Sissoo (Dalbergia sissoo)
Family: 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
Distributed in: Afghanistan, Bangladesh, India, Indonesia, Iran, Myanmar, Nepal, Nigeria, Pakistan, South Africa (Africa, Oceania and S.E. Asia)
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 50C. 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 28C, and pH of 6-8.
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
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.
Environment profile: Status has not been officially assessed
Tree size: Tree height is 20-30 m
Colors: the heart isYellow, Yellow to golden-yellow to orangeand the sapwoodWhite to yellow, Yellow.The grain isStraight, the textureMedium to coarseand the lusterMedium
Natural durability: Perishable, Very durable
Kiln Schedules: UK=J US=T10D5S/T8D4S Fr=4
Kiln Drying Rate: Naturally dries quickly
Drying Defects: Slight end splitting, Slight surface checking
Ease of Drying: Reconditioning Treatement
Tree Identification: Bole/stem form is misshapen
Comments: General finishing qualities are rated as good
Blunting Effect: Little
Boring: Fairly easy to very easy
Carving: Very good results
Cutting Resistance: Difficult to saw
Gluing: Satisfactory gluing properties
Mortising: Fairly Easy to Very Easy
Moulding: Fairly Easy to Very Easy
Movement in Service: Fairly Easy to Very Easy
Nailing: Fairly Easy to Very Easy, Unsuitable for Nailing
Planing: Poor to Very Poor
Resistance to Impregnation: Sapwood is permeable
Response to hand tools: Responds Readily
Routing recessing: Fairly Easy to Very Easy
Sanding: Fairly Easy to Very Easy
Veneering qualities: Veneers easily, Veneers moderately easy
Steam bending: Moderate
Screwing: Fair to Good Results, Fairly Easy to Very Easy; Turning: Poor to Very Poor Results
Polishing: Good
Plantation timber info:; Staining: Very Good to Excellent;
- Numerical data Metric
- Numerical data English
- Strength properties
- References
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 |
 |
 |
| Item |
Green |
Dry |
Metric |
| Specific Gravity |
0,62 |
|
|
| Density |
|
769 |
kg/m3 |
| Bending Strength |
687 |
1029 |
kg/cm2 |
| Crushing Strength |
428 |
634 |
kg/cm2 |
| Hardness |
|
752 |
kg |
| Impact Strength |
116 |
109 |
cm |
| Shearing Strength |
|
135 |
kg/cm2 |
| Stiffness |
91 |
109 |
1000 kg/cm2 |
| Tangential Shrinkage |
4 |
|
% |
| Radial Shrinkage |
3 |
|
% |
| Weight |
753 |
608 |
kg/m3 |
| Maximum Load |
|
|
cm-kg/cm3 |
| Toughness |
|
|
cm-kg |
| Static Bending |
|
|
kg/cm2 |
|
 |  |  |  | | 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 | | % | |
Max. crushing strength = high Bending strength (MOR) = high
Medium resistance to shock loads, and low stiffness. It is very heavy
Bolza, E.,1976,Timber and Health,Div. Building Res. C.S.I.R.O. AustraliaBrown, W.H.,1978,Timbers of the World, No. 3 Southern Asia,TRADA, Red Booklet SeriesClifford, N.,1957,Timber Identification for the Builder and Architect,Leonard Hill (Books) LTD. LondonFrance - C.T.F.T.,Table de sechage pur Dalbergia sissoo,C.T.F.T. Information technique No.171Gamble, J.S.,1902,A Manual of Indian Timbers,Sampson Low, Marston & Co. LondonGuha, 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) pp599-602Howard, 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 1993India - Forest Research Institute,1970,Indian Timbers - Kokko (Siris,Forest Research Inst. & Colleges Dehra Dun Information Series,No.6Keay, 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 volsPoynton, R.J.,1957,Notes on Exotic Forest Trees in South Africa (Second Edition, Revised,South African Forestry Department Bulletin No.38Prasad, B.N., Jain, N.C.,1964,Preliminary studies of cutting resistance of a few Indian woods,Indian Forester 90(10) pp698-701Puri, 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) pp686-93Ramesh, Rao K., Juneja, K.B.S.,1971,Field Identification of Fifty Important timbers of India,Dehra Dun IndiaRamesh, Rao K., Purkayastha, S.K.,1972,Indian Woods - Their Identification Properties and Uses,Dehra Dun India,Vol. 3Rao, 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. 198Saeed 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.3Sekhar, A.C.,1967,Some Indian Timbers Equivalent to Foreign Timbers,Van Vigyan 5(1&2,pp18-24Tanzania Forest Division,1966,Kiln Drying Schedules for Tanzania Timbers Technical Note no.38,Tanzania Forest Div. Util. Sec. MoshiTewari, M.C., Jain, J.C.,1980,Utilization of Secondary Species,Journal of the National Building Organization 25(2) pp1-6WCMC. 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.
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