Clicking any heading in the main data area (at right) will scroll the page back to this top position. Use the following links to jump to the associated section in the main data. Blunting Effect Boring Carving Certified Source Comments Common Names Common Uses Countries of Distribution Cutting Resistance Distribution Overview Drying Defects Ease of Drying Environmental Profile Family Name Gluing Grain Heartwood Color Kiln Drying Rate Kiln Schedules Luster Mortising Moulding Movement in Service Nailing Natural Durability Numerical Data Planing Plantation species? Polishing Product Sources References Regions of Distribution Resistance to Impregnation Response to Hand Tools Routing & Recessing Sanding Sapwood Color Scientific Name Screwing Staining Steam Bending Strength Properties Texture Toxicity Trade Name Tree Identification Tree Size Turning Veneering Qualities		Scientific Name Dalbergia sissoo Trade Name Sissoo Family Name Leguminosae Common Names Agara, Agaru, Birdi, Du-khaek, Errasissu, Gette, Hihu, Indian rosewood, Iruvil, Iti, Khujrap, Nelkar, Padimi, Pradukhaek, Safedar, Shewa, Shin, Shinshapa, Shisham, Shishma, Shishom, Sinsupa, Sisahm, Sisam, Sisham, Sishom, Sisoo, Sissai, Sissau, Sissoo, Sissu, Sissua, Sisvi, Sonosissoo, Sonowaseso, Tali, Tanach, Tukreekung, Yette Plantation species? Yes Regions of Distribution Africa, Oceania and S.E. Asia Countries of Distribution  [VIEW MAP] Afghanistan, Bangladesh, India, Indonesia, Iran, Myanmar, Nepal, Nigeria, Pakistan, South Africa Common Uses Agricultural implements, Blockboard, Boat building (general), Boat building, Boxes and crates, Brush backs & handles, Cabinetmaking, Carvings, Chairs, Charcoal, Construction, Decorative veneer, Door, Exterior uses, Flooring, Fuelwood, Furniture , Furniture, Handles: woodworking tools, Heavy construction, Joinery, Light construction, Matches, Mine timbers, Musical instruments , Musical instruments: percussion, Paneling , Paneling, Plywood, Plywood: veneer (marine), Poles, Posts, Pulp/Paper products, Rafters, Railroad ties, Skis, Sporting Goods, Structural work, Tool handles, Toys, Turnery, Vehicle parts, Veneer: decorative, Walking sticks, Wheel spokes, Windows, agricultural implements Environmental Profile Rare Abundant/Secure Status has not been officially assessed Data source is World Conservation Monitoring Center Distribution Overview Indigenous to India, Nepal, and Pakistan, the tree is now widely planted in the tropics. Said to be escaping from cultivation in tropical Florida. It is grown at Cayey, El Verde, and Guayabol in Puerto Rico. Ranging from sealevel to >1500 m, it can stand temperatures from below freezing to nearly 50°C. Apparently adapted to savanna woodlands where annual rainfall is 7-20 dm with droughts of 3-4 months duration. Sometimes gregarious in alluvial forests along the rivers of the subhimalayan tract. Ranging from Subtropical Thorn to Moist through Tropical Dry to Moist Forest Life Zones, sissoo is expected to tolerate annual precipitation of 6 to 40 dm, annual temperature of 21 to 28°C, and pH of 6-8. Heartwood Color White Yellow Green/grey Orange Yellow to golden-yellow to orange Dark brown Brown Golden brown with a reddish cast Plantation timber info: Sapwood Color Yellow White White to yellow Clearly differentiated from the heartwood Different than heartwood Plantation timber info: Grain Interlocked Straight Figure Even Distinct (figure) Interlocked Straight Distinct figure Moderately to severely interlocked Texture Medium Medium to coarse Coarse Luster Medium Low Dull Plantation timber info: Natural Durability Perishable Very durable Moderately resistant to attack by termites Moderately durable Cocobolo is very durable and is highly resistant to marine borer attack. Prolonged or repeated immersion in soapy water is reported have very little adverse effect on the wood except to darken its color. Natural oils in the wood tend to promote waterproofing. They also impart a waxy appearance to the wood when it is rubbed with a cloth.Natural resistance to decay is very high, and the heartwood is rarely attacked by borers and ants Toxicity Dramatic effects Plantation timber info: Kiln Schedules Dry at a slow speed Kiln Drying Rate (in days) is fairly rapid Drying (speed) is fast UK=J US=T10D5S/T8D4S Fr=4 Drying Defects Checking Distortion No twisting or warping No end splitting Slight surface checking Slight end splitting Surface checking and end splitting may occur if the wood is air-dried too rapidly. Ease of Drying Rapidly Reconditioning Treatement Fairly Easy Kiln dries well Dries at a moderate rate with little degrade. The heart of the timber is usually full of shakes and also contains hard, white calcareous deposits and requires to be boxed out during conversion. The timber is also reported to kiln-dry well but slowly. Wood color tends to improve with kiln-drying Kiln Drying Rate Naturally dries quickly Fairly rapid (11-17 days for boards under 32 mm, to 31-51 days for boards greater than 63 mm) Plantation timber info: Tree Identification Bole/stem form is misshapen Bole/stem form is buttressed Bole/stem form is cylindrical Tree Size Tree height is 20-30 m Tree height is 10-20 m A clear bole of over 30 feet (10 m). It tends to remain a comparatively small tree under less ideal conditions. The bole is often curved or somewhat crooked, with an irregular buttress. Straight logs of any great length are seldom available Product Sources Large supplies of the timber are available from Uttar Pradesh and the Punjab, while limited quantities can be obtained from West Bengal and Assam, all in India. Certified Source Certified Source Comments General finishing qualities are rated as good Blunting Effect Little Blunting effect on sawing dry wood is severe Hard chalky deposits in the wood tend to dull cutting edges rather severely. Boring Fair to good results Fairly easy to very easy Carving Fair to Good Results Fairly Easy to Very Easy Very Good to Excellent Results Very good results Onsidered to be one of two most popular carving and engraving woods in India. Plantation timber info: Cutting Resistance Cutting Resistance with dry wood is easy Difficult to saw Cutting Resistance with green wood is easy Blunting of saws Gluing Easy to glue Satisfactory gluing properties Mortising Fairly Easy to Very Easy Fair to Good Results Moulding Fair to Good Results Fairly Easy to Very Easy Movement in Service Stability is good Shape retention after manufacture is usually good Nailing Fair to Good Results Fairly Easy to Very Easy Unsuitable for Nailing Plantation timber info: Planing Poor to Very Poor Results Fairly Easy to Very Easy Easy to use machine tools Cutting edges tend to dull very rapidly because of chalky deposits. Resistance to Impregnation Permeable sapwood Permeable heartwood Heartwood is very resistant Sapwood is permeable Heartwood is resistant But chemical protection is often unnecessary since the wood is very durable. Response to Hand Tools Easy to Work Responds Readily Easy to machine Plantation timber info: Routing & Recessing Fair to Good Results Fairly Easy to Very Easy Sanding Fairly Easy to Very Easy Fair to Good Results Screwing Fair to Good Results Fairly Easy to Very Easy Turning Poor to Very Poor Results Fairly Difficult to Very Difficult Easy to turn Plantation timber info: Veneering Qualities Veneers easily Veneers moderately easy Suitable for peeling Easy to cut Suitable for slicing Suitable for peeling Steaming required to prepare bolts Sissoo is reported to peel exceptionally well to produce highly decorative veneers which are reported to glue and dry without difficulty Steam Bending Good Moderate Plantation timber info: Polishing Good results Plantation timber info: Staining Fairly Easy to Very Easy Fair to Good Results Very Good to Excellent Results Strength Properties Max. crushing strength = high Bending strength (MOR) = high Medium resistance to shock loads, and low stiffness. It is very heavy Numerical Data Item Green Dry English Bending Strength 9785 14643 psi Density 48 lbs/ft3 Hardness 1658 lbs Impact Strength 46 43 inches Maximum Crushing Strength 6092 9027 psi Shearing Strength 1921 psi Stiffness 1306 1557 1000 psi Specific Gravity 0.62 Weight 47 38 lbs/ft3 Radial Shrinkage 3 % Tangential Shrinkage 4 % Volumetric Shrinkage 8 % Item Green Dry Metric Bending Strength 687 1029 kg/cm2 Density 769 kg/m3 Hardness 752 kg Impact Strength 116 109 cm Maximum Crushing Strength 428 634 kg/cm2 Shearing Strength 135 kg/cm2 Stiffness 91 109 1000 kg/cm2 Specific Gravity 0.62 Weight 753 608 kg/m3 Radial Shrinkage 3 % Tangential Shrinkage 4 % References Bolza, E.,1976,Timber and Health,Div. Building Res. C.S.I.R.O. Australia Brown, W.H.,1978,Timbers of the World, No. 3 Southern Asia,TRADA, Red Booklet Series Clifford, N.,1957,Timber Identification for the Builder and Architect,Leonard Hill (Books) LTD. London France - C.T.F.T.,Table de sechage pur Dalbergia sissoo,C.T.F.T. Information technique No.171 Gamble, J.S.,1902,A Manual of Indian Timbers,Sampson Low, Marston & Co. London Guha, S.R.D., Mukherjea, V.N.,1961,Chemical pulps for writing and printing papers from Dalbergia sissoo Roxb,(Sissoo,Indian Pulp and Paper,15(10) pp599-602 Howard, A.L.,1948,A Manual of Timbers of the World.,Macmillan & Co. Ltd. London 3rd ed. I. Soerianegara and R.H.M.J. Lemmens (Editors,1993,Plant Resources of South-East Asia 5,(PROSEA, 1,Timber trees: Major commercial timbers,Pudoc Scientific Publishers, Wageningen 1993 India - Forest Research Institute,1970,Indian Timbers - Kokko (Siris,Forest Research Inst. & Colleges Dehra Dun Information Series,No.6 Keay, R.W.J. 1989. Trees of Nigeria. Revised Version of Nigerian Trees. Clarendon Press, Oxford. Kribbs, D.A. 1959. Commercial Foreign Woods on the American Market. Buckhout Lab., Dept. of Botany, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, Pennsylvania. Lincoln, W.A. 1986. World Woods in Color. Linden Publishing Co. Inc. Fresno, California. Pearson, R.S., Brown, H.P.,1932,Commercial Timbers of India,Govt. Printer Calcutta,2 vols Poynton, R.J.,1957,Notes on Exotic Forest Trees in South Africa (Second Edition, Revised,South African Forestry Department Bulletin No.38 Prasad, B.N., Jain, N.C.,1964,Preliminary studies of cutting resistance of a few Indian woods,Indian Forester 90(10) pp698-701 Puri, Y.N., Khan, S.N.,1968,Natural decay resistance of Indian timbers VI decay resistance of Sissoo,(Dalbergia sisso) and Sandan (Ougeinia oojeinensis,Indian Forester 94(9) pp686-93 Ramesh, Rao K., Juneja, K.B.S.,1971,Field Identification of Fifty Important timbers of India,Dehra Dun India Ramesh, Rao K., Purkayastha, S.K.,1972,Indian Woods - Their Identification Properties and Uses,Dehra Dun India,Vol. 3 Rao, K.R. and S.K. Purkayastha. 1972. Indian Woods - Their Identification, Properties and Uses, Volume III - Leguminosae to Combretaceae. Published by the Manager of Publications, Delhi, India. Rawat, B.S., Rawat, N.S.,1960,Physical and Mechanical properties of woods tested at the Forest Research,Institute, Dehra Dun Report XI,Indian Forestry Records (NS) Timber Mechanics 1(12) Rehman, M.A., Et al,1956,The steam bending properties of Indian timbers,Indian Forest Record (N.S.) Wood Seasoning 1(1) Rehman, M.A.,1956,The Seasoning behaviour of Indian Trees,Indian Forest Bulletin (N.S.) Wood Seasoning No. 198 Saeed Ahmed, S., Mahammad Ayaz, and Taj Mohammad,1977,Properties and Uses of Commercial Timbers in Pakistan,Pakistan Forest Institute, Peshawar, Division of Forest Products Bulletin,No.3 Sekhar, A.C.,1967,Some Indian Timbers Equivalent to Foreign Timbers,Van Vigyan 5(1&2,pp18-24 Tanzania Forest Division,1966,Kiln Drying Schedules for Tanzania Timbers Technical Note no.38,Tanzania Forest Div. Util. Sec. Moshi Tewari, M.C., Jain, J.C.,1980,Utilization of Secondary Species,Journal of the National Building Organization 25(2) pp1-6 WCMC. 1992. Conservation Status Listing: Trees and Timbers of the World. World Conservation Monitoring Center (WCMC, Plants Program, 219 Huntingdon Road, Cambridge, CB3 ODL, United Kingdom.