 N)
- Green: 520 lbf (2,313 N)
- As printed: “Janka side hardness 520 lb for green material and 700 lb for dry.”
- Air-dry density
- 36 lb/ft³ (577 kg/m³)
- Basic specific gravity
- 0.47 oven-dry weight, green volume
- As printed: “Basic specific gravity (ovendry weight/green volume) 0.47; air-dry density 36 pcf.”
- Shrinkage, green to oven-dry
- 6.6% tangential
- Radial 3.3%, volumetric 9.2%
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 4 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 | 7,700 psi (53 MPa) | 1.48 million psi (10.2 GPa) | 3,200 psi (22 MPa) |
| 12% MC | 10,790 psi (74 MPa) | 1.68 million psi (11.6 GPa) | 6,120 psi (42 MPa) |
| 12% MC | 12,000 psi (83 MPa) | 2.14 million psi (14.8 GPa) | — |
| 12% MC | 11,900 psi (82 MPa) | — | 6,150 psi (42 MPa) |
A dash means the sheet prints no value; none is filled in.
What the data sheet says
- Color, grain and texture
- Heartwood whitish, yellowish, or light brown not distinct from the cream-colored sapwood. Grain is straight to slightly interlocked; luster is low; texture medium; without distinctive odor or taste.
- Working properties
- The wood works easily because of its low density; sometimes surfaces are fuzzy but generally machines smoothly. One report indicates difficulty in sanding.
- Durability
- The wood has low resistance to decay and insect attack, including dry-wood termites. Lumber is particularly prone to blue stain.
- Uses
- Plywood, fiberboard, particleboard, general carpentry, millwork, utility furniture, boxes and crates.
- Where it grows
- Throughout tropical America from Mexico and the West Indies to Uruguay and Argentina.
Quoted from Tropical Timbers of the World, pp. 271–272, 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 lechero against other woods on hardness, weight, movement and color, every figure from the Wood Handbook.