Karri wood is a reddish brown hardwood from South Africa. The trees are 50 – 60 m high and are suitable for civil engineering applications. The wood with a durability class II is of relatively good quality with a relatively long life. Karri hardwood is less resistant to fungi and insects. The machinability of Karri wood is easy to do by machine. It should be taken into account that it should be sawn or cut at an angle of 15° to prevent fibres from being ripped out. This makes a smooth finish impossible. A major advantage of Karri wood is that it is not easily susceptible to fire. With Karri wood it is recommended to air dry the wood before it is dried back to the desired moisture content in drying chambers. Cracks can occur, especially in products thicker than 50 mm. Other names for Karri wood include Kari and Carri.

Limited supply of Karri wood

Due to the great popularity of Karri wood, large quantities have been chopped in recent decades. Since Karri hardwood can only grow in a small area near the Eastern Cape, South Africa, there is little left of the original tree population. Due to the slow growth and little replanting, only small, less durable and qualitatively poorer diameters are available. In places where Karri used to grow wood, fast-growing Pine species have now been placed, the Karri that is still present is protected and preserved from a touristic point of view. Due to these developments, the availability of Karri wood is limited and little FSC® Karri wood is offered.

Alternatives for Karri wood

Because we are always looking for the best types of wood from the best sources with the best quality, we choose not to sell Karri hardwood, but to offer an alternative wood type for Karri hardwood. A very suitable type of hardwood is Cloeziana. This type of wood, which is comparable in many ways to Karri wood, is very suitable for use in civil engineering, road construction and hydraulic engineering. The properties of Cloeziana are significantly better than those of Karri hardwood. In particular, the natural durability (Class 1 and also shipworm resistance) and the strength properties (at least class D 50) make this wood very suitable. Cloeziana is widely available and is sustainably managed to always have sufficient standing stock.

Properties Karri wood

Name:	Karri
Alternative names:	Karri Gum, Karri Heart, White Gum
Appearance:	Reddish brown hardwood
Sustainability class:	II
Strength class:	D50
Mass kg/m3:	Fresh 1150
	Dried 880
Glue:	Good
Bend:	Moderate
Finishing:	Mechanically well adaptable
Combination with iron:	Pre-drilling required
Origin:	South-Africa
Extra:	The wood needs to be sawn at a 15° angle to be able to have a smooth finish
Adaptations:	Bridges, water works, carriage works and floors
Alternatives:	Cloeziana

Our sales team is happy to help with questions about buying Karri wood. Call us on +31 547 286 350 or reach us using the form on the right.

Source: Houtvademecum © 2010 Centrum Hout Almere, 10th revised edition