Rosewood Timber Guide
Everything you need to know about rosewood timber.
Rosewood Timber Technical Information
Rosewood- Pterocarpus Indicus
Rosewood – also known as New Guinea Rosewood is a medium sized hardwood in South East Asia, Philippines, Solomon Islands. The heartwood can be golden yellow brown or blood red colour, evens out over time to honey brown. Sapwood pale yellow. Grain is variable and highly figured. Texture is medium. The timber is susceptible to lyctid borer, but is termite resistant. In its sawn form it is easily worked with hand and machine tools. The heartwood is hard to stain, but polishes to a lustrous finish.
As an overview, this species could be described as an extremely versatile timber which presents any prospective user with a range of options – from ground contact to use in cladding, exposed structural and non – structural joinery. Screws, glues and nails well and easy to work with.
Physical Properties
- Dry Density: 610 kg / m3
| Species Name | Rosewood | |
| Botanical Name | Pterocarpus Indicus | |
| Colour Range | golden yellow brown or blood red colour. | |
| Janka (Hardness) Rating – Dry | 4.7-12 | |
| Natural Durability Class | In-ground contact | 2 |
| Outside above ground contact | 1 | |
| Hardness | From 563 – 680 kg / m3 | |
| Strength Group | Unseasoned (Green) | S4 |
| Seasoned (Dry) | SD5 | |
| Joint Group | Unseasoned (Green) | – |
| Seasoned (Dry) | JD6 | |
| Fire Indices | Spread-of-Flame Index | 3 |
| Fire Rating | BAL19 | |
| Smoke-Developed Index | not known | |
| Critical Radiant Flux | not known | |
| Smoke Development Rate | not known | |
| Group Number | 3 | |
| Naturally bushfire-resisting Timber | BAL 12.5 and 19-Door and window joinery only | |
| Tangential Shrinkage % | 2 | |
| Hardness | Seasoned (Dried) | Firm – rated 4 on scale 1 to 6 |
| Naturally Termite Resistant to AS3660R = Resistant
NR = Non resistant |
R | |
| Naturally Lyctus SusceptibleS = Susceptible
NS = Non susceptible |
S |