Neem
Azadirachta indica
Also known as Indian lilac, nim, margosa · Botanical Azadirachta indica
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 Neem
Neem (Azadirachta indica) is a mid-range timber, hard enough for everyday wear and still easy to work, with a Janka hardness of 1,460 lbf (6,494 N) and a density of about 0.68 g/cm³. It grows in India and South Asia.
At 3.4% radial and 6.2% tangential the T/R ratio is 1.82 — typical, and manageable in exterior joinery and cladding provided the gaps are designed rather than assumed. Its fibre saturation point is near 28%. Below it the wood shrinks steadily — 6.2% tangential, 3.4% radial. Ordinary territory: design the gaps rather than hoping the finish will hold it.2% tangential against 3.4% radial, quartersawn stock will behave noticeably better than flatsawn.
At 680 kg/m³ a cubic metre of Neem weighs about 680 kg air-dry — that figure, the 6.2% tangential and 3.4% radial movement and the 1,460 lbf hardness are the three inputs the calculators below actually consume. Select Neem in any of them to get species-specific results for weight, moisture, shrinkage and hardness.
Working properties
How Neem behaves at the bench and on the machine, drawn from ITTO, PROSEA and South-Asian agroforestry references.
Durability & use classification
Neem is rated durable (EN 350 Class 2) and is documented as durable even in exposed conditions, resisting termites, powder-post beetle and fungal attack. The reason is chemistry: the same insecticidal compounds that make neem oil famous run through the timber. That is why neem is chosen for wardrobes and bookcases — the wood itself repels insects — and why its antibacterial oils make it a traditional choice for Indian kitchenware.
Typical applications & suitability
Indoor Outdoor — A genuinely durable, fast-grown and sustainable hardwood — mature in five to seven years on dry, marginal land where little else thrives. It is in the mahogany family (Meliaceae), and its timber is hard and mahogany-like.
Documented end-uses: light construction, beams, door and window frames, posts and fencing, furniture (especially wardrobes, bookcases and closets), flooring and panelling, plywood, blockboard and veneer, carts, axles and yokes, agricultural implements, boats and oars, carvings, toys and drums, cigar boxes, and kitchenware such as ladles and chopping boards.
Comparable species
Species closest to Neem by density, hardness, stiffness and bending strength, computed directly from the Vriksai species dataset rather than hand-picked.
Trade alternatives. Within India, Mango Wood is the comparable fast-grown furniture timber (though non-durable), while Shisham and Teak are the premium durable alternatives that do take a fine polish.
Alternatives to Neem
Neem measures 1,460 lbf Janka at 0.68 g/cm³, EN 350 durability Class 2, movement rated Good. Because Neem is exterior-rated at Class 2, every candidate below is too. A substitute that quietly drops a durability class is the expensive kind of mistake. Read the numbers against the Janka scale and EN 350 durability classes.
For exterior joinery, cladding and garden work that also has to resist knocks. Harder means more dent resistance but heavier sections and more machining time.
Easier to work and lighter to fix, without dropping below the exterior durability you already have.
Cladding boards and exterior joinery live or die on movement. These give you less of it at equal or better durability. Size the gaps with the shrinkage predictor and EMC calculator.
If Neem 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 Neem side by side
These are the head-to-heads that decide cladding, decking and exterior joinery specifications. Every pairing shows the measured figures side by side; full matrix in the comparison index.
Calculators relevant to Neem
Aimed at exterior detailing in Neem: coverage, gaps, coating and durability checks. 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. What is ThermoWood? · Wood moisture content explained · How to calculate board feet.
Common questions about Neem
unverified no published source for this figure · calc derived from the figures above · — no published source found
A note on these figures. We have not been able to trace the numbers in the panel above to a named authority. The Wood Database has no Neem (Azadirachta indica) entry and the USDA FPL Wood Handbook does not list it; ITTO and PROSEA, cited below, cover working properties but not the mechanical figures. Where we have been able to check pages sourced this way, the figures have usually been wrong — so treat these as indicative rather than measured. The durability class, working properties and uses below are attributed to the bodies named in the sources list. If a number here matters to your work, verify it against a source you are willing to rely on, or test your own stock.