Sande (Brosimum utile)

Sande is an imported hardwood

Location

Practically all commercially available sande (mostly Brosimum utile) comes from Pacific Ecuador and Colombia. However, the group of species ranges from the Atlantic Coast in Costa Rica southward to Colombia and Ecuador.

Characteristics

The sapwood and heartwood show no distinction; the wood is uniformly yellowish white to yellowish or light brown. The texture is medium to moderately coarse and even, and the grain can be widely and narrowly interlocked. The density of air-dried wood ranges from 384 to 608 kg/m3 (24 to 38 lb/ft3), and the strength is comparable with that of U.S. oak (Quercus). The lumber air dries rapidly with little or no degrade. However, material containing tension wood is subject to warp, and the tension wood may cause fuzzy grain as well as overheating of saws as a result of pinching. The wood is not durable with respect to stain, decay, and insect attack, and care must be exercised to prevent degrade from these agents. The wood stains and finishes easily and presents no gluing problems.

Primary Uses

Sande is used for plywood, particleboard, fiberboard, carpentry, light construction, furniture components, and moulding.

*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.