Tropical wood · Tropical America
Marishballi wood
Marishballi (Licania spp., family Chrysobalanaceae) is a tropical timber from tropical America. Dry, its Janka hardness is 3,570 lbf (15,880 N), and air-dry it weighs about 52–72 lb/ft³ (833–1,153 kg/m³). The figures are from the USDA Forest Products Laboratory's Tropical Timbers of the World, pp. 183–184.
Other names, by country: Bois gris (Trinidad), Monkey apple (Belize), Carbonero, Sapote (Panama), Abure, Cana dulce (Colombia), Merecure de montaña (Venezuela), Kwepie, Anaura (Surinam), Pintadinho, Caraipé (Brazil), Marishballi, Kairiballi (Guyana).
Key numbers
- Janka hardness, dry
- 3,570 lbf (15,880 N)
- Green: 2,250 lbf (10,008 N)
- As printed: “Janka side hardness 2,250 lb for green material and 3,570 lb at 12% moisture content.”
- Air-dry density
- 52–72 lb/ft³ (833–1,153 kg/m³)
- Basic specific gravity
- 0.64–0.91 oven-dry weight, green volume
- As printed: “Basic specific gravity (ovendry weight/green volume) varies with species from 0.64 to 0.91; air-dry density 52 to 72 pcf.”
- Shrinkage, green to oven-dry
- 11.7% tangential
- Radial 7.5%, volumetric 17.2%
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 | 17,070 psi (118 MPa) | 2.93 million psi (20.2 GPa) | 7,580 psi (52 MPa) |
| 12% MC | 27,660 psi (191 MPa) | 3.34 million psi (23 GPa) | 13,390 psi (92 MPa) |
| Green | 14,380 psi (99 MPa) | 2.32 million psi (16 GPa) | 6,720 psi (46 MPa) |
| 12% MC | 20,650 psi (142 MPa) | 2.53 million psi (17.4 GPa) | 11,010 psi (76 MPa) |
A dash means the sheet prints no value; none is filled in.
What the data sheet says
- Color, grain and texture
- Heartwood is generally a yellowish-brown to brown or dark brown, sometimes with a reddish tinge; sapwood tan, often rather indistinct. Texture usually fine and close; luster rather low; usually straight grained; without characteristic odor or taste. Silica content varies with species but may be as high as 3 to 4%.
- Working properties
- The woods of Licania are difficult to work because of the high silica content and high density. Smooth surfaces are obtainable if tools are kept sharp. Specially hardened cutters are suggested.
- Durability
- Varies with species, generally considered to have low to moderately low resistance to attack by decay fungi. One species is reported to be resistant to drywood termite attack; all are known for their high resistance to attack by marine borers.
- Uses
- Underwater marine construction, heavy construction above ground, railroad crossties (treated), charcoal, and fuel.
- Where it grows
- Widely distributed in tropical America but is most abundant in the Guianans and the lower Amazon region of Brazil. Frequent in the overflow woodlands of the Amazon estuary but also in upland forests.
Quoted from Tropical Timbers of the World, pp. 183–184, a USDA Forest Products Laboratory work in the public domain.
Work it out for your project
- Rank woods for ground contact with the species picker
Weigh marishballi against other woods on hardness, weight, movement and color, every figure from the Wood Handbook.