Indian Laurel Wood Uses, Properties, Advantages, and Disadvantages

What is Indian laurel wood?

Indian Laurel wood (Terminalia elliptica) is a hardwood species that is widely distributed in Southern Asia, especially in India and Myanmar.

The tree is 65-100 feet tall, with a trunk diameter of only 2-3 feet. While we don’t think this is high-quality wood, it can look gorgeous, with unique grain figures and colors.

In resistance to decay, Indian Laurelwood has moderate resistance but is poor against insect attack. This wood is also easy to work on and has no characteristic odor.

Indian Laurel wood is commonly used as cabinetry, furniture, veneer, turned objects, and boatbuilding.

The properties of Indian laurel wood

Indian Laurel colors vary, ranging from light brown to dark brown, with a tendency to dark. In comparison, the sapwood is pale pinkish. It is a medium to coarse wood with a low natural luster.

Indian Laurel grains also vary, such as straight, irregular, and some are even slightly interlocked.

It seems you can’t expect much from its durability because Indian laurel resistance to rot is only moderate.

Not only that, but it is also wood with a low resistance to insects. However, this wood is generally easy to work, has no characteristic odor, and is moderately priced.

You might want to read our article about types of softwood.

India laurel wood advantages

Resistant to rot: It looks like you can’t choose Indian laurel for wood uses that require a long resistance to rot. That’s because Indian Laurelwood is just durable enough in that respect.

That’s why it’s unlikely that it will last as long as durable or be very durable wood. However, it’s still great for some things, especially if you can only use this wood.

Indian laurel wood has poor resistance to insect attack. That might be your reason not to use this wood.

We hope you can overcome these byways to extend the resistance of the wood.

Easy to work: This is a generally easy wood to work. However, you have to be careful with Indian Laurelwood with irregular or interlocked grains, as it seems that some problems can occur while working.

We found no information about the silica content of this wood or anything else that has a blunt effect.

For this reason, you should seek more information or be careful when working and use sharp cutters and good quality tools.

We also don’t have information on the density of Indian laurel wood. However, it is wood that turns and finishes well.

Moderate price: This is not exotic, rare, or high-quality wood. However, it seems that several reasons can make this wood quite expensive.

But you expect Indian Laurel to be obtained at a moderate price. It doesn’t seem easy to choose the wood form that is sold because decorative veneers are the most commonly available.

It looks like you’ll have to look for Indian veneer in a plank or lumber to make this easier. We are also thinking about Indian Laurel wood which is more expensive for a high grain figured.

However, it looks like it doesn’t exist, or maybe it’s rarely available.

Availability: While we’re not very sure, it looks like Indian Laurel is a species of wood with relatively high availability. This is evidenced by the unregistered wood species on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species.

This proves that Indian Laurel is not an endangered, vulnerable wood or that there has been a significant population reduction.

We can only speculate that it might be because not too many people need and use this wood. Not only that, but the Indian laurel wood species is also not listed in the CITES Appendices.

Appearance: The last advantage of Indian Laurel we can mention is its appearance. Although it seems that some people disagree with us, we saw the beauty of this wood.

The main reason is that they vary in color and tend to appear streaky with darker colors. Not only the color but the various grains also make it look beautiful.

You can find straight, irregular, or even slightly interlocked grains. It seems like having all kinds of grain in one board is pretty good, though we think it’s pretty hard to find. Set aside more time if you are serious about this.

India laurel wood Disadvantages

Health risk: Indian Laurel has been reported to cause skin irritation, although severe reactions are rare; however, we don’t know what parts can cause this.

It seems other health risks could occur. However, it depends on the process that is being carried out.

It is also a characteristic odorless wood.

So, we don’t think it’s a breathing problem or something. The wood doesn’t look like it has a distinctive smell, nor is it likely to break focus while working.

For this, take some precautions that you can take, Like closed clothes or something else.

Indian laurel wood for veneer

The first common use is as a veneer. Most woods are commonly used for this, including Indian Laurel. Although this is a wood with some drawbacks, it still makes a good veneer.

The look of this wood is also quite beautiful and seems good for coating things like furniture, doors, or even walls. However, we do not recommend using it in the living room, bedroom, or family room.

That’s because Indian laurel has a color that tends to be dark and doesn’t seem right for that. Use for the kitchen, warehouse, or private library space looks quite good.

Indian laurel wood for furniture

This is an exquisite wood when used as furniture, even though it looks less beautiful. Although only durable enough to withstand decay, it can last decades.

In a few sources, I found some Indian laurel from the 1960s, and that’s good news. It looks like the furniture you make now can also last that long if appropriately handled and placed in the right place.

It is also a generally easy wood to work, moderate price, and has several other advantages. So Instead of buying it, it seems pretty good if you make your Indian laurel furniture.

Indian laurel wood for cabinetry

Besides furniture, you can also make lovely cabinetry from Indian Laurel.

Although it looks like we can put this in the furniture section, we need a longer explanation. Indian laurel does have fairly good resistance against decay, and it can even last for decades.

It seems you can do that too, including for cabinetry. However, we think it’s bad enough to use it for kitchen cabinetry because such a humid room can be damaged more quickly.

Not only that, but we also don’t recommend it for ground contact use due to its poor resistance to insect attacks.

Indian laurel wood for boatbuilding

Another common use of Indian laurel is boatbuilding. However, there are some things you should pay attention to, especially durability.

Indian laurel is a fairly durable wood to decay and has poor resistance to insect attack. It seems like that could be a reason for you to discourage using it as boatbuilding.

Because we think it can be easily damaged and not last as long as you would expect. We recommend using Cedar or Oak instead of Indian Laurel.

Because it seems like the two kinds of wood can be closer to what you expect and want.

Indian laurel wood for turned objects

If you have Indian Laurel leftovers that you no longer need, it seems like using them as turned objects is a good choice.

It doesn’t require too much wood, nor does it require too much wood. However, it seems that turnings are not easy and quick to master.

You have to do the exercises regularly and seriously. Using Indian laurel as practice material is also not a bad thing. You can make some easy and simple things first.

After that, try to make something more complicated. If you are already a pro, it’s time to use exotic wood.