Massaranduba
Manilkara bidentata
Also known as bulletwood, Brazilian redwood · Botanical Manilkara bidentata
Revision history
- — Data re-verified in site-wide audit (formulas, sources, durability classes)
- — Working properties and comparable-species data cross-checked against listed sources
About Massaranduba
Massaranduba (Manilkara bidentata) is one of the hardest timbers in commercial use, extremely wear-resistant and blunt-making, with a Janka hardness of 3,190 lbf (14,189 N) and a density of about 0.85 g/cm³. It grows in South America.
Radial 6.7% against tangential 9.4% is an unusually even T/R ratio of 1.40 — Massaranduba shrinks close to uniformly, which is why it holds a flat panel in exterior joinery and cladding. Its fibre saturation point is near 25%. Below it this timber moves a great deal — 9.4% tangential — but evenly, at a T/R ratio of 1.40. Wide boards need genuine expansion room; they are less likely to cup than to simply change width. — wide boards need real expansion room, not a token gap.
At 850 kg/m³ a cubic metre of Massaranduba weighs about 850 kg air-dry — that figure, the 9.4% tangential and 6.7% radial movement and the 3,130 lbf hardness are the three inputs the calculators below actually consume. Select Massaranduba in any of them to get species-specific results for weight, moisture, shrinkage and hardness.
Working properties
How Massaranduba behaves at the bench and on the machine, drawn from CIRAD Tropix, Timber Development UK and international decking-timber technical data.
Durability & use classification
Massaranduba (Bulletwood) is rated very durable (EN 350 Class 1), strongly resistant to decay and most insect attack, and it is commonly reported at Class A flame spread (ASTM E84) — indicative only; see the fire note above, as a certified rating attaches to a specific tested product, not to a species. In service it is widely quoted at 50 years and beyond. Its heartwood is effectively impermeable to preservative treatment.
Typical applications & suitability
Indoor Outdoor — A heavy-duty exterior hardwood — one of the standard decking timbers — and equally suited to punishing interior floors thanks to its extreme hardness and very high crushing and bending strength.
Documented end-uses: decking and exterior trim, heavy construction, bridges and boat frames, domestic and commercial flooring, marine and mine timbers, furniture, millwork and mouldings, bent parts and turned objects.
Comparable species
Species closest to Massaranduba by density, hardness, stiffness and bending strength, computed directly from the Vriksai species dataset rather than hand-picked.
Trade alternatives. Its direct competitors are Ipe and Cumaru — the same very-durable South-American decking group — while Merbau and Jarrah cover similar ground from Asia and Australia.
Alternatives to Massaranduba
Massaranduba measures 3,130 lbf Janka at 0.85 g/cm³, EN 350 durability Class 1, movement rated Excellent. Anything replacing Massaranduba outdoors has to hold Class 1 durability and carry the load — so nothing below that class appears here, however well it matches on hardness. Read the numbers against the Janka scale and EN 350 durability classes.
For decking, marine work and structural exposure where the surface takes impact as well as weather. Expect slower machining, faster tool wear and more weight to handle on site.
Lighter sections, easier fixing and lower freight per m³ — while holding the exterior durability class. Useful where the spec is over-engineered for the actual load.
Exterior sections move most, and a dense timber that moves takes fixings and joints with it. These hold their dimension better in the same durability class. Size the gaps with the shrinkage predictor and EMC calculator.
If Massaranduba is unavailable and the specification cannot change, these are the nearest substitutes across hardness, density, movement, stiffness, bending strength and durability class together — not on any single property. Lower distance means a closer match.
Computed from measured properties only — hardness, density, movement, stiffness, bending strength and EN 350 class. Price, availability and appearance are never inputs. Figures are representative values, not consignment absolutes: two species within a few percent are equivalent until verified on the material. Full method and the rules the engine cannot break.
Substituting outdoors is a match on durability class and movement first. Colour and grain can be matched later; a wrong durability class shows up as a callback in three monsoons. Where two candidates are close, compare them directly before specifying.
Compare Massaranduba side by side
The pairings below are the ones that actually come up in exterior and structural tendering. Every pairing shows the measured figures side by side; full matrix in the comparison index.
Calculators relevant to Massaranduba
Sized for exterior and load-bearing work in Massaranduba — spans, fixings, weathering gaps and freight weight. Full set in the tool index.
Understand the figures
Janka hardness scale — how the lbf figure is measured · Wood density reference — oven-dry vs air-dry basis · Moisture content — EMC, FSP and service conditions · Strength properties — MOR, MOE and what they govern.
Further reading. Wood moisture content explained · How to calculate board feet.
Common questions about Massaranduba
unverified no published source for this figure · WD The Wood Database (Eric Meier) · calc derived from the figures above · — no published source found