Ramin

Ramin is a pale, even-textured tropical hardwood cut from trees of the genus Gonystylus (family Thymelaeaceae), of which Gonystylus bangkanus is the principal commercial species. It grows in the freshwater peat-swamp forests of Southeast Asia — Peninsular Malaysia, Sarawak and Sabah, Indonesian Sumatra and Kalimantan, Brunei and the Philippines.

At a glance it is a plain, uniform, straw-colored wood — golden tan to light brown, as on our sample — with a fine, close texture, straight grain and a subtle visible ray figure. It has little contrast between heartwood and sapwood, which gives it the clean, featureless look that once made it a workshop staple for mouldings, dowels and picture frames.

Ramin is worth knowing as much for its trade status as its wood: it is one of the flagship timbers listed under CITES, so its availability and paperwork have changed dramatically over the last two decades.

Note: the name 'Ramin' properly belongs to the genus Gonystylus. The binomial Tarrietia utilis sometimes attached to this entry actually refers to Niangon, an unrelated West African wood; the pale Southeast Asian timber pictured here is true Ramin.

Ramin is notably uniform in color. Heartwood and sapwood are barely distinct, both a pale cream to straw-yellow that reads as golden tan to light brown, occasionally with a faint pinkish or greyish cast. Grain is straight to shallowly interlocked, the texture fine and even with a low to moderate luster, and quartersawn faces show a delicate, low-key ray fleck rather than any bold figure.

It is a medium-weight, medium-density wood — roughly 620–670 kg/m³ air-dry — with a Janka hardness of about 1,300 lbf, placing it in the medium-hard band, comparable to hard maple or a touch below. It is diffuse-porous, with small-to-medium pores fairly evenly distributed and growth rings that are indistinct.

Durability is Ramin's weak point: the wood is rated non-durable to perishable, with poor resistance to decay fungi, insects and the blue-stain that readily colonizes freshly felled peat-swamp logs. It needs prompt kiln drying and, for any exposed or ground-contact use, preservative treatment — which it accepts readily. It is strictly an interior/protected-use timber.

Ramin built its reputation on millwork. Its even texture, straight grain and clean machining made it a mainstay for mouldings and skirting, picture and mirror frames, dowels, dowel rods and dowel pins, tool and broom handles, and turned components.

Other typical uses include interior joinery, furniture and furniture parts (drawer sides and runners, rails, legs), louvre and slatted blinds, toys and games, cabinetwork, plywood and veneer, and general light construction indoors. It is a favorite turning and carving wood for small work because it cuts cleanly and holds crisp detail.

Because it is non-durable it is not used outdoors, in the ground, or in wet service without treatment.

Ramin is an easy, cooperative wood to work with both hand and machine tools. It saws, planes, moulds, bores and turns cleanly, holds sharp profiles, and takes nails and screws well (pre-boring near ends is prudent as it can split). It glues, stains, paints and finishes very well, which is a large part of why it was so widely used for painted and stained mouldings.

The main drawback in the shop is health-related: Ramin dust is a recognized irritant and has been reported to cause skin, eye and respiratory irritation and, in sensitized workers, more serious reactions. Freshly cut or wet stock can also carry an unpleasant odor. Use effective dust extraction and a respirator, as with any fine-textured tropical hardwood.

Because the wood is perishable and blue-stains readily, machine and finish it reasonably promptly and keep stock dry in storage.

Ramin was once cheap and everywhere — a commodity moulding and dowel wood exported in enormous volume. That has changed. Over-cutting of the slow-recovering peat-swamp forests, plus habitat loss, led producer countries to restrict logging and exports (Indonesia imposed export limits and bans), and today it is far less available and sits in a mid-to-upper price band when found, typically through specialist importers rather than general yards.

Most significantly, all Gonystylus species are listed on CITES Appendix II, so international trade requires CITES export/import permits and legal-source documentation; buyers should expect and ask for this paperwork. Several species are also assessed as threatened on the IUCN Red List. Where continued use is desired, FSC-certified or verified legal-and-sustainable Ramin is the responsible choice, and many woodworkers now substitute pale temperate hardwoods (maple, birch, beech) for former Ramin applications.