Shisham Sissoo
Dalbergia sissoo
Also known as sheesham, sissoo, North Indian rosewood, tali, biradi · Botanical Dalbergia sissoo
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 Shisham Sissoo
Shisham Sissoo (Dalbergia sissoo) is a hard, wear-resistant timber that is heavy going on tools, with a Janka hardness of 1,660 lbf (7,384 N) and a density of about 0.75 g/cm³. It grows in India and South Asia.
At 3.1% radial and 5.3% tangential the T/R ratio is 1.71 — typical, and manageable in exterior joinery and cladding provided the gaps are designed rather than assumed. Its fibre saturation point is near 26%. Below it movement is modest at 5.3% tangential, but the 1.71 T/R ratio means one-sided sealing will still pull a panel out of flat.
At 750 kg/m³ a cubic metre of Shisham Sissoo weighs about 750 kg air-dry — that figure, the 5.3% tangential and 3.1% radial movement and the 1,660 lbf hardness are the three inputs the calculators below actually consume. Select Shisham Sissoo in any of them to get species-specific results for weight, moisture, shrinkage and hardness.
Working properties
How Shisham Sissoo behaves at the bench and on the machine, drawn from Indian forestry references and international wood-technology databases.
Durability & use classification
Sheesham (North Indian Rosewood) is rated durable (EN 350 Class 2): its natural oils make the heartwood strongly resistant to dry-wood termites and decay. The sapwood, though, is liable to powder-post and wood-boring beetles, so it is best cut away and the timber inspected periodically.
Typical applications & suitability
Indoor Outdoor — Chiefly an interior wood — it dominates Indian solid-wood furniture, but its durability also lets it serve in protected exterior joinery. It is stable, strong and holds fine detail.
Documented end-uses: high-quality furniture and cabinetry (its principal use), decorative carving and turnery, flooring, plywood and veneer, musical instruments, sports goods, and heavy work such as railway sleepers and bridge piles.
Comparable species
Species closest to Shisham Sissoo by density, hardness, stiffness and bending strength, computed directly from the Vriksai species dataset rather than hand-picked.
Trade alternatives. Its denser, darker cousin is East Indian Rosewood (Dalbergia latifolia); for the benchmark Indian durable timber there is Teak, and as a lighter, lower-cost everyday alternative, Mango Wood. Note all Dalbergia are CITES Appendix II listed.
Alternatives to Shisham Sissoo
Shisham Sissoo measures 1,660 lbf Janka at 0.75 g/cm³, EN 350 durability Class 2, movement rated Good. Anything replacing Shisham Sissoo outdoors has to hold Class 2 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 Shisham Sissoo 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 Shisham Sissoo 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 Shisham Sissoo
Sized for exterior and load-bearing work in Shisham Sissoo — spans, fixings, weathering gaps and freight weight. Full set in the tool index.
Understand the figures
ThermoWood species guide — Thermo-D/Thermo-S treatment classes · 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.
Further reading. Wood moisture content explained · How to calculate board feet.
Common questions about Shisham Sissoo
unverified no published source for this figure · WD The Wood Database (Eric Meier) · calc derived from the figures above · — no published source found