PROPERTIES OF

PHILIPPINE
WOOD AND
LUMBER
• Wood is very important structural materials. It
has numbers of advantages and a few
disadvantages. In addition to being a biological
material that is both renewable and really
available, it has an excellent strength/ weight
ration and good ductile properties. Many species
have a high degree of natural resistance to wood
degrading organisms and if they don’t they can
effectively treated with a wood preservative that
is toxic to the wood degrading organisms.
Wood Vs. Lumber
Wood Vs. Lumber
• Wood refers to the trees, specifically, it refers to the substance that
trees are made out of.

• Lumber or Timber can be used to refer to any stage of the wood after
the tree has been cut down. This may include the felled tree, the
wood processed for construction, wood pulp for paper production.
Expensive materials FACTORS to be Cheaper cost of
but can be prepared CONSIDERED materials but will
off-site  COST have an extra on-
 QUALITY site labor
 ENVIRONMENT
 TERMITES
 NOISE
 BUILD TIME
Stronger and more FACTORS to be Timber can be cut,
durable CONSIDERED construction
 COST mistakes are easily
 QUALITY fixed and plans
 ENVIRONMENT easily tweaked.
 TERMITES
 NOISE
 BUILD TIME
Great for long-term FACTORS to be Great Natural
heating and cooling CONSIDERED Insulator
efficiency (e.g.  COST
doors and windows  QUALITY
are perfectly sealed)  ENVIRONMENT
 TERMITES
 NOISE
 BUILD TIME
Won’t touch steel FACTORS to be Susceptible to
CONSIDERED termites, but can be
 COST properly treated
 QUALITY
 ENVIRONMENT
 TERMITES
 NOISE
 BUILD TIME
 Will creak the FACTORS to be X
loudest, but can be CONSIDERED
properly designed  COST
 QUALITY
 ENVIRONMENT
 TERMITES
 NOISE
 BUILD TIME
Done off site, so it is FACTORS to be Lighter material,
fairly CONSIDERED easier and faster to
straightforward to  COST put together
put together  QUALITY
 ENVIRONMENT
 TERMITES
 NOISE
 BUILD TIME
 ADVANTAGES OF TIMBER
• Excellent Insulator
• Timber is an elastic material
• Easy and fast to build
• Sustainable
• Reusable
• Price
• Weight
• Strength
• Aesthetic Appeal
 DISADVANTAGES OF TIMBER
• Shrinking and Swelling
• Fire resistance
• Discolouration
• Mouldiness
 PROPERTIES OF TIMBER
A good Timber should have characteristics as:
1. Strength
Timber should have enough strength to withstand heavy loads
applied on it, especially when it is used as a structural member.
2. Toughness
Toughness of timber indicates its resistance to shock loading and
vibrations
3. Durability
Timber should be able to resist attack of atmosphere, termites and
fungi
 PROPERTIES OF TIMBER
A good Timber should have characteristics as:
4. Colour
Dark Coloured timber is stronger
Light coloured timber is weaker

5. Weight and shape

Heavy timber possesses higher strength than light timber.
A good timber should not change its shape after its seasoning
 PROPERTIES OF TIMBER
A good Timber should have characteristics as:

6. Fibre’s arrangement
Closely arranged, straight aligned fibres indicate good timber

7. Workability
Timber should workable enough to: get cut easily, have a smooth
surface after cutting
Timber Structures

•Sawn Lumber
•Glulam
•Plywood
Sawn Lumber
• Highly variable
• Classified by grade
• Visually or Mechanically graded
• Grade depends on number and location of
defects
• Defects – shakes, checks, splits and knots
Sawn Lumber is available in lengths up to 20’ to
25’ with the following cross sectional dimensions:
Nominal Size Actual Size
Boards 1 x (2→12) ¾” x 1 ½ →11 ½
Dimension 2x2 1½x1½
Lumber 2x4 1½x3½
2x6 1½x5½
2x8 1½x7¼
2 x 10 1½x9¼
2 x 12 1 ½ x 11 ¼
4x4 3½x3½
Glulam
• Composed of strips of sawn lumber glued together
• Can form larger sections than can be obtained from
trees
• Can optimize placement of wood
Glulam
Member can be any length that can be shipped in the following
cross-sections:
Western Species Southern Pine
1 ½” thick laminations 1 3/8” laminations
Width, in. Laminations Width, in. Laminations
2½ 6 to 18 3 4 to 18
3 1/8 4 to 16 5 4 to 26
5 1/8 4 to 24 6¾ 5 to 35
6¾ 5 to 32 8½ 6 to 46
8¾ 6 to 42 10 ½ 7 to 56
10 ¾ 7 to 54
Plywood
• Made from sheets of wood peeled from logs
• Glued together to from large panels
• Typically 4’ by 8’
• Available in ¼” to 1 1/8” thicknesses
• Use American Plywood Association literature for
strengths
END