Hardwood Floors June/July 2024

RESOURCES

SPECIES SPECS Andi roba

Carapa guianensis

FAMILY Meliaceae (mahogany) family

AVERAGE DRIED WEIGHT 41 lbs/ft 3 (660 kg/m 3 )

OTHER COMMON NAMES Crabwood, royal mahogany, carapa.

SPECIFIC GRAVITY Averages 0.57 (at 12 percent MC)

SEASONING/SHRINKAGE VALUE Andiroba dries quickly with a risk of distortion during the seasoning process. When going from green (30 percent MC) to oven-dried, it may shrink up to 7.6 percent (tangential) of its given width.

DIMENSIONAL STABILITY IN-USE Average

DIMENSIONAL CHANGE COEFFICIENT 0.00274 (tangential)

TOXICITY/ALLERGIES Can cause eye, skin, or respiratory irritation.

INSTALLATION It can be challenging to work with due to its density. Moderate dulling effect on blades. Grain tear out can occur with figured grain. It is important to cut slow with this species. Glues well. The hardness of this species makes it difficult to drive a fastener through. The air compressor psi will need to be adjusted to avoid tongue splitting, and to ensure adequate seating in the nailing pocket. Eighteen-gauge cleats work best when nailing this wood. SAND/FINISH Sands well following the standard grit progression sequence. Accepts stains and finishes nicely. SUSTAINABILITY Andiroba is not listed in the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) Appendices and is reported by the International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources (IUCN) Red List as being a species of Least Concern.

Andiroba

PHOTO COURTESY OF NWFA

APPEARANCE/COLOR The Heartwood is pale reddish-brown to dark brown. Sapwood is a lighter pink or pale brown, not clearly demarcated from heartwood. Quartersawn surfaces with interlocked grain can exhibit a ribbon-like appearance. PHOTOSENSITIVITY Moderate. Slightly darkens to a medium to dark brown with age and exposure to sunlight and oxygen. GRAIN Diffuse-porous. The grain is uniform, straight, and sometimes wavy or interlocked. It has a fine to medium texture.

HARDNESS (JANKA) Averages 1,220 lb f

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