Tropical wood · Africa
Staudtia stipitata wood
Staudtia stipitata (Staudtia stipitata, family Myristicaceae) is a tropical timber from Africa. Air-dry, it weighs about 57 lb/ft³ (913 kg/m³). The figures are from the USDA Forest Products Laboratory's Tropical Timbers of the World, pp. 507–508.
Other names, by country: M'bonda (Cameroon), Niové, M'boun (Gabon), Kamashi, Nkafi (Zaire).
Key numbers
- Janka hardness, dry
- Not printed
- Air-dry density
- 57 lb/ft³ (913 kg/m³)
- Basic specific gravity
- 0.75 oven-dry weight, green volume
- As printed: “Basic specific gravity (ovendry weight/green volume) 0.75; air-dry density 57 pcf.”
- Shrinkage, green to oven-dry
- 7.2% tangential
- Radial 5.5%, volumetric 12.5%
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 2 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 12% MC | 23,500 psi (162 MPa) | — | 11,300 psi (78 MPa) |
| 12% MC | 25,400 psi (175 MPa) | 2.3 million psi (15.9 GPa) | 13,300 psi (92 MPa) |
A dash means the sheet prints no value; none is filled in.
What the data sheet says
- Color, grain and texture
- Heartwood red-brown to yellow-brown with darker streaks; sapwood 4 in. wide, pale yellow to orange-brown. Texture is very fine; grain straight; slightly lustrous and occasionally oily; pepper-like scent.
- Working properties
- Timber saws slowly but with little difficulty, tungsten-carbide tipped cutters are suggested; planes with ease to produce a smooth finish, glues satisfactorily. Should be quartersawn. If steamed, suitable for slicing.
- Durability
- Excellent durability and resistant to termite attack. Excellent weathering properties.
- Uses
- Cabinetwork, joinery, decorative veneers, flooring, turnery.
- Where it grows
- Found in Gabon, Cameroon, and the Congo region; occurs in mixed forests, in large stands, as well as secondary forests.
Quoted from Tropical Timbers of the World, pp. 507–508, a USDA Forest Products Laboratory work in the public domain.
Work it out for your project
- Rank woods for cabinets and trim with the species picker
Weigh staudtia stipitata against other woods on hardness, weight, movement and color, every figure from the Wood Handbook.