1. Timber Introduction Types of timber Advantages and disadvantages
Use of timber in the construction industry
Timber testing

2. Introduction
Timber is another name for wood, whether still standing in the form of trees or felled and turned into boards for construction.
Some people may also refer to timber as lumber, or differentiate between timber as unprocessed wood and lumber as cut wood packaged for commercial sale.
The timber industry around the world is huge, providing wood for a variety of products from paper to particleboard.
Source:

3. Introduction Sapwood and Heartwood Sapwood
the outer, lighter colored wood
is vital to the tree when it is living, it doesn't make for very good stock for woodworking.
contains a lot of moisture, will shrink considerably when dried, and is much more susceptible to fungus
Heartwood
the inner, darker section of the trunk
is preferred for woodworking, as it is far less susceptible to fungus.
doesn't contain nearly as much moisture as sapwood, which means it will shrink less when dried

4. Types of timber
Nyatoh
The standard Malaysian name for the light and reddish timber of the family Sapotaceae.
The timber is a light hardwood with a density of kg/m3 air dry.
The sapwood is lighter in color than and is only moderately sharply differentiated from the heartwood, which is deep pink-red or red-brown.
Texture is moderately fine to slightly coarse, with straight to shallowly interlocked and sometimes wavy grain.
The timber ranges from moderately strong to strong, depending on the density of the material.

5. Types of timber Nyatoh….. cont’d
Wood working properties of the timber vary with most of the lighter species being easy to saw and work, producing surfaces that are smooth or rarely rough in the radial direction.
The heavier species are very difficult to saw, cross-cut and work while the planed surface is only moderately smooth.
Nailing property ranges from good to excellent.
The timber is moderately durable to non-durable and is rated as difficult to treat.
USES:
Nyatoh is very popular as a furniture and solid door timber.
It is suitable for high class decorative interior finishing such as panelling and partitioning.
Other uses include strip and parquet flooring, ceiling boat decking, rotary and sliced veneers, plywood and pallets.

6. Types of timber Nyatoh….. cont’d Specifications
Grade: Standard & better
Seasoning: Kiln-dried
Finishing: Dressed-4-Sides
Size:
1" x 3" up x 3' up
1-1/2" x 4" up x 7' up
1-3/4" x 4" up x 7' up
2" x 4" up x 7' up
3" x 3" up x 7' up

7. Types of timber
Nyatoh….. cont’d

8. Types of timber Merpauh Specifications
Standard Name: Merpauh (Medium Hardwood) Botanical Name: Swintonia
Uses: Suitable for medium and light construction, transmission posts, railway sleepers, high class joinery and furniture, interior finishing, panelling, partitioning, flooring, boat construction and plywood.

9. Types of timber Meranti Specifications
Standard Name: Meranti (Light Hardwood) Botanical Name: Shorea uliginosa
Uses: Suitable for all general light construction, furniture, joinery, interior fittings, boat frames, flooring, planking, decking, railing, coach work, lorry and truck bodywork, pallets, veneer and plywood.

10. Types of timber Red Balau
The standard Malaysian name for the heavy, red to red-brown timbers of the genus Shorea.
The timber is a heavy hardwood with a density of kg/m3 air dry.
The sapwood is pink, purple-brown or grey-brown and is fairly distinct from the heartwood, which is light to deep red-brown.
Texture is moderately fine to slightly coarse and even, with deeply interlocked grain.
The timber is strong. It is slightly difficult to difficult to saw and work, although planing is easy and the surface produced is smooth to slightly rough.
Nailing property varies according to species. The timber is moderately durable and is resistant to treatment with preservatives.
USES: The timber is suitable for heavy construction under cover, beams, posts, joists, heavy duty furniture, heavy duty flooring, door and window frames, railway sleepers (treated) and power transmission poles (treated).

11. Types of timber Red Balau Specifications Finishing: Dressed-4-Sides
Species: Red Balau (Heavy, Red to Red-Brown of Shorea spp. ) Grade: Standard & Better Seasoning: Kiln-Dried, Preservative Treatment
Finishing: Dressed-4-Sides
Size:
1" x 8" x 8' up
2" x 4" up x 8' up
2-1/2" x 7" up x 8' up

12. Types of timber Merbau Specifications
Standard Name: Merbau (Heavy Hardwood) Botanical Name: Intsia Palembanica, I.Bijuga
Uses: The growth ring figure and deep colour makes it an attractive wood for decorative work including interior finishing, panelling, strip and parquet flooring, superior joinery, cabinet-making, door and window frames, furnitures, veneer, turnery and tool handles.

13. Types of timber Keledang Specifications
Standard Name: Keledang (Medium Hardwood) Botanical Name: Artocarpus
Uses: Suitable for beams, posts, joists, rafters, door and window frames, staircases, furniture, decorative work, parquet flooring, panelling, joinery, cabinet-making, boat construction and wooden methematical instruments.

14. Types of timber Kembang Semangkok
The timber is soft to moderately soft and light to moderately heavy with a density of kg/m3 air dry.
It is classified under light hardwood in Malaysia.
The sapwood is lighter in shade than and merges gradually into the heartwood, which is yellow-brown, light buff or light brown.
Texture is slightly coarse and uneven, due to the broad rays and wide layers of parenchyma. Grain is straight or shallowly interlocked.
The timber is fairly strong (Strength Group C). It is easy to resaw and cross-cut.
Planing is easy and the surface produced is generally smooth, although occasionally some pick-up grain has been noted in radially sawn material.
Despite its good working properties, the siliceous nature of the timber may, during sawing, have an abrasive effect on the saw teeth, producing rapid blunting of cutting edges and heating of the saw.

15. Types of timber Kembang Semangkok (cont’d) Finishing: Dressed-4-Sides
The timber seasons fairly rapidly with only very slight degrade.
The timber prone to stain and slight end-checking; splitting has also been noted during drying.
Shrinkage is fairly high.
The timber kiln-dries very well without any seasoning degrade but is prone to mould and blue-stain attack.
The timber is only moderately durable under exposed conditions, but is very easily treated with preservatives.
Finishing: Dressed-4-Sides
Size:
1" x 4" up x 7' up
1-5/8" x 4" up x 7' up
2" x 4" up x 7' up
USES: the timber very suitable for interior finishing, panelling, furniture manufacturer, fancy veneer.

16. Types of timber
Coconut Timber
The coconut palm (Cocos nucifera, L.) has multifarious uses. Coconut Stem is commercially called Coconut wood, Coconut Log, Coconut Timber and Coconut Trunks.
Coconut wood has proven to be comparable to conventional wood in terms of durability, sturdiness, and versatility often at a considerably lower cost.
The use of coco wood as a substitute material for building construction could bring down the cost of housing units. This is because its cost is half or a little more than half the price of conventional wood.
It has been widely recognized that the most effective way of disposing the felled trunks is to convert them to saleable wood products which not only provides a system of proper disposal but can generate employment and give an additional source of income in coconut Tree Farmers.
Furthermore, coconut wood utilization can supplement the supply of raw materials for the wood industry and provide low-cost but equally durable construction materials for the housing programmes and for export.
Uses of Coconut Stems 1.     Building Constructions 2.     Furniture's & High Value products. 3.     Making Charcoals and Power Productions 4.     Chemical Industries

17. Types of timber Kekatong Timber (Heavy Hardwood) Specifications
Grade : Standard & Better / Merchantable Grade
Sizes: Make to Order
Use: Suitable for all heavy and medium construction posts, beams, door and window frame ,tool handles, heavy-duty flooring and parquet flooring .

18. Advantages rapid construction
reduced material handling and scaffolding - especially on steep sites
no wet trades involved
creates a lighter and smoother appearance compared to traditional brick masonry – finishes
can be constructed to suit non-rectangular shapes with relative ease

19. Advantages
reacts quickly to both heating and cooling, taking little time to warm a cool room, or to cool a hot one.
light weight requires smaller footings – timber framing system

20. Disadvantages Expensive,
It contracts and shrinks depending on dampness and humidity
It can be high maintenance – e.g, exterior wood will need painting or re staining every 5 years
Slight chance of dry rot or wood worm if the timber is not treated properly in the first place

21. Disadvantages
Defect

22. Testing Moisture content Is the amount of water in a piece of wood
Moisture Content Determination by The Oven Drying Method
The oven drying method is the standard way of determining wood moisture content.
With this method a piece of wood is initially weighed and then dried in an oven at 103°C ± 2°C.
Drying is continued until the piece is completely dry (when no further weight loss occurs) and this oven dry weight recorded.
The loss in weight during drying indicates how much water was originally present in the piece and the moisture content can be calculated simply, as follows:
Initial moisture content (%) = Initial (wet) weight - Dry weight
Dry weight x 100

23. Testing Moisture content Is the amount of water in a piece of wood
Moisture Content Determination by The Oven Drying Method
The oven drying method is the standard way of determining wood moisture content.
With this method a piece of wood is initially weighed and then dried in an oven at 103°C ± 2°C.
Drying is continued until the piece is completely dry (when no further weight loss occurs) and this oven dry weight recorded.
The loss in weight during drying indicates how much water was originally present in the piece and the moisture content can be calculated simply, as follows:
Initial moisture content (%) = Initial (wet) weight - Dry weight
Dry weight x 100

24. Testing Moisture content
For example, if the initial weight of the piece was 30.51g and its dry weight 22.60g, then the difference of 7.91g is the weight of moisture initially in the piece and its initial moisture content would be:
( )/22.60 x 100 = 7.91/22.60 x 100 = 35.0%
Alternatively the formula can be written:
Moisture content (%) = [(Initial weight/Dry weight) - 1 ] x 100
So that only the division sum needs to be carried out:
[(30.51/22.60) - 1] x 100 = 0.35 x 100 = 35.0 %

25. Testing Treatment of Timber
All timber except the heartwood of the naturally durable timbers and timber for formwork, scaffolding and other temporary works shall be impregnated by means of vacuum pressure processes in accordance with MS 360 using copper/chrome/arsenic wood preservatives conforming to MS 733 and to the following nett dry salt retentions:
Use Minimum nett dry - salt retention
Interior and above the ground kg/m3
Exterior and above the ground kg/m3
Exterior and in contact with the ground (other than foundation piles) kg/m3
Foundation piles kg/m3
The timber shall, as far as is practical, be cut to its final dimensions before treatment, and timber for joinery shall be wrot and fully worked and ready for framing before treatment. Where cross-cutting cannot be avoided or where further dressing is necessary, all surfaces exposed by such work shall be liberally swabbed with the approved wood preservatives .
The Contractor, when required by the S.O. (Superintending Officer) shall produce a certificate from a preservative treatment plant which certifies that timber required to be impregnated by means of vacuum pressure processes has been impregnated and has achieved the necessary nett dry salt retention.
All sapwood shall be penetrated by the preservative and the depth of penetration for heartwood is 25 mm for foundation piles and 12 mm for uses (i), (ii) and (iii).

26. Timber Prices
Timber Prices listed below are compiled from indicative prices provided by selected sawmills from different regions of Malaysia. The prices listed are to serve as a guide and quotations issued by suppliers may vary, based on specifications, sizes and grades.
*AVERAGE DOMESTIC PRICES OF LOGS, SAWN TIMBER, PLYWOOD AND MDF
IN PENINSULAR MALAYSIA
RM per m3
JUNE 2011SPECIES LOGS SAWNTIMBER
18" UP GMS STRIPS SCANTLINGS
HEAVY HARDWOOD
Chengal 3,200 7,100 4,300 8,000
Balau 2,500 5,100 3,300 5,200
Red Balau 1,750 3,100 2,000 3,200
Merbau 1,900 4,400 2,400 4,800
Mixed Heavy Hardwood 1,000 2,200 1,300 2,400
MEDIUM HARDWOOD
Keruing 1,200 2,600 1,400 2,700
Kempas 1,300 2,800 1,500 3,000
Kapur 1,150 2,300 1,400 2,600
Mengkulang 1,130 2,100 1,300 2,300
Tualang 1,040 1,800 1,350 2,100
Mixed Medium Hardwood ,800 1,100 2,100
LIGHT HARDWOOD
Dark Red Meranti 1,200 2,900 1,600 3,100
Light Red Meranti 1,150 2,300 1,300 2,550
Red Meranti 1,160 2,600 1,400 2,800
Yellow Meranti 1,150 1,800 1,200 2,100
White Meranti 1,080 1,900 1,250 2,050
Mersawa 1,050 2,200 1,300 2,400
Nyatoh 1,180 2,600 1,400 2,800
Sepetir 900 1,700 1,200 2,000
Jelutong 850 1,900 1,200 2,100
Ramin 1,750 3,900 2,700 4,200
Mixed Light Hardwood , ,700
MALAYSIAN RUBBERWOOD Hevea brasiliensis
LOGS SAWN TIMBER
135 1" X 1" 2" X 2" 3" X 3" 4" X 4"
PLYWOOD 4' X 8'
(RM per piece) 4mm 6mm 9mm 12mm
MDF 4' X 8'
Note : Log prices ex-balau. Sawn timber, plywood, MDF and Malaysian Rubberwood (Hevea brasiliensis) prices ex-mill