Properties of Mexican bloodwood (Haematoxylum campechianum L.). Part 2: moisture performance and biological durability

Abstract

Abstract Haematoxylum campechianum is most prevalently used as dyewood; its use for furniture, flooring, or fencing is only of regional importance, which might be due to lacking data about its technological properties. Therefore, small specimens were cut from H. campechianum stems from plantations in the lowlands of the Usumacinta delta in Mexico. The latter were subjected to laboratory decay and moisture studies. Water vapour sorption, liquid water uptake, and swelling of H. campechianum appeared much lower in comparison with most European grown wood species and similar to tropical hardwoods such as Tectona grandis. After removal of water-soluble ingredients, water vapour sorption of H. campechianum specimens further decreased, which assigned such ingredients a somewhat hydrophilic character. Mean mass losses (ML) due to decay by white, brown, and soft rot fungi in laboratory tests were <5%. On the basis of a dose-response model, wetting ability factors and ML values from decay tests predicted an outdoor performance similar to T. grandis and Intsia bijuga. Based on this preliminary property profile, H. campechianum can be recommended for both outdoor (e.g. fencing, outdoor decking, railing) and indoor applications (e.g. flooring, manufacturing of furniture, wall and ceiling panels, decoration artwork).