Wood Species In Detail – Rubberwood
At Osborne Wood Products, we supply the cabinet and furniture trade with the highest quality decorative wood components. Naturally, we work hard to source the highest quality wood possible. In an effort to better help our hobbyist and DIY customers make the right choice in which wood types to use in their projects, we are introducing a new blog series in which we go into detail discussing our various wood types and answering any common questions our customers may have.
A common question we get is “what is rubberwood?” Contrary to its name, rubberwood is not made of rubber. Rubberwood lumber is actually a variety of maple, and it is sourced from rubber plantations where trees are grown and tapped for their sap which creates latex. At the end of their useful lifecycle, about 30 years, rubberwood trees are then harvested and turned into rubberwood lumber and new trees are planted in their place, making rubberwood a very economical wood choice.
Rubberwood is naturally a light blonde to medium tan color, sometimes with medium brown streaks, and the color can darken slightly with age. Rubberwood is most often found in our products imported from overseas as it’s a very common Asian wood. Since it’s a variety of maple, its density is very close to soft maple, scoring a 930 on the Janka hardness scale.
Rubberwood is a great paint or stain grade option. Often considered an economic paint grade, we recommend a good primer be used before painting it due to its porous nature.
All of our wood types are sorted into a Traditional, Premium, or Specialty selection. If available as an option, you can find Rubberwood under our Traditional selection.
Additionally, if you would like a part made in rubberwood, you can contact us for a custom quote by filling out our online form, emailing info@osbornewood.com, or calling 800-849-8876 and speaking with a representative today.
Check out the links below to read more in-depth about all the other wood types we offer:
- Maple (hard, soft, tiger/curly)
- Pine (knotty, heart, specialty)
- Oak (red, white, rift vs. quarter sawn)
- Rubberwood – this post
- European Beech
- Cherry & Alder
- Hickory, Mahogany, & Walnut
- Miscellaneous & Specialty Woods
