Surian (Indonesia, Malaysia); Kalantas; Limpaga; New Guinea cedar

• Medium to large hardwood.
• Grows to 40m high.
• Bark is grey to grey-brown bark, and sheds in thin patches.

• Indonesia
• Malaysia
• Philippines
• Papua New Guinea

Colour

• Heartwood is light red to red-brown.
• Sapwood is pink-grey.

Grain

• Grain is straight or interlocked and wavy.
• Texture moderately coarse.
• Similar appearance and odour to red cedar, Toona ciliata.

Decorative

• Panelling.
• Doors.
• Joinery.
• Furniture.
• Carving.
• Piano cases.
• Boat and ship interiors.
• Veneers.
• Turnery.

• Density: 480kg/m³ at 12% moisture content; about 2.1m³ of seasoned sawn timber per tonne.
• Strength groups: (<S7) unseasoned, (SD8) seasoned.
• Stress grades: F4, F5, F7 (unseasoned); F4, F5, F7, F8 (seasoned) when visually stress-graded according to AS 2082—2000: Timber—Hardwood—Visually stress-graded for structural purposes.
• Joint groups: J5 unseasoned, JD4 seasoned.
• Shrinkage to 12% MC: about 7.0% (tangential), 4.0% (radial).
• Unit shrinkage: not available.
• Durability above-ground: Class 1 (life expectancy more than 40 years).
• Durability in-ground: Class 2 (life expectancy 15–25 years.
• Lyctine susceptibility: sapwood is susceptible to lyctine borer attack.
• Termite resistance: not resistant.
• Preservation: sapwood readily impregnates with preservative.
• Seasoning: dries rapidly but be careful, due to the risk of internal checking and collapse.
• Hardness: very soft (rated 6 on a 6-class scale) to indent and work with hand tools.
• Machining: easy to work with hand and machine tools if blades are kept sharp; inclined to be ´woolly´.
• Fixing: no difficulty using standard fittings and fastenings.
• Gluing: can occasionally be difficult if the wood exudes resin.
• Finishing: stains, polishes and paints well, except occasionally, the wood may exude resin.

General characteristics

• Sapwood: grey-white or pink, sharply defined.
• Heartwood: light red or red-brown.
• Texture: moderately coarse and uneven, grain interlocked and wavy; soft to cut.

Wood structure

• Vessels: range from large in the first formed part of the ring, to medium-small in the latter part of the ring; solitary, groups of 2–3 cells and an occasional cluster; sparse; occasional dark-red gum-like deposits; vessel lines very prominent on longitudinal surfaces.
• Parenchyma (soft tissue): scarce, visible only as fine terminal bands.
• Rays: fine to medium, clearly visible.

Other features

• Burning splinter test: wood burns to a full white ash.
• Figure: prominent on back-sawn faces due to ring-porosity.

• Ilic, J 1991, CSIRO atlas of hardwoods, Crawford House Press, Bathurst, Australia.
• Queensland Government, DAF 2018, Construction timbers in Queensland: properties and specifications for satisfactory performance of construction timbers in Queensland. Class 1 and Class 10 buildings, Books 1 & 2, Department of Agriculture and Fisheries, Brisbane.
• Standards Australia, 2000, AS 2082—2000: Timber—Hardwood—Visually stress-graded for structural purposes, Standards Australia International, Strathfield, NSW.