Panga panga (Millettia stuhlmannii)
Family: Papilionaceae
Common names: Avong, Jambire, Mongoy, Mpande, Mpanga-mpanga, Panga panga, Partridge wood, Partridgewood, Umkuye, Wenge
Distributed in: Congo, Kenya, Mozambique, Tanzania, Zimbabwe (Africa)
Distribution overview: The geographical range of Panga-panga covers the East Coast of Africa, from Kenya and Mozambique, south to the lakes of Tanzania.
Common uses: Bedroom suites, Boat building, Boxes and crates, Building construction, Building materials, Cabin construction, Cabinetmaking, Canoes, Carvings, Chairs, Chests, Concealed parts (Furniture), Construction, Desks, Dining-room furniture, Domestic flooring, Dowell pins, Dowells, Drawer sides, Drum sticks, Excelsior, Factory construction, Factory flooring, Fine furniture, Floor lamps, Flooring, Flooring: commercial heavy traffic, Flooring: industrial heavy traffic, Furniture , Furniture components, Furniture squares or stock, Furniture, Handles: general, Hatracks, Heavy construction, Joinery, Kitchen cabinets, Ladders, Lifeboats, Light construction, Living-room suites, Mathematical instruments, Mine timbers, Musical instruments , Office furniture, Organ pipes, Parquet flooring, Piano keys, Pianos , Piling, Plywood, Railroad ties, Shipbuilding, Toys, Vats, Veneer
Product sources: The ITTO reports that timber from this species is produced regularly but it is exported only in low volumes.
Environment profile: Status has not been officially assessed
Tree size: Trunk diameter is 150-200 cm
Colors: the heart isWhite, Yellowand the sapwoodWhite to yellow, Yellow.The grain isStraight, the textureUniformand the lusterLow
Natural durability: Susceptible to insect attack, Very durable
Odor: No odor, generally.
Kiln Schedules: UK=E US=T6D2/T3D1 Fr=5
Kiln Drying Rate: Rapid (<10 days for boards < 32 mm, to <30 days for boards >= 63 mm)
Drying Defects: Slight surface checking, Splitting
Ease of Drying: Reconditioning Treatement
Tree Identification: Bole/stem form is straight
Blunting Effect: Severe and rapid effect
Boring: Fairly easy to very easy
Carving: Very Good to Excellent Results
Cutting Resistance: Easy to saw
Gluing: May require surface treatment for best results
Mortising: good
Moulding: Very Good to Excellent
Movement in Service: Very Good to Excellent
Nailing: Holds nails well, Possible if prebored
Planing: Very Good to Excellent
Resistance to Abrasion: Highly resistant to wear
Resistance to Impregnation: Sapwood is permeable
Resistance to Splitting: Poor
Response to hand tools: Responds Readily
Routing recessing: Very Good to Excellent Results
Sanding: Fairly Easy to Very Easy
Veneering qualities: Veneers easily, Veneers moderately easy
Steam bending: Unsuitable
Screwing: Fairly Easy to Very Easy
; Turning: Good results
Painting: Very Good to Excellent; Polishing: Very Good to Excellent; Staining: Very Good to Excellent;
- Numerical data Metric
- Numerical data English
- Strength properties
- References
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Item |
Green |
Dry |
Metric |
Specific Gravity |
|
0,83 |
|
Density |
|
881 |
kg/m3 |
Bending Strength |
672 |
1033 |
kg/cm2 |
Crushing Strength |
369 |
586 |
kg/cm2 |
Hardness |
|
752 |
kg |
Impact Strength |
|
|
cm |
Shearing Strength |
|
145 |
kg/cm2 |
Stiffness |
114 |
132 |
1000 kg/cm2 |
Tangential Shrinkage |
|
|
% |
Radial Shrinkage |
2 |
|
% |
Weight |
865 |
673 |
kg/m3 |
Maximum Load |
0,63 |
0,84 |
cm-kg/cm3 |
Toughness |
|
|
cm-kg |
Static Bending |
|
|
kg/cm2 |
|
 |  |  |  | Item | Green | Dry | English | Bending Strength | 9561 | 14697 | psi | Density | | 55 | lbs/ft3 | Hardness | | 1658 | lbs | Maximum Crushing Strength | 5262 | 8345 | psi | Shearing Strength | | 2074 | psi | Stiffness | 1624 | 1881 | 1000 psi | Work to Maximum Load | 9 | 12 | inch-lbs/in3 | Specific Gravity | | 0.83 | | Weight | 54 | 42 | lbs/ft3 | Radial Shrinkage | 2 | | % | Tangential Shrinkage | 5 | | % | |
Density (dry weight) = 53-60 lbs/cu. ft. 0 Density (dry weight) = 46-52 lbs/cu. ft. Modulus of Elasticity (stiffness) = medium Bending strength (MOR) = medium Shrinkage, Tangential = very small Shrinkage, Radial = very small Max. crushing strength = high Shearing strength (parallel to grain) = medium Shrinkage, Tangential = small Shrinkage, Radial = small Max. crushing strength = medium Hardness (side grain) = medium Density (dry weight) = 61-67 lbs/cu. ft. Work to Maximum Load = low Weight = very high Toughness-Hammer drop (impact strength) = high Shearing strength (parallel to grain) = low Shearing strength (parallel to grain) = high Density = very high Compression strength (parallel to grain) = high Bending strength (MOR) = very high Bending strength (MOR) = high
Alan Schwartz.Rio Rivuma, Boston, MA.Personal Communication, 1993.Banks, C.H. and J.P. Schoeman. 1963. Railway Sleeper and Crossing Timbers. Bulletin No. 41, Republic of South Africa. The Government Printer, Pretoria, South Africa.Banks, C.H., Schoeman, J.P., Otto, K.P.,1977,The Mechanical Properties of Timbers with particular reference to South,Africa,South African Forestry Research Institute Bulletin,(Ed.,Schoeman, J.P. 1973 & Otto K.P. 1976,No.48Bolza, E., Keating, W.G.,1972,African Timbers - the Properties, Uses and Characteristics of 700 Species,C.S.I.R.O. Div. of Building ResearchChudnoff, M.,1984,Tropical Timbers of the World,U.S.A. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Forest Products,Laboratory, Madison.HMSO.1972.Handbook of Hardwoods.2nd Edition.Revised by R.H. Farmer.Department of the Environment, Building Research Establishment, Princes Risborough Laboratory, Princes Risborough, Aylesbury, Buckinghamshire.ITTO.1986.Tropical Timber Atlas, Volume 1 - Africa.International Tropical Timber Organization (ITTO) and Centre Technique Forestier Tropical (CTFT, 45bis, Avenue de la Belle Gabrielle, Nogent-sur-Marne Cedex, France.Kaiser, J.1990.Wenge - The Dark Exotic Wood from Africa.Wood of the Month Annual, Supplement to Wood and Wood Products September, 1990, Page 24A.McCoy-Hill, M.,1957,Timbers of Tanganyika - Ngambo, Mpande, East African Walnut and Candelabra,Tree,Timber Technology,65(2219,pp467Murira, K.,1984,Natural Durability Tests of Tanzanian Timbers 1955 - 1982,Tanzania Forestry Research Institute, Timber Utilisation Research Centre,,Moshi.Palgrave, K.C.,1977,Trees of Southern Africa,Cape Town South AfricaSouth African Lumber Millers Assoc.,1969,Notes on some Commercially Available Hardwoods,S.A.L.M.A. Timber Info. Centre Timber Technical Guide,No.1Takahashi, A.,1978,Compilation of Data on the Mechanical Properties of Foreign Woods (Part,III) Africa,Shimane University, Japan, Research Report on Foreign Wood No. 7Tanzania - Timber Marketing Co. Ltd.,1978,Timber from TanzaniaTanzania Forest Division,1966,Kiln Drying Schedules for Tanzania Timbers Technical Note no.38,Tanzania Forest Div. Util. Sec. MoshiTanzania Forestry Department,1966,Timbers of Tanganyika - Millettia stuhlmannii,Tanzania Forestry Department, Utilisation Section, Moshi - Timbers of,Tanganyika
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