Sakkho • Our Timber

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SAKKHO PROFILE

Our Timber

At Sakkho, we source our timber products from reliable suppliers and well-managed plantations mostly located in South East Asia. Using the most appropriate type of timber to manufacture high-quality Sakkho® wooden tiles is essential.

1. Wood Species
2. Origin of Sakkho Wood
3. Availability and Supply
4. Kiln Drying
5. Fumigation and ISPM No 15

1. Wood Species

Teak Nyatoh

Wood Appearance

Sakkho Teak Wood Appearance

Teak wood is a tropical, dense, hard, heavy and durable wood known for its original rich, golden "yellowish" brown tint featuring darker streaks of black or dark brown; grey and red tinges are not uncommon within the heartwood.

Teak grain is tight, fairly straight but it can occasionally be slightly wavy or interlocked. Teak texture ranges from coarse to smooth. Raw, unfinished teak wood has a slightly oily surface feel due to a high content of natural oils.

Teak is one the of most durable timber on the planet with many proprieties including a high tensile strength making it the timber of choice for manufacturing Sakkho tiles.

Wood Names

Very popular mostly for its use in furniture design, boat decks, teak is known by many names.

a. Scientific name

Tectona Grandis

b. Common names

Teakwood, Teak-wood, Teak, Teck, Teca, Jati, Djati, Giati, Kyun, Indian Oak, Saigun, Saga, Sag, Saka, Shegun, Sagon, Sagwan, Tevaram

Durability

Known for its exceptional natural durability, untreated teak wood can last a lifetime depending on the environment the timber is placed into.

a. Above ground

Untreated teak wood has a life expectancy of greater than 40 years and is known for its above ground durability.

b. In-ground

Teak wood life expectancy in-ground ranges from 15 to 25 years when untreated.

c. Underwater

Untreated teak wood can last decades underwater without decaying.

Workability

Teak is usually relatively easy to work; however, some jobs may present small challenges which can easily be overcome.

a. Cutting

Teak has a high level of silica content (up to 1.4%) which has a blunting effect on cutting tools and edges necessitating frequent sharpening of tools. It is recommended to use tungsten-carbide blades.

b. Gluing

Teak glues and holds well, however, Teak has a high level of natural oil and resins content making it challenging to bond with glue. Use glue only right after the wood was dressed or use a solvent to wipe the area on the wood prior to gluing to reduce the natural oils on the surface of the wood.

c. Nailing

Teak is usually not corrosive to metal and holds fasteners well; however, it is necessary to pre-drill pilot holes prior to placing screws or nails to prevent splits.

d. Sanding

Teak is a naturally oily hardwood and sanding may sometimes be challenging as the mix of sand dust and teak resin will very quickly accumulate on the sanding paper making it less effective.

e. Steam Bending

Teak wood is not generally suitable for steam bending.

Properties and Features

• Selected high-quality teak-wood
• Timber from well-managed forests
• Class 1 natural durability - highest lifespan
• Resistant to extreme weather conditions
• Timber contains natural oils
• Resistant to termites, fungus, and insects
• Resistant to humidity, rotting, warping
• Good fire resistance due to silicate content
• Good thermal insulation properties
• Does not usually corrode metal fixings
• Minimum timber movement
• Resistant to some acids and chemicals
• Kiln dried 10 to 12% moisture content (MC)

Aging and Weathering

Teak wood is known to weather and change color when left out in the elements. This process is known as the "Graying of Teakwood". For more information visit The Graying of Teak page or click here.

Wood Mechanical Properties

Teak	Green Tree	Kiln Dried	Unit
Density	540 - 670	630 - 720	1 Kg/m³
Moisture Content (MC)	48	10 to 12	%
Max. Compression	42.8	60.4	N/mm²
Modulus of Elasticity	7,600	17,500	N/mm²
Modulus of Rupture	81	196	N/mm²
Janka Hardness	4.1	4.5	kN
Natural Durability (EN 350-2)	Class 2	Class1	AS5604
Strength Group	S4 / S5	SD5	AS2878
Calorific Value (Heat Content)	6 to 7	16 to 19	MJ/Kg
Thermal Conductivity	0.19 (min) to 0.38 (max)		W/m.K
Movement	0.7 (rad) to 1.2 (tang)		%
Shrinkage (Green to Kiln)	0 - 2.0 (rad) to 0 - 3.5 (tang)		%
*Values are averages. AS5604-2005 refers to the durability of heartwood.

Fire and Bushfire Prone Areas

The purpose of the residential building standard for bushfire protection is to improve the ability of a building through its design to withstand a bushfire attack on bushfire prone land.

Australian Standards AS3959 sets six levels of bushfire intensity that a building may be subject to during a bushfire called "Bushfire Attack Levels" (BAL):

BAL-LOW, BAL-12.5, BAL-19, BAL-29, BAL-40 and BAL-FZ.

Timbers with a density of 650 kg/m³ or greater are also allowed to be placed in a certain part of the construction without fire retardant where it may be exposed to BAL-19 (ember attack and/or moderate radiant heat).

a. Bush Attack Level (BAL)

Teak wood used as building material in constructions located in bushfire prone areas qualifies for:

• BAL-LOW: Insignificant risk
• BAL 12.5: Low risk
• BAL 19: Moderate risk

b. Wood Density

Teak wood has a density of approximately 670 kg/m³ for a mature wood.

c. Standards

Teak Combustion	Early Fire Hazard Properties of Materials						Standard
Bushfire Resistance	BAL 12.5 and 19 - All AS3959 required applications						AS3959
Fire Group No 3	Average Specific Extinction Area <250m²/Kg						AS/NZ3837
Density at 12% MC 690 Kg/m³	MC before test 11 - 13%	Mean ignition time 7.1 minutes	I 13	S 9	H 10	SD 5	AS1530.3 (1999)
• Ignitibility (I: 0-20) \| Spread-of-flame (S: 0-10) \| Heat-evolved (H: 0-10) \| Smoke -developed (SD: 0-10). • Warrington Fire Research for Nat'l Timber Development Council, Australia 2002, WFRA Proj. 20551, v1.1.

Physiology

Teakwood is widely used; no or very little complaints were made from people who had contact with teak.

a. Scent

Teak wood has a distinctive odor some qualify as sweet which is more perceptible when the teak is new or fresh. This odor will eventually fade over time.

b. Feel

Dressed teak has a smooth, oily feel created by the high level of natural oil and resins in the wood.

c. Dust

Dust from sanding teak wood may be irritating to the skin for some. Inhaled organic dust may also cause Hypersensitivity Pneumonitis (HP) which is an inflammation of the alveoli; protective gear should always be used when sanding any type of timber as inhaled wood dust has harmful long-term effects on health.

d. Toxicity and Allergies

There have not been many severe or very strong cases of allergic reaction to teak wood but mainly reports of common and simple types such as irritations to skin, eye and to the respiratory system with effects such as rash, nausea, red and itchy eyes, affected vision and respiratory difficulties (HP). Note that fresh teak will be more likely to cause allergies reactions compared to seasoned, pre-treated teak.

e. Sensitizer

Teak wood has been reported to be a sensitizer to a limited number of people who reportedly started having increased allergic reactions the more they were in exposed to or in contact with teak wood.

Wood Appearance

Sakkho Nyatoh Wood Appearance

Nyatoh is a tropical, hardwood presented as a light or dark reddish wood with a fairly straight grain.

The wood is quite hard, in fact, harder than teak wood, however, it is not as durable and susceptible to rotting and insect attacks if left without maintenance.

While it is not a durable wood, Nyatoh is a more affordable, common hardwood considered as a utility wood mainly used for wooden accessories, cabinetry, utility construction, and boats.

Wood Names

Nyatoh wood is not as popular as other hardwoods originating from the same regions and it is mostly known by its general name.

a. Scientific name

Palaquium and Payena

b. Common names

Nyatoh

Products

From time to time, Sakkho offers a limited range of wooden products and accessories manufactured with various wood species. For current availability go to the Products page or click here.

2. Origin of Sakkho Wood

Sakkho sources wood material from reliable suppliers and legal, well-managed plantations mostly located on the Island of Java, Indonesia.

3. Availability and Supply

The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species releases an accurate list of timber species. Sakkho uses wood from species and sources timber from locations not considered as endangered. For more information, contact the IUCN Red List.

4. Kiln Drying

Sakkho wood is kiln dried (or seasoned) to reach a 10% to 12% moisture content. Kiln drying wood is necessary as the drying process increases the stability and hardness of the wood and prevents manufacturing defects from occurring in timber products.

Kiln drying is the process of controlling temperature, relative humidity and air circulation within a chamber (kiln oven) to achieve specific drying levels. Kiln drying also helps achieve a lower level of moisture content in timbers compared to natural air drying which usually makes it hard to go below 20% to 18% moisture content depending on the location.

Wood not properly kiln dried will eventually air dry naturally and lose its natural moisture content. As the inner and outer layers of the wood adapt to the ambient atmospheric humidity at a different speed, the outer layer of the wood will dry quicker while the inner layer remains wet longer; this will cause the outer layer to shrink faster resulting in the timber warping or splitting and unevenly shrinking.
The actual purpose of kiln drying wood iS to bring the outer and inner layer of the wood to the same moisture content allowing the timber to move, contract and expand uniformly.

5. Fumigation and ISPM No 15

Fumigation for wooden products and ISMP 15 treatment for wooden packaging will be provided as required by a country import/export and biosecurity rules. Evidence and certificate of treatment are provided for importers.

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