Roble (Tabebuia)

Roble is an imported hardwood

Location

Roble, a species in the roble group of Tabebuia (generally T. rosea), ranges from southern Mexico through Central America to Venezuela and Ecuador. The name roble comes from the Spanish word for oak (Quercus). In addition, T. rosea is called roble because the wood superficially resembles U.S. oak. Other names for T. rosea are mayflower and apamate.

Characteristics

The sapwood becomes a pale brown upon exposure to air. The heartwood varies from golden brown to dark brown, and it has no distinctive odor or taste. The texture is medium and the grain narrowly interlocked. The wood weighs about 642 kg/m3 (40 lb/ft3) at 12% moisture content. Roble has excellent working properties in all machine operations. It finishes attractively in natural color and takes finishes with good results. It weighs less than the average of U.S. white oaks (Quercus) but is comparable with respect to bending and compression parallel to grain. The heartwood of roble is generally rated as moderately to very durable with respect to decay; the darker and heavier wood is regarded as more resistant than the lighter-colored woods.

Primary Uses

Roble is used extensively for furniture, interior woodwork, doors, flooring, boat building, ax handles, and general construction. The wood veneers well and produces attractive paneling. For some applications, roble is suggested as a substitute for American white ash (Fraxinus americana) and oak (Quercus).

*Much of the base wood information presented here is made available by the USDA FPL FS. If you are interested in a much more technical description of wood properties, I encourage you to visit the source.