List of Indian timber trees

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

There are over 150 species of timber which are produced in India. Following are the chief varieties of timber trees which are used for engineering purposes in India:

Common name	Binomial nomenclature	Colour	Density ¹	Location	Characteristics and usage
Aini	Artocarpus hirsutus	Yellowish brown	595 kg/m³	Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Kerala	Elastic, close-grained, and strong. It takes polish. It can be used underwater. It is used for ordinary building construction, structural work, paving, furniture, etc.
Arjun	Terminalia arjuna	Dark brown	870 kg/m³	Central India	It is heavy and strong. It is used for beams, rafters, posts, etc.
Axlewood	Anogeissus latifolia		930 kg/m³	Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, Bihar, Uttar Pradesh	It is very strong, hard and tough. It takes a smooth finish. It is liable to cracking.
Babul	Acacia nilotica indica	Whitish red	835 kg/m³	Andhra Pradesh, Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Bengal, Gujarat, Uttar Pradesh	It is strong, hard and tough. It takes up a good polish. It is used bodies and wheels of bullock cart, agricultural instruments, tool handles, well curbs, etc.
Bakul	Mimusops elengi	Reddish brown	880 kg/m³	Some parts of North India	It is close-grained and tough. It is used for making cabinets.
Bamboo	Family Poaceae, tribe Bambuseae			Throughout India, especially Assam and Bengal	Not actually a tree, but a woody grass. It is flexible, very strong and durable. It is used for scaffoldings, thatched roofs, rafters, temporary bridges, etc.
Banyan	Ficus, subgenus Urostigma	Brown	580 kg/m³	Throughout India	It is strong and durable only under water. It is used for aerial roots for tent poles, well curbs, etc.
Benteak	Lagerstroemia parviflora		675 kg/m³	Kerala, Madras, Maharashtra, Karnataka	It is strong and takes up a smooth surface. It is used for building constructions, boat building, furniture, etc.
Bijasal	Pterocarpus marsupium	Light brown	800 kg/m³	Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Kerala, Uttar Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Orissa	It is coarse-grained, durable and strong. It is difficult to work. Termite (also known as white ant) do not easily attack it. It is used for ordinary building construction, cart wheels, etc.
Casuarina	Casuarina spp.	Reddish brown	765 kg/m³	Tamil Nadu	It grows straight. It is strong and fibrous. It is, however, badly twisted. It is used for scaffolding, posts for temporary structures, etc.
Coconut	Cocos nucifera	Reddish brown		Throughout coastal India	Takes polish. Requires preservative treatment. Used as poles, piles, furniture and as formwork in concrete construction.
Deodar	Cedrus deodara	Yellowish brown	560 kg/m³	Himalayas, Punjab, Uttar Pradesh	It is the most important timber tree providing soft wood. It can be easily worked. It possesses distinct annual rings. It is moderately strong. It is used for making cheap furniture, railway carriages, railway sleepers, packing boxes, structural work, etc.
Guava	Psidium spp.	Yellowish brown	560 kg/m³	Himalayas, Punjab, Uttar Pradesh	It is the most important timber tree providing soft wood. It can be easily worked. It possesses distinct annual rings. It is moderately strong. It is used for making cheap furniture, railway carriages, railway sleepers, packing boxes, structural work, etc.
Gumar	Gymnema sylvestris	Pale yellow	580 kg/m³	Central India, South India	It can be easily worked. It is strong and durable especially when used under water. It is used for furniture, carriage, well curbs, yokes, door panels, etc.
Hopea	Hopea parviflora	Light to deep brown	1010 kg/m³	Madras, Kerala	It is extremely strong and tough. It is difficult to work. It is durable and not likely to be damaged by white ants. It can be seasoned easily. It is used for ordinary house construction, railway sleepers, piles, boat building, etc.
Indian Elm	Ulmus spp.	Red	960 kg/m³	Throughout India	It is moderately hard and strong. It is used for door and window frames, carts, etc.
Ironwood	Mesua ferrea	Reddish brown	1040 kg/m³		It is durable. It is very hard and is not easily worked. It even resists penetration of nails. It is used for ordinary house construction, bridges, piles, agricultural instruments, railway wagons, railway sleepers, etc.
Irul	Xylia xylocarpa		835 kg/m³	Karnataka, Kerala, Andhra Pradesh, Maharashtra, Orissa, Tamil Nadu	It is very hard, heavy and durable. It is difficult to work. It requires slow and careful seasoning. It is used for railway sleepers, agricultural instruments, paving blocks, heavy construction, etc.
Jack	Artocarpus spp.	Yellow, darkens with age	595 kg/m³	Karnataka, Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu	It is compact and even grained. It is moderately strong. It is easy to work. It takes a good finish. It maintains its shape well. It is used for plain furniture, boat construction, well curbs, door panels, cabinet making, musical instruments, etc.
Jarul	Lagerstroemia flos-reginae	Light reddish gray	640 kg/m³	Assam, Bengal, Maharashtra	It is hard and durable. It can be easily worked. It takes a good finish. It is used for house construction, boat building, railway carriages, cart making, scaffolding, etc.
Kathal	Artocarpus heterophyllus	Yellow to deep brown		Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, Kerala, Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu	It is heavy and hard. It is durable under water and in damp conditions. It cracks, if exposed directly to sun. White ants do not attack it. It is used for piles, platforms of wooden bridges, door and window panels, etc.
Laurel	Lauraceae	Dark brown	880 kg/m³	Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, Bihar, Orissa, Madhya Pradesh, Kerala, Tamil Nadu	It is strong, hard and tough. It is likely to crack and to attack of dry rot. White ants do not attack it. It takes a smooth finish. It is used for house construction, boat construction, railway sleepers, structural work, etc.
Mahogany	Swietenia spp.	Reddish brown	720 kg/m³		It takes a good polish. It is easily worked. It is durable under water. It is used for furniture, pattern making, cabinet work, etc.
Mango	Mangifera spp.	Deep gray	655 kg/m³	Throughout India	The mango tree is well known for its fruits. It is easy to work. It maintains its shape well. It is moderately strong. It is used for cheap furniture, toys, packing boxes, cabinet work, panels for doors and windows, etc.
Mulberry	Morus spp.	Brown	650 kg/m³	Punjab	It is strong, tough and elastic. It takes up a clean finish. It can be well seasoned. It is turned and carved easily. It is used baskets and sports goods like hockey sticks, tennis rackets, cricket bats, etc.
Oak	Quercus spp.	Yellowish brown	865 kg/m³		It is strong and durable. It posses straight silvery grains. It is used for preparing sport goods.
Palms	Arecaceae	Dark brown	1040 kg/m³	Throughout India	It contains ripe wood in the outer crust. The colour of this ripened wood is dark brown. It is strong and durable. It is fibrous. It is used for furniture, roof covering, rafters, joists, etc.
Pine	Pinus spp.				It is hard and tough except white pine which is soft. It decays easily, if it comes in contact with soil. It is heavy and coarsegrained. White pine is light and straight grained. It is used for pattern making, frames for doors and windows, paving material, etc. White pine is used in the manufacture of match.
Red cedar		Red	480 kg/m³	Assam, Nagpur	It is soft and even grained. It is used for furnitutre, door panels, well curbs, etc.
Rosewood or blackwood	Dalbergia latifolia; Dalbergia melanoxylon	Dark	790 kg/m³	Kerala, Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Orrissa	It is strong, tough and close-grained. It is handsome and takes up a high polish. It maintains its shape well. It is available in large sizes. It is used for furniture of superior quality, cabinet work, ornamental carvings, etc.
Sal	Shorea robusta	Brown	800 kg/m³	Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, Maharashtra, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Madhya Pradesh, Orissa	It is hard, fibrous and close-grained. It does not take up a good polish. It requires slow and careful seasoning. It is durable under groung and water. It is used for railway sleepers, shipbuilding, bridges etc.
Sandalwood	Santalum spp.	White or Red	930 kg/m³	Karnataka, Assam, Nagpur, Bengal	It gives out pleasant smell. It is used for agricultural instruments, well curbs, wheels, mallets, etc.
Satinwood	Chloroxylon swietenia; Zanthoxylum flavum	Yellow	960 kg/m³	Central and Southern India	It is very hard and durable. It is close grained. It is used for furniture and other ornamental works.
Simul	Bombax spp.	White	450 kg/m³	All over India	It is loose grained. It is an inferior quality of wood. It is light in weight. It is used for packing cases, match industry, well curbs, cheap furniture, etc.
Siris	Albizia spp.	Dark brown		North India	It is hard and durable. It is difficult to work on. It is used for well curbs in salty water, beams, posts, funiture, etc.
Sissoo	Dalbergia sissoo	Dark brown	770 kg/m³	Mysore, Maharashtra, Assam, Bengal, Uttar Pradesh, Orissa	It is also known as shisham or tali. It is strong and tough. It is durable and handsome. It maintains its shape well. It can be easily seasoned. It is difficult to work, but it takes a fine polish. It is used for high class furniture, plywoods, bridge piles, sport goods, railway sleepers, etc. It is a very good material for decorative works and carvings.
Spruce	Picea spp.		480 kg/m³		It resists decay. It is not affected by the attack of marine borers. It is liable to shrink, twist and wrap. It is used for piles under water, aeroplanes, etc.
Sundri	Heritiera fomes	Dark red	960 kg/m³	Bengal	It is hard and tough. It is difficult to season and work. It is elastic and close grained. It is strong and durable. It is used for boat building, piles, poles, tool handles, carriage shafts, etc.
Tamarind	Tamarindus indica	Dark brown	1280 kg/m³	All over India	It is knotty and durable. It is a beautiful tree for avenue and gardens. Its developement is very slow. But it ultimately forms a massive appearance. Its fruit is also very useful. It is used for agricultural instruments, well curbs, sugar mills, carts, brick burning, etc.
Teak	Tectona grandis	Deep yellow to dark brown	625 kg/m³	Central India and Southern India	It is moderately hard. It is durable and fire-resistant. It can be easily seasoned and worked. It takes up a good polish. It is not attacked by white ants and dry rot. It does not corrode iron fastenings. It shrinks little. It is among the most valuable timber trees of the world. It is used for house construction, railway carriages, flooring, structural work, ship building, furniture, mallets, agricultural instruments, well curbs, piles, etc. Its use is limited to superior work only as it is comparatively very costly.
Toon	Toona ciliata	Reddish brown or dull red	530 kg/m³	Assam	It can be easily worked. It is light in weight. It is used for furniture, packing boxes, cabinet making, door panels, etc.