Introduction
Podo wood comes from species such as Dacrycarpus imbricatus, Nageia spp., and Podocarpus spp. It is known by various names across Malaysia and Southeast Asia, such as podo, jati bukit, rempayan, and kayu china. The wood’s heartwood has a light yellow to golden-brown hue with a greenish tinge, making it highly desirable for decorative applications.
Podo wood is ideal for:
The Standard Malaysian Name for the timber of Dacrycarpus imbricatus, Nageia spp. and Podocarpus spp. (Podocarpaceae). Vernacular names applied include podo (Peninsular Malaysia) with various epithets, jati bukit (Peninsular Malaysia), jati laut (Peninsular Malaysia), kayu china (Sabah), kebal musang (Peninsular Malaysia), lampias (Sabah), landin (Sarawak), rempayan (Sabah), ru bukit (Peninsular Malaysia) and setada (Peninsular Malaysia). Major species include Dacrycarpus imbricatus; Nageia motleyi, N. wallichiana; Podocarpus neriifolius, P. polystachyus and P. rumphii. The sapwood is not distinct from the heartwood, which is light yellow with a greenish tinge or light golden brown.
Also known as Amunu and Kuasi (Fiji); Thitmin (India); Jamuju and Melur (Indonesia); Ka dong (Laos); Thitmin (Myanmar); Miro, White pine and Yellow pine (New Zealand); Brown podocarp and Low mountain podocarp (Papua New Guinea); Malaalmaciga and Malakauayan (Philippines); and Phayamai (Thailand).
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DENSITY
The timber is a Softwood and varies considerably in hardness and in density, which ranges from 380 to 920 kg/m3 air dry.
NATURAL DURABILITY
The timber is non-durable under exposed conditions.
TEXTURE
Texture is very fine and even, with straight grain.
STRENGTH PROPERTIES
The timber falls into Strength Group C (Burgess, 1958).
MACHINING PROPERTIES
The timber is easy to work and the planed surface is smooth and lustrous.
AIR DRYING
The timber is reported to season well without serious degrade.
Application
The timber is suitable for decorative works, interior finishing, panelling, mouldings, high class furniture and cabinets, joinery, plywood, flooring, staircase (baluster, balustrade, handrail, newel and sprandrel framing), pencil, disposable chopsticks and tooth picks.