Meranti Red Lauan
Also known as red lauan, Philippine mahogany, seraya, red meranti · Botanical Shorea spp.
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 Meranti Red Lauan
Meranti Red Lauan is a soft timber that works easily but bruises and dents in service, with a Janka hardness of 800 lbf (3,558 N) and a density of about 0.52 g/cm³. It grows in Southeast Asia and the Pacific.
Tangential movement of 7.5% against 3.0% radial puts the T/R ratio at 2.50. That is the ratio to watch: it predicts cupping in wide flatsawn boards better than either figure alone. Its fibre saturation point is near 28%. Below it, movement is the governing constraint on this species: 7.5% tangential against 3.0% radial, a T/R ratio of 2.50. Flatsawn boards will cup; quartersawn stock is worth the premium here. — wide boards need real expansion room, not a token gap.
At 520 kg/m³ a cubic metre of Meranti Red Lauan weighs about 520 kg air-dry — that figure, the 7.5% tangential and 3.0% radial movement and the 800 lbf hardness are the three inputs the calculators below actually consume. Select Meranti Red Lauan in any of them to get species-specific results for weight, moisture, shrinkage and hardness.
Working properties
How Meranti Red Lauan behaves at the bench and on the machine, drawn from the USDA Forest Products Laboratory, WoodSolutions Australia and international hardwood references.
Durability & use classification
Red Meranti is rated moderately durable (EN 350 Class 3) and is susceptible to insect attack; the sapwood takes preservative readily but the heartwood barely absorbs it. Be aware the name covers a lot of ground: meranti (or lauan) spans over 120 Shorea species, sorted commercially into four colour/weight groups — dark red, light red, white and yellow — and strength varies enormously between them. Most Shorea species are IUCN-listed as critically endangered, so certified stock matters.
Typical applications & suitability
Indoor — Chiefly an interior and utility timber — the world's plywood workhorse. Dark red meranti is the stronger, more durable pick; light red is softer and suits non-structural interior work.
Documented end-uses: plywood (its dominant use worldwide), interior furniture and cabinetmaking, general construction and concrete forms, doors and window frames, panelling, flooring, mouldings, skirting and architraves, veneer, boatbuilding and turnery.
Comparable species
Species closest to Meranti Red Lauan by density, hardness, stiffness and bending strength, computed directly from the Vriksai species dataset rather than hand-picked.
Trade alternatives. It is sold as “Philippine mahogany” but has no relation to true mahogany — for that, see African Mahogany or Sapele. Within the group, Balau is the dense durable end of the same Shorea genus, and Keruing is the tougher dipterocarp alternative.
Alternatives to Meranti Red Lauan
Meranti Red Lauan measures 800 lbf Janka at 0.52 g/cm³, EN 350 durability Class 3, movement rated Poor (warp-prone). Meranti Red Lauan sits mid-range, which gives the widest choice of substitutes — and the widest scope to pick the wrong one on appearance alone. Read the numbers against the Janka scale and EN 350 durability classes.
For domestic flooring, worktops and furniture edges taking regular contact. Harder timber dents less and machines slower — both matter on a quotation.
Lighter and faster to work. Pricing is not shown here: timber cost varies with region, grade, origin, certification and availability, and we hold no verified price data to publish.
The axis that decides whether a wide panel or a door stays flat through a Panipat monsoon and then a 45 °C May. Size the gaps with the shrinkage predictor and EMC calculator.
If Meranti Red Lauan 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.
Meranti Red Lauan is EN 350 Class 3, so untreated exterior service is not advisable. These reach Class 1–2 at comparable hardness.
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.
Substitution is a match on durability class, movement and strength — not on colour or grain. Where two candidates are close, compare them directly before specifying.
Compare Meranti Red Lauan side by side
The head-to-heads specifiers most often weigh against it for furniture and interior joinery. Every pairing shows the measured figures side by side; full matrix in the comparison index.
Calculators relevant to Meranti Red Lauan
Chosen for how Meranti Red Lauan is actually specified — its density, movement and durability class feed straight in. Full set in the tool index.
Understand the figures
Wood density reference — oven-dry vs air-dry basis · Moisture content — EMC, FSP and service conditions · Strength properties — MOR, MOE and what they govern · Durability & fire — EN 350 classes and E84 ratings.
Further reading. Wood moisture content explained · How to calculate board feet.
Common questions about Meranti Red Lauan
unverified no published source for this figure · FPL USDA FPL Wood Handbook GTR-190 · WD The Wood Database (Eric Meier) · calc derived from the figures above