Massaranduba

Massaranduba (Manilkara bidentata)

Bulletwood, bolletrie, balata

General characteristics:

It is one of the toughest and most resilient species in the world.
Naturally resistant to decay processes, it is an excellent choice for use as outdoor timber. The dark reddish-brown colour is very characteristic of this species, and has the advantage of being very similar to the colour of the decking boards. Massaranduba decking is a very good choice for those looking for a dark wood with high resistance and properties that guarantee decades of use. Massaranduba board is also an alternative for those looking for wood with a smooth slender structure without visible grain.
 

Origin:

The natural habitat of bulletwood is the evergreen rainforests that grow in the Amazon Basin, the Orinoco Plain and the Guiana Highlands – from Venezuela to Suriname to French Guiana, as well as the northern Andes and Central America.

Tree habit:

Massaranduba is a relatively large tree, reaching heights of 40 or even 50 m. The trunks, reinforced at the base by pronounced flutes, are up to 1.5 m in diameter. The remaining straight part of the trunk, in mature trees up to 25 m in height, is devoid of branches, after which a rather loose crown begins. The trunk is covered with dark brown, rough bark, 12-15 mm thick. Just below it, in the phloem zone, are the lacticles that accumulate latex.

Structure type:

Diffuse-vascular; small vessels, mainly distributed in diagonal or radial clusters (2-4 each and sometimes larger), noticeable to the naked eye (with a diameter of 0.07 to 0.14 mm). There are an average of 10 vessels per 1 mm² of cross-section.
 

Sapwood:

Narrow, pale yellow to pale brown in colour.

Heartwood:

Shortly after felling, heartwood is bright red. When exposed to light and oxygen in the air, heartwood darkens intensely to a purplish-brown colour.

Fragrance:

It does not emit a characteristic odour.

Pattern:

It is delicate and uniform. Longitudinal sections show lines of evenly spaced vessels against a darker background. The annual increment boundaries even on the cross-section are barely recognisable or even invisible. The parenchyma is ribbon-like in the form of narrow tangential strands, usually continuous, running at irregular distances from each other, forming a grid-like arrangement on the cross-section. In addition to this form of parenchyma, there is diffuse apotracheal parenchyma. Fine, heterogeneous medullary rays are faintly visible. No stratified construction in the wood.

Typical defects:

Colour variation.

Properties of Massaranduba wood:

According to the six-grade density scale, Massaranduba is a very heavy wood (grade I). The average density for the air-dry condition (for wood with a moisture content of approximately 12%) is 1,000 kgm-3. The moisture content of the fibre saturation point is typical (27%), similar to domestic species. According to Monnin's classification, Massaranduba is a medium-shrinkage wood, with a low tendency to warp due to its low shrinkage anisotropy. The high density of wood has a beneficial effect on its mechanical properties. Massaranduba is also characterised by a high modulus of elasticity.  

Similar species:

Manilkarahuberi (Non-commercial species)  

Drying:

It should proceed slowly (danger of cracks forming).

Working:

working by hand and machine, due to its high hardness, requires the use of well-prepared tools and considerable forces (high cutting resistance). Despite the difficulty of working, the planed surfaces are perfectly smooth, helped by the tight and compact structure of the wood. A disadvantage when sawing and sanding this species is the dust, which can cause allergic symptoms and irritate mucous membranes.

Joining:

Connections using screws and nails are very durable, but to prevent the wood from splitting, they require pre-drilling.

Finishing:

It does not cause difficulties.

We offer Massaranduba decking in the following profiles:
- 19x90 mm – one side finely grooved / other side smooth
- 21x120 mm – one side finely grooved / other side smooth
- 21x145 mm – double-side grooved – fine/coarse groove
- 25x145 mm – double-side grooved – fine/coarse groove