Malaysia is one of the South East Asian countries, it supplies majority grade timber lumber to mainly Asian countries such as Taiwan, China, Australia and Japan. For the past 8 years till today, Malaysian hardwood lumber is gaining popularity due to its competitive market price, quality, uniqueness and support from the Malaysian government.
Malaysian rubberwood is mainly used to make furniture, trim and joinery products. This is because it contains special glue-lamination properties that made it one of the most suitable woods for the manufacture of a wide range of products, such as household utensils, blockbard cores, stairs, parquet flooring, and window frames. doors and windows. Manufacturers also use rubberwood for panel products such as plywood and laminated veneer lumber (LVL). There is nothing left to waste in production where rubberwood trimmings and residues are used extensively in Malaysia for the production of particle board, wood-cement board and medium density fiberboard (MDF).
In addition to rubberwoods, there are other quality woods that may still have the same characteristics, such as Burmese Teak, Merbau, Belian, Burmese Ironwoods, Walnut, Kempas, Rosewood, Red Balau, US White Oak, etc. USA, Chengai, Tualang and Keranji.
Here are some characteristics of wood for your general knowledge.
CONVERTED WOODS
There are very few commercially important true softwoods in Malaysia. None are durable in the tropics. The main difference between hardwood and softwood (coniferous) is the absence of vessels (pores) in the softwood.
LIGHT HARDWOODS
These include all relatively light and soft woods ranging in density from around 400 to 720 kg. perceived. Mister. with a moisture content of 15 percent. They are the “general purpose” woods of Malaysia, comparable to general purpose woods in temperate climates; the latter, however, are mainly softwoods (conifers). In addition to general utility purposes, many of these light hardwoods are excellent for high-quality carpentry, cabinetry, furniture, decorative paneling, etc. Although they are not naturally durable in tropical climates, some are quite durable in temperate regions. Provided that proper precautions are taken against attack by wood-destroying agents, the light hardwoods as a whole make very satisfactory general building timbers, even when used in tropical climates.
HEAVY HARDWOODS
It is heavy or very heavy construction wood whose density ranges between 800 and 1,120 kg. perceived. Mister. with a moisture content of 15 percent. They are durable by nature as they contain within their tissues some toxic materials, for example alkaloids or other substances that repel wood-destroying agents, and therefore can be safely used without preservative treatment even in positions exposed to fungal or termite activities; the sapwood of these woods, however, is not durable.
There are four main sub-sectors for the timber industry in Malaysia:-
1. Sawn timber
2. Veneer and panel products including plywood and other reconstituted panel products such as particleboard/chipboard/fibreboard.
3. Moldings and joinery and carpentry works (BJC) such as doors/windows and their components, panels and platforms/parquet.
4. Furniture and furniture components.
The industry is predominantly Malaysian owned and it is estimated that 80% of logging companies are small and medium-sized. Most of the larger sawmills and veneer and plywood mills are located in Sabah and Sarawak. Plants in Sabah and Sarawak use tropical wood species for the production of sawn lumber, veneers, plywood and other veneer panel products. More than 45 percent of the plywood factories and 60 percent of the molding factories are located in Sabah and Sarawak. Downstream processing factories for the production of fibreboard, BJC, as well as furniture and furniture components are mainly located in Peninsular Malaysia. These plants primarily use rubberwood that is sourced from sustainable plantations.