Physical and Related Properties of 145 Timbers: Information for practice

To obtain the best attainable end-use stability of a wooden product it is essential to have information on the movement and shrinkage that may be expected.
In this context, it is essential when drying timber to choose an accurate drying schedule in relation to the shrinkage figures and the risk of deformation.
Generally, many timber properties are closely related to the density and the nominal specific gravity. With the given detailed information (per wood species), the water content (amount of evaporation and energy in timber drying) or the void volume (in case of impregnation, in order to estimate the maximum uptake of a liquid) in the wood can be calculated.
The physical properties of 145 commercial timbers have been determined in the past decades. They comprise the shrinkage and swelling values, equilibrium moisture content, hysteresis, density and nominal specific gravity, including the variation coefficients of these values. The shrinkage, swelling and hysteresis are presented in graphic form; the other information in tabular form. Additional information about some other properties of physical nature has been added, e.g. gluelam products and rattan.