Tropical wood · Tropical America
Rauli wood
Rauli (Nothofagus spp., family Fagaceae) is a tropical timber from tropical America. Dry, its Janka hardness is 990 lbf (4,404 N), and air-dry it weighs about 34–40 lb/ft³ (545–641 kg/m³). The figures are from the USDA Forest Products Laboratory's Tropical Timbers of the World, pp. 209–210.
Other names, by country: Anis, Coihue, Coyan, Hualo, Rauli, Roble Ruilí (Chile), Coihué, Lengue, Niré, Roble (Argentina).
Key numbers
- Janka hardness, dry
- 990 lbf (4,404 N)
- Green: 840 lbf (3,737 N)
- As printed: “Janka side hardness 840 lb for green material, 990 lb at 12% moisture content.”
- Air-dry density
- 34–40 lb/ft³ (545–641 kg/m³)
- Basic specific gravity
- 0.45–0.53 oven-dry weight, green volume
- As printed: “Basic specific gravity (ovendry weight/green volume) ranges from 0.45 to 0.53; air-dry density 34 to 40 pcf.”
- Shrinkage, green to oven-dry
- 7.0% tangential
- Radial 3.5%
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 6 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 | 7,500 psi (52 MPa) | 1.22 million psi (8.4 GPa) | 3,550 psi (24 MPa) |
| 12% MC | 11,500 psi (79 MPa) | 1.49 million psi (10.3 GPa) | 6,650 psi (46 MPa) |
| Green | 10,700 psi (74 MPa) | 1.38 million psi (9.5 GPa) | 4,000 psi (28 MPa) |
| 12% MC | 17,400 psi (120 MPa) | 1.83 million psi (12.6 GPa) | 8,800 psi (61 MPa) |
| Green | 8,100 psi (56 MPa) | 1.17 million psi (8.1 GPa) | 3,980 psi (27 MPa) |
| 12% MC | 11,200 psi (77 MPa) | 1.42 million psi (9.8 GPa) | 6,480 psi (45 MPa) |
A dash means the sheet prints no value; none is filled in.
What the data sheet says
- Color, grain and texture
- Heartwood varies from pale pinkish-brown to reddish-brown to bright cherry-red; sapwood often wide, light brown. Texture mostly fine and uniform. Rauli has a tendency to ring porosity; without distinctive odor or taste; grain is straight; luster low to medium.
- Working properties
- Both species are easy to work and dress cleanly; fair to good steam-bending qualities; easy to glue and finish.
- Durability
- Heartwood durability variable. Soil-block tests of Coigue indicate low resistance to attack by decay fungi, but some references give a provisional durable to moderately durable rating.
- Uses
- Furniture components, cabinet work, flooring, millwork, cooperage, an all purpose timber in Chile. Rauli is the preferred species.
- Where it grows
- Coigue: From 38° S. latitude northward along the Chilean coast and up the river valleys into the high cordilleras in northern Llanquihue on poor soils. Rauli: From the Province of Valparaiso to the Province of Valdivia, mostly on good soils.
Quoted from Tropical Timbers of the World, pp. 209–210, 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 rauli against other woods on hardness, weight, movement and color, every figure from the Wood Handbook.