Please note that iWood is a wholesale timber merchant, and to maintain such competitive prices, we have a minimum order amount of £750.00 ex VAT for delivery (£350.00 ex VAT for collection).

Keruing - Buy Online

Keruing is versatile, strong and durable tropical timber popular for truck/lorry beds.

Keruing Banner Image

Get prices for Keruing

Buy Keruing as No Products Available
No Products Available

Please note that these images are to illustrate product type only and are not species specific.

Keruing Information

The Tree

Depending on locality the Keruing tree can reach between 25m to 45m tall and 0.75m to 1.5m girth. Typically straight and cylindrical bole clear of branches up to around 21m.

Appearance

Keruing is straight grained with slight interlocking. Colour can range from a yellowish brown to a darker reddish brown.

Other Names

Apitong. Dipterocarpus spp, Family: Dipterocarpaceae.

Distribution

Native to Southeast Asia, Keruing is can be found in Indonesia, Malaysia, Sri Lanka, Thailand, South Vietnam, Cambodia and the Philippines. There are many species of Dipterocarpus in these regions so for practical reasons they are grouped to collectively under the Keruing tradename. As such you can expect variations of density and weight.

The Timber

The heartwood of the Keruing tree can be light red to reddish brown darkening when exposed to sunlight. Sapwood around 50 to 75mm wide is distinct from the heartwood and around a greyish-brown. Shallow interlocking is common in the grain and is usually straight with a moderately coarse texture. Oleo-resin exudes from the timber particularly on the end grain.

Drying

Keruing dries slowly and high temperatures can bring resin out of the timber so special care must be taken during kiln drying to reduce this to a minimum. It also experiences high shrinkage as it dries and in thicker stock / quarter sawn boards there is a risk of inconsistent drying.

Strength

Comparable to Teak in most strength categories but higher stiffness and around 40% higher shock resistance.

Durability

Moderately Durable - Class 3

Working Qualities

Keruing is difficult to work with on account of the high resin content, its hardness and the large variation between boards. It's high silica content also causes a blunting effect on tools. Slightly fibrous finish in planing and moulding. Takes wood staining satisfactorily but varnishing and polishing require care due to resin. Nails and screws are reasonably unchallenging but gluing is variable.

Uses

As previously mentioned very common for Truck/Lorry/Trailer beds as it is as durable as Teak but also features excellent shock resistance. Commonly used in high traffic flooring areas such as decking and various heavy structural use.