The Tree
The various species of Shorea grow to a height of 45m or so and a diameter of 1.2m or a little more, with long, clean, cylindrical boles above small buttresses.

The Timber
Sapwood lighter-coloured and usually distinct from the heartwood which is light-red or pinkish-brown; planed surfaces fairly lustrous, stripe figure on radial surfaces, with subtle, but attractive speckles caused by the rays. Texture rather coarse, but even, grain interlocked and wavy. Resin canals which may, or may not be plugged with white resin occur in tangential lines on end grain surfaces, but the wood is not resinous like keruing. The wood varies in weight according to species from 400 kg/m3 to 705 kg/m3 but averages about 550 kg/m3 when dried.

Drying
The various types of meranti/seraya are reported to dry rapidly and well, with little degrade. Some slight distortion and surface checking may occur in the denser types. 'Malayan Forest Service Trade Leaflet No 8' gives the following information regarding the air drying times for red meranti dried under cover in Malaysia. From about 60 per cent moisture content to 18 per cent moisture content:-25mm boards 2 to 3 months38mm boards 3 to 4 months50mm boards approximately 5 months.

Strength
There is a wide variation in the strength properties of the various merantis and red seraya due to the differences in density and the number of species involved. Large, over-mature logs are frequently spongy in the heart, the wood in these areas being weak and brittle. Despite the fact that the best type of light red meranti is almost equal in strength to the weakest type of dark red meranti, there is nevertheless on average, a distinct difference in mechanical properties. The average figure for strength and stiffness in bending and compression for dark red meranti is about 20 per cent higher than that for light red meranti; in shear there is about 10 per cent difference, and in hardness, over 30 per cent. The Malayan Forest Service prepared the following table, on the basis of mechanical test results, where the mechanical properties of six other timbers are compared with those for light red meranti, the data for which are expressed in each case as 100.

Working Qualities
Medium - The wood of the various species work well and in general are capable of a good smooth surface, but a reduction of cutting angle to 200 is beneficial where a tendency for the grain to tear becomes apparent. The dulling effect on saws and cutters varies somewhat with the species, but is usually quite small, except in the case of white meranti which generally contains a fairly high amount of silica in the ray cells. The various species can be glued, nailed and screwed satisfactorily, and can be stained and polished quite well after suitable filling.