Overview
“Forest Redgum” is a very distinctive timber in Australia, with almost everyone having come in contact with or heard of it. It has had an important part in Australia’s history being used in a range of applications from the very first settlers up until today. The timber, as the name suggests, has a striking red colour which ranges from a light to deep-dark red. Redgum has a fine and even texture with the grain being interlocked and often producing a ripple or fiddleback figure, which makes for a very attractive feature in decking boards. Redgum is a very versatile, dense and durable timber that grows in a wide range of areas from south-east VIC all the way east up until southern Papua New Guinea. Even though most of the timber has been locked away in protected forests, Redgum is still widely available on the East coast of Australia due to the broad area Redgum is found growing in. Some companies sell a mix of both Redgum and Red Ironbark (very similar timbers) often marketed as forest reds.
Pros & Cons
| PROS | CONS |
|---|---|
| Highly durable and hard | Some gum veins present in timber |
| Termite resistant | Mostly supplied in random lengths |
| Readily available |
Properties
| Name | Eucalyptus Tereticornis |
|---|---|
| Colour (Heartwood) | Light to dark red |
| Colour (Sapwood) | Pale grey or cream red |
| Durability | Class 1 |
| Density | 960 kg/m3 |
| Hardness | Janka rating 12 |
| Checking rating | |
| Shrinkage rating | |
| Availability | Moderately Available |
| BAL Rating | 12.5 19 |
| Termite Resistant | YES |
| Lyctid Borer Susceptible | NO |
| Tannin Leach | Little |
| Origin | VIC, NSW, QLD, PNG |
