MERBAU (LIGHT)

Also known as: Mirabow

Botanical Name: Intsia palembanica

Origin: Mainly Malaysia and Indonesia

Description: This hard and heavy species is better known as a timber for flooring although it is also sliced into veneer. Usually dark orange-brown to reddish brown in colour and with a fairly coarse and interlocked grain, Merbau is mostly quartered but may occasionally be flat cut. Some logs contain small sulphur yellow and darker coloured deposits within the vessel cavities and these sometimes show up as small spots or streaks on the veneer.