What Is Rubber Wood

Rubberwood is well suited for a wide array of woodworking and timber projects.

What is rubber wood.

It s easy to work with which makes it appealing to furniture makers. Rubber wood is also called parawood and grows in amazon forest in brazil and after the tree reaches maturity approximately 9 years then the latex extraction begin. Rubberwood is taken from hevea brasiliensis also called the rubber tree or para rubber tree. It is about the same density as ash or maple but is easier to work with.

Rubberwood belongs to the maple family a true hardwood. The lumber has a dense coarse grain which makes it unsuitable for use in fine furniture but it is strong and cheap which makes it ideal for lower priced imported products. Rubberwood is commonly advertised as an environmentally friendly wood as it makes use of plantation trees that have already served a useful function. These trees are cultivated for their natural latex sap but they also yield a high quality wood with a tight grain that can be used in a wide range of applications.

It is strong flexible and resistant to fungus bacteria and mould. Rubberwood is a whitish lumber that gradually fades to a light brown over time. It is a moderately hard medium textured straight grained wood that is approximately the same density as ash and maple hardwood. Each plantation plants trees for rubber collection then the timber harvest occurs once the tree reaches the end of its production cycle.

It s often not used in fine furniture but rubberwood is a versatile type of furniture material with a light color. Rubber wood is the low cost light wood that comes from rubber trees which produce latex the raw material used in the manufacture of natural rubber. In fact rubberwood is one of the most durable woods used to manufacture furniture. Rubberwood lumber is typically taken from rubber plantations where the trees are tapped for latex and harvested at the end of their useful life cycle typically after about thirty years.

Rubberwood is not rubbery. The use of rubberwood for furniture is a sustainable industry when the trees are planted and harvested appropriately. Rubberwood is a sustainable product when used correctly.