Surely, many people know that hard wood is distinguished by such wood species as oak and ash. However, if we talk about the hardest wood, then it is “iron” wood. Moreover, in different countries of the world, different types of trees are classified as “iron”, distinguished by such hard and durable wood, which is often capable of surpassing iron in these indicators. This means that the wood of such trees is very difficult to process, does not float on water and sinks, and can also be used to make nails and even structural elements for cars. So which representatives of the plant world have the well-deserved title of “the hardest tree”?
This hardest tree is present in the forests of Azerbaijan and Iran. In terms of hardness, it is many times stronger than iron. If you want to walk through thickets of such trees, you will very soon realize that this is impossible due to the lack of flexibility of their trunks. Very often, such trees are used to make hedges, which grow stronger and stronger every year.
This is the hardest tree among the “iron” ones and is found in the forests of Northern Ireland and Transcaucasia. The black wood has an unusual structure, is very durable and is resistant to various insect pests. Due to the high density of parrotia wood, it is successfully used for the production of wind musical instruments, machine parts and various artistic crafts. This tree is included in the Red Book.
Amazonian and African "iron" trees
In Africa you can find a tree belonging to the “iron” tree - it is called azobe. In Brazil, a similar tree grows - the Amazonian “iron” tree, which is distinguished by its excellent strength and hardness of wood.
This is the hardest tree growing in a protected forest called “Kedrovaya Pad” (Primorsky Territory). The strength exceeds the same parameter of cast iron by 1.5 times. You can even shoot this birch tree with a pistol - the bullet will simply fly off and not damage its trunk. The wood of this tree successfully replaces metal. The rare tree lives for about four hundred years, which is a very impressive life span, because not a single birch tree is distinguished by such longevity.
The wood of this tree, which grows up to 8 meters, was previously used to produce parts for watches, buttons, gun cleaning rods, and parts for weaving machines. And spears or arrows, which were made from dogwood wood, did not wear out.
Characteristics of wood
Iron trees are distinguished by a unique trunk structure and a number of the following parameters:
- The bark contains tannins that help resist the appearance of various fungal diseases and parasites.
- The barrel fibers are resistant to acids and corrosion.
- The age process reaches 200 years and can grow further.
- The wood density is high and amounts to -1 t/m³, humidity 12%. Consequently, the progression of aging slows down.
- The circumference of the aksakal trunk can exceed 200 cm.
Possessing these qualities, vegetation is able to survive in various climatic conditions. Drought and abundant humidity do not harm powerful abilities; they are not able to break the character of iron.
White acacia
This tree has wood that in our country is considered one of the hardest. Attractive texture, rich color, excellent strength, highest hardness, remarkable resistance to rotting - these are the distinctive features of this wood. In addition, it is very easy to polish. Acacia wood is used for the production of furniture and parquet.
It is also called “Brazilian cherry”, but has nothing to do with the “cherry” genus. The tree with high hardness has a wide crown and grows up to forty meters in length.
The wood of this tree, which grows in Brazil, Venezuela and Colombia, is difficult to work with, but polishes well. Also, sucupira wood is not susceptible to fungi and various pests. Among the trees with durable and hard wood, one can also distinguish ebony, rosewood, and kumara. All these trees sink easily in water and have rot-resistant bark. This means that you won’t be able to make a boat from their wood, but you can make beautiful furniture.
The most durable trees in the world
Today, the hardness of wood is determined using several methods. There are ratings of all trees by density. Based on hardness, they determine where and what kind of wood to use.
The hardest woods
Based on the hardness data obtained, a list of the hardest trees has been compiled. It included white acacia
. This tree grows in large quantities in Europe, where it came from North America.
Brazilian cherry
, scientifically called
jatoba
, is in second place in hardness. It should be noted that this tree has nothing in common with plants of the “cherry” genus. Sucupira grows in South America. Its wood is not only practical, but also decorative, as it has interspersed light veins that contrast with the reddish-brown wood. It is known that fungi and pests are not terrible in sucupira. Despite the fact that wood is difficult to process, it can be sanded well.
There is such a hard wood as African mutania
.
The unusual thing is that its structure is similar to teak, and its color resembles walnut. In Central America there is amaranth
, which has dense but flexible wood, has a red-violet hue and a large expressive structure. Amaranth is difficult to process and varnish, and individual accessories and expensive furniture are made from its wood.
Merbay
- another type of hardwood. It is easy to process, easy to polish and resistant to moisture. These properties make it ideal for the production of parquet and bathroom decoration. The well-known Canadian maple, growing in North America, is also called sugar maple. This solid tree is a symbol of Canada.
Yarra
- Australian eucalyptus. Due to the similarity of its wood to mahogany, the tree is also called Australian mahogany. Rosewood wood is considered hard. His homeland is Brazil. It is an indispensable material for the manufacture of musical instruments and furniture for presentable objects.
Next on the list is ash.
with very hard wood, followed by
oak
, with heavy and durable wood.
It is impossible not to say about beech
. The properties of its wood allow it to be widely used.
Other varieties
Many people wonder why ironwood can be called stonewood? It's all about the highest strength of the plant. In addition to the listed species, there are also other types of ironwood. They include the following varieties:
- Yew. With respect to this ironwood, trees and shrubs can retain liquid for a long time and, moreover, not rot;
- Christmas tree. Its peculiarity is that it blooms around Christmas;
- Hop Grab. It grows only in the subtropics;
- Mezuya. In Asia, people use the resin of this tree to treat various diseases;
- Brazilwood. This species is on the verge of extinction. Grows in Brazil;
- Guaiacum or bakout. Ironwood can be found on land washed by the Caribbean Sea. The resin is often used in the healthcare field.
Thus, iron trees are amazing in their properties. It would seem that they contradict themselves. Their wood is incredibly dense, but it can sink in water.
Ironwood is a very hard, heavy and dense wood that sinks in water, withstands high loads and is capable of outstripping even some metals in terms of strength. What is this - fantasy or the tricks of Mother Nature?
iron tree
The term "ironwood" applies to several types of trees growing on our planet. They differ from each other in appearance, are distributed in different parts of the Earth with different climatic conditions, but they are united by the incredible density of wood.
The wood of such trees has one property in which they bypass even metals - they are not subject to corrosion.
READ Complete information on Siberian fir
And the wood of iron trees has either almost invisible or no annual rings at all.
Mother Nature gave iron trees the ability to resist the effects of parasites, fungi and rot, and, of course, such properties (along with the highest density) could not but interest people.
The hardest tree in Russia
Russia is rich in forests. Birch Schmidt
- a resident of the Kedrovaya Pad nature reserve, located in Primorye, is the hardest in the country. This birch is one of the representatives of the so-called iron trees. Due to the extremely hard wood, bullets bounce off it, it instantly sinks in water, has the property of self-preservation, does not rot and is stronger than cast iron. It is believed that this tree can be used to make bearings for cars.
Birch got its name in honor of the botanist named Schmidt who discovered it. This tree grows on the slopes of ravines near rocky outcrops, as it loves rocky soil. Birch always has an inclined trunk. Usually it is comb-shaped and does not exceed eighty centimeters in girth. The iron birch reaches a height of twenty-five meters, but the crown begins only at a height of eight meters. These trees are considered long-lived. On average, the Schmidt birch lives about three hundred and fifty years.
Yarra
This wood grows in Australia. It is also considered a type of eucalyptus with a hardness of 4.7. The texture and color of yarra resembles mahogany. So it is often called Australian mahogany. Only the yarra is particularly brightly colored. It can be characterized by all shades of red. In advantage you can see from light pink to dark red. Wood darkens in light. It is decorative, hard and dense. It also polishes and sands well.
What is made from hardwood?
Hardwoods have many uses, depending on the species. So, canes, billiard cues, furniture, and parquet are made from Brazilian cherry, which is called jatoba. But this wood is not used in shipbuilding, as it deteriorates in sea water.
Acacia wood has a yellow tint. It was also known to cabinetmakers because it does not rot or wear out. Parquet is made from acacia wood, which is considered stronger than oak, and it becomes more beautiful over the years.
Marbau wood, due to its increased hardness, is used in the construction of public buildings, and is also used to make parquet. It is used when decorating wet rooms, as it is not afraid of water.
Previously, durable ash wood was used to make not only hunting tools, but also military weapons, spears and clubs. It is known that when beech wood is steamed, it bends easily. This property is indispensable in the manufacture of round-shaped furniture, including Viennese chairs. Beech is used to make gun butts, weaving shuttles and even musical instruments. In addition, plywood and containers are made from beech, beech parquet and measuring instruments are known.
Jatoba
The hardness is 7.0 Brinell. Quite often, jatoba is called South American or Brazilian cherry. However, she is far from being related to Cherry. The height of the tree is up to 40 meters, and it also has a wide crown. Young shoots are covered with brown hairs. As for the leaves, they consist of two broadly crescent-shaped, pointed leaves up to 7.5 centimeters long.
Merbau
Merbau is ready to boast a hardness of 4.9. Most of the red-brown wood comes from Intsia species. It is similar in texture, color and properties to the wood of trees of the Afzelia genus. The wood is hard and polishes well. The density is about 800 kgm. In Europe, this wood is used primarily to create parquet. Due to its special hardness, merbau is suitable for the construction of public buildings. Due to the fact that it is resistant to moisture, it is used in the design of bathrooms.
Ash
A genus of woody plants from the Olive family has a hardness of 4.0. The height of the tree is 25-35 meters. The trunk diameter reaches up to 1 meter. Due to its strength and elasticity, ash wood was used to create military weapons, as well as weapons for hunting. People made war clubs and spears from ash. They turned out strong, heavy and elastic. The ancient Novgorodians created bows from five ash plates glued together with bone glue.
Oak
The hardness of oak is 3.8. The genus unites about 600 species. Temperate regions of the Northern Hemisphere are considered the oak's natural habitat. Ornamental forest and oak trees are produced mainly by the named Russian-European species. Wood is distinguished by its strength, strength, hardness, density and heaviness. Quite often we see oak furniture. It is also used in the creation of musical instruments.
Sucupira
The hardness of this rock is 5.6. Sucupira grows in South America. Mainly in Colombia, Brazil and Venezuela. Mature wood has beautiful reddish-brown tones. They also have inclusions of yellowish or light narrow veins, as well as a recognizable characteristic texture. Sukupira is quite decorative and at the same time practical. The wood is very durable and contains oily substances. The tree is not susceptible to pests and wood fungi. Only it is very difficult to process, but it is well polished and sanded.
Beech
Beech has the same hardness as oak. The height of the tree reaches 30 meters, and the thickness of the trunk is up to two meters. The trunk is smooth and covered with a thin layer of gray bark. As for beech wood, it is often used to create a variety of products: parquet, plywood, weaving shuttles, guitars, wooden containers, measuring instruments, and so on.
