The Wood 
The woods of the different species called apitong are so similar that it is 
difficult to distinguish one species from another (26). 
Color 
The sapwood, 3 A to 3 or more inches in thickness, may he tiro-zoned; the 
outer zone may have a creamy-yellow, gray, or reddish-white color that shades 
into reddish-purple or brown (h, 5) . The sapwood tones into the darker 
reddish- or purplish-brown heartwood, which darkens on exposure (h, 5> 2h.t 15> 
21). 
Grain, Texture, and Figure 
Apitong wood may notably have fairly straight grain, but it may also be 
shallowly interlocked or cross grained. Its even texture is fine to rather 
coarse (h, 5, 10, 2k, 21, 26, 3jf.) . 
Luster 
Apitong is not a lustrous wood (15, 26) . 
Odor and Taste 
The wood has a slightly pleasant resinous odor but no distinct taste (11, 14, 
15, 26). 
Weight 
The weight of apitong, depending on its moisture content, ranges from 36 to 66 
rounds per cubic foot with a usual range of kO to 57 pounds (h, £, 9, 12, 13, 
21, 26). 
Specific gravity values from 0.60 to 0.86 have been reported (l, Ik, 15, 21, 
26). *"' — — — 
ilechanical Properties 
Strength values of apitong determined on material from different localities 
in the Philippines varied considerably. The strongest wood was that with the 
highest density (l, 7). Test data from some early Philippine tests (6) have 
been tabulated in table 1, which lists values for some properties of green and 
Report Wo. R1920 -3- 
