Botanically, Angelim vermelho(Dinizia excelsa) belongs to the Mimosaceae family and is thus related to Afzelia, Padouk, Robinia and other legumes. Angelim vermelho is naturally widespread in the Amazon basin, Bolivia and the Guayanas, but is comparatively rare there.
The heartwood has a reddish-brown, uniform color. The pores are fine to medium coarse and scattered. The grain is essentially straight, hardly alternating and not intertwined. The wood has a homogeneous, simple structure.
The density at 12% wood moisture is approx. 1.05 t/m3, in the fresh state it is 1.26 tons perm3. Angelim is moderately dwindling. The tangential shrinkage (from fresh to wood moisture 12%) is 8.2%, the radial dimension is 4.8%. Drying should be slow and gentle if warping and cracking are to be avoided. This applies in particular to thick cross-sections. The wood is extremely hard and rigid, but can be easily worked with all tools. Pre-drilling is absolutely necessary.
E-module: 19,400 N/mm2. Angelim is weather-resistant and classified in resistance class 1, i.e. it can be kept in contact with the soil for up to 25 years.
Note: Angelim develops an unpleasant odor when fresh – which later subsides when dry.
Heavy structural timber in outdoor areas, esp. Port construction
Replaces: Bongossi, Massarandouba
MIBAMA (2002): Madeiras Tropicais Brasileiras
ITTO (1990): Tropical Timber Atlas of Latin America
LINCOLN (1986): World Woods in Color
Note: according to the latest findings, but excluding any liability
