AS 1720.

2—1990

Australian StandardR

SAA Timber Structures Code

Part 2: Timber properties

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 This Australian Standard was prepared by Committee TM/1, Timber Structures. It was
approved on behalf of the Council of Standards Australia on 2 July 1990 and published on
10 December 1990.

The following interests are represented on Committee TM/1:

Association of Consulting Engineers Australia
Australian Uniform Building Regulations Coordinating Council
CSIRO Division of Building, Construction and Engineering
Chisholm Institute of Technology
Curtin University of Technology
Master Builders Construction and Housing Association Australia
National Association of Forest Industries
Plywood Association of Australia
Public Works Department, New South Wales
Standards Australia
University of Technology, Sydney

Review of Australian Standards. To keep abreast of progress in industry, Australian Standards are subject to
periodic review and are kept up to date by the issue of amendments or new editions as necessary. It is important
therefore that Standards users ensure that they are in possession of the latest edition, and any amendments thereto.
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Full details of all Australian Standards and related publications will be found in the Standards Australia Catalogue
of Publications; this information is supplemented each month by the magazine ‘The Australian Standard’, which
subscribing members receive, and which gives details of new publications, new editions and amendments, and of
withdrawn Standards.
Suggestions for improvements to Australian Standards, addressed to the head office of Standards Australia, are
welcomed. Notification of any inaccuracy or ambiguity found in an Australian Standard should be made without
delay in order that the matter may be investigated and appropriate action taken.
 AS 1720.2—1990

Australian StandardR

Timber Structures (known as SAA

Timber Structures Code)

Part 2: Timber properties

Accessed by UNIVERSITY OF NEWCASTLE on 03 Nov 2005

First published as AS 1720.2—1990

PUBLISHED BY STANDARDS AUSTRALIA

(STANDARDS ASSOCIATION OF AUSTRALIA)
1 THE CRESCENT, HOMEBUSH, NSW 2140
ISBN 0 7262 6427 X
 PREFACE

This Standard was prepared by the Standards Australia Committee on Timber Structures as
an additional Part of AS 1720, SAA Timber Structures Code. In considering the revision of
AS 1720—1975 the Committee recognized the need to restructure the Standard to allow for
additional topics to be included as research knowledge became established. This led to the
Standard being prepared as four separate parts as follows:
Part 1: Design methods
Part 2: Timber properties (this Standard)
Part 3: Non–standard connectors
Part 4: Fire–resistance of structural timber members
This Standard provides an expanded list of structural timbers and properties to that given in
AS 1720.1. Information on the availability and source of particular species is normally
available from local industry associations.

CONTENTS
Page
1 SCOPE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
2 REFERENCED DOCUMENTS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
3 TABULATION OF SPECIES AND PROPERTIES . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
4 EXPLANATION OF TABLE 1 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
5 REFERENCES . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10
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E Copyright — STANDARDS AUSTRALIA

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 3 AS 1720.2—1990

STANDARDS AUSTRALIA

Australian Standard
Timber structures

Part 2: Timber properties

1 SCOPE This Standard sets out a table of species and their general properties which can be used for the design
of timber structures.
NOTES:
1 It is emphasized that str uctural timber exhibit s considerable natural variabili ty and consequently the informati on given herein
might be inadequate when precise and specif ic data are requir ed.
2 The inclusion of a species in this Part does not necessari ly indicate that it is readil y avail able.
2 REFERENCED DOCUMENTS The following documents are referred to in this Standard:
AS
1148 Nomenclature of commercial timbers imported into Australia
1604 Preservative treatment for sawn timber, veneer and plywood
2209 Timber poles for overhead lines
2543 Nomenclature of Australian timbers
2858 Timber Softwood Visually stress-graded for structural purposes
2878 Timbers Classification into strength groups
ASTM
D 143 Standard methods of testing small clear specimens of timber
BS
373 Methods of testing small clear specimens of timber
3 TABULATION OF SPECIES AND PROPERTIES Species commonly used for structural purposes are listed
in Table 1 together with their classification and general properties.
NOTE: The avail abil it y and source of part icular species should be checked with local ti mber industry associati ons.
4 EXPLANATION OF TABLE 1
4.1 General This Clause gives an explanation of the column headings used in Table 1 together with a reference
to the source document, as appropriate. Values of properties given in this Table are mean values.
4.2 Index number (Column 1) For Australian-grown timber species the index number (without an asterisk)
provides a cross-reference to AS 2543. This ensures that there is a correct linking between the standard trade
name (Column 2) and the botanical name when required. Similarly for imported species (indicated by an asterisk)
reference should be made to AS 1148 for the correct botanical name.
4.3 Standard trade name (Column 2) The standard trade names listed are the preferred names. Their use is
encouraged as a contribution to the more orderly identification, marketing and use of timber. Some alternative
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local names are given in both AS 2543 an AS 1148.

4.4 Origin (Column 3) The State or States in which each Australian-grown timber occurs or country of origin
is indicated by using the following code:
G Papua New Guinea
N New South Wales.
Nth Amer North America
NZ New Zealand
Q Queensland
S South Australia
T Tasmania
V Victoria
W Western Australian
Y Northern Territory
NOTE: (P) foll owing an origin initi al indicates plantation grown timber.
4.5 Species brand (Column 4) The species brand to be used when required follows the system given in
Appendix A of AS 2209. For species not listed in that Standard a circle has been drawn around the suggested
abbreviation.

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4.6 Classification (Column 5) The letter ‘H’ indicates hardwood; or more specifically the timbers of the
botanical group Angiosperms not all of which possess hard wood. The letter ‘S’ indicates the softwoods or
timbers of the botanical group Gymnosperms most of which are conifers.
4.7 Strength group (Column 6) The strength group for each species in both the unseasoned or green (G)
condition and the seasoned or dry (D) condition is given in accordance with the classification set out in AS 2878
with provisional strength groups given in brackets.
The relationship between strength group and visual grades is given in Appendix E of AS 2858. Exceptions to the
general rule are Douglas fir from North America in the dry condition and cypress pine. The appropriate stress
grades for these species may be found by reference to AS 2858.
4.8 Joint group (Column 7) For the purpose of joint design all species have been classified into six groups,
J1 to J6 for the unseasoned or green (G) condition, and six groups JD1 to JD6 for the seasoned on dry (D)
condition, as shown in Table 2 and Table 3.
TABLE 2
MINIMUM BASIC DENSITIES FOR JOINT STRENGTH GROUP IN
UNSEASONED (GREEN) TIMBER

Joint group J1 J2 J3 J4 J5 J6
Basic density 750 600 480 380 300 240
kg/m 3*
*
Basic density is the mass of an oven-dry specimen divided by its volume when green.

TABLE 3
MIMIMUM AIR-DRY DENSITIES FOR JOINT STRENGTH GROUPS IN
SEASONED (DRY) TIMBER

Joint Group JD1 JD2 JD3 JD4 JD5 JD6

Air- dry density at 940 750 600 480 380 300

12% m.c. kg/m3

4.9 Density at 12% moisture content (Column 8) The density at 12% m.c. is the mass of a specimen divided
by its volume when both measurements have been made when the specimen is at 12% m.c.
The values given apply before any reconditioning treatment. After reconditioning the values are 1% 2% lower
for most species but may be up to 10% lower in those that are collapse susceptible (see Column 13).
Attention is drawn to the fact that rounded mean values are listed and cognizance should be given to the range
of densities that could be encountered for any one species. The examples in Table 4 illustrate the point. Values
given in Table 1 have been rounded up to the nearest 50 when the values of the last two digits are greater than
or equal to 35 and less than or equal to 50, or greater than or equal to 85, and rounded down to the nearest 50
when the values of the last two digits are less than 35 or greater than 85. This has resulted in the values being
generally in conformance with those given in 1720.1.
TABLE 4
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EXAMPLES OF AIR-DRY DENSITY RANGES

Air-dry densit y, kg/m3

Species
Mean Range

ash, mountain 679 533 830

karr i 905 814 1000
pine, radiata 535 420 650

4.10 Unseasoned density (Column 9) The unseasoned density figures are very approximate being included only
as a guide to enable self weight of unseasoned members to be estimated in computing the dead load of a
structure. Unseasoned density depends on the moisture content at the time of measurement. For the purposes
of this tabulation it has been assumed that very little drying has taken place since the tree was felled and the
densities given should be regarded as typical and not as exact values.
4.11 Hardness (Column 10) Hardness can refer to the difficulty in sawing, planing, resistance to wear or
abrasion and the resistance to indentation. The figures given refer to this latter property which generally is
considered to be an indicator of the others.
The values are a measure of the force necessary to indent a timber specimen with a steel ball of 11.28mm
diameter to a depth of 5.64mm (see reference to CSIRO Technical Paper No 31, Note 1 (a) to Clause 4.15).

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 9 AS 1720.2—1990

4.12 Cleavage (Column 11) Cleavage strength is a measure of a timber’s tendency to split along the grain.
This property influences its ability to take and hold fasteners under load. A related property is its tangential
shrinkage (see AS 1720.1).

4.13 Toughness (Column 12) Toughness is a measure of timber’s ability to resist shocks and blows and is
synonymous with impact strength.

4.14 Tangential shrinkage (Column 13) The percentage shrinkage values in drying from the unseasoned to
12% moisture condition are given for the tangential direction only. As a general rule radial shrinkage is about
half of the tangential value. It should also be noted that the values given apply before any reconditioning
treatment.
Within this column a double dagger indicates that the particular species is normally reconditioned, this in turn
suggests that it is susceptible to collapse, i.e. abnormally high shrinkage during its drying cycle.
NOTE: Further informati on on radial shrinkage is given in the references (a) and (b) of Note 1 to Clause 4.15.

4.15 Tendency to split for green wood (Column 14). This column lists values of the parameter (α) defined
by —
α = ε 2 /γ
where
ε = tangential shrinkage, in percent
γ = tangential cleavage strength of unseasoned timber, in newtons per millimetre, as measured by BS
373 or ASTM D 143.
Species for which α is greater than 0.8 often have a high tendency to split, particularly in exposed locations;
species for which α is less than 0.55 may be considered to have a negligible tendency to split.
NOTES:
1 Information on shri nkage and cleavage str ength for specifi c species can be obtained fr om the foll owing references:
(a) KINGSTON, R.S.T. and RISDON, C.J.E. ‘Shri nkage and Density of Australi an and other South-West Pacifi c Woods’.
Division of Forest Products Technological Paper No 13, CSIRO, 1961.
(b) BUDGEN, B ‘Shri nkage and Densit y of some Australi an and South-East Asian Timbers’. Division of Building Research
Technological Paper (Second Series) No 38, CSIRO, 1981.
(c) BOLZA, E, and KLOOT, N.H. ‘The Mechanical Propert ies of 174 Austr alian Timbers’. Division of Forest Products
Technological Paper No 25, CSIRO, 1963.
2 It will be found that most Eucalypts and most hardwoods of dry sclerophyll forests that have a basic densit y of less than 700Kg/m3
will have a split ti ng parameter α is greater than 0.8; most softwoods and most rainforest hardwoods have a spli tt ing parameter
α is less than 0.8.

4.16 Unit tangential movement (Column 15) The percentage tangential movement for any change in moisture
content between about 3% and within a few percent of the intersection point (typically between 20% and 25%
moisture content) may be determined by multiplying the change in moisture content by the appropriate unit
movement as listed.

4.17 Durability class (Column 16) Because of the many variables involved it is very difficult to accurately
classify timbers in terms of their resistance to decay and accordingly the classifications are considered
provisional. Extensive long-term field tests currently being conducted by CSIRO and some of the State Forest
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Services could eventually necessitate alteration to some of the classifications shown. Attention is drawn to
references by Thornton and Johnson, and Bootle (see Clause 5).
The classification system used is based on the following assumptions when applied to untreated heartwood of
reasonable dimensions (at least 40 mm in thickness) used in ground contact.
Class 1: Timbers of the highest natural durability which may be expected to resist both decay and termite attack
for at least 25 years and up to 50 years.
Class 2: Timbers of high natural durability which may be expected to have a life of about 15 to 25 years.
Class 3: Timbers of only moderate durability which may be expected to have a life of about 8 to 15 years.
Class 4: Timbers of low durability which may last from about 1 to 8 years. These timbers have about the same
durability as untreated sapwood, which is generally regarded as Class 4, irrespective of species.
The durability class of some additional species is listed in AS 1604.
4.18 Sapwood lyctus susceptibility (Column 17) The susceptibility of the sapwood of individual species to
attack by the Lyctus borer is indicated in the following manner:
S Susceptible
RS Rarely susceptible
NS Not susceptible

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5 REFERENCES The following references were consulted in the preparation of this Standard:
BEESLEY, J., KEOUGH, J.J. and MOULEN, A.W. Early Burning Properties of Australian Building Timber.
Div. Build. Res. Technical Paper (Second Series) No. 6, CSIRO Australia, 1974.
BOLZA, E. and KLOOT, N.H. The mechanical properties of 174 Australian timbers. Div. For. Prod. Technol.
Pap. No. 25, CSIRO Aust., 1963.
BOOTLE, Keith, R. Wood in Australia Types, properties and uses. Sydney: McGraw-Hill, 1983.
BUDGEN, B. Shrinkage and density of some Australian and South-East Asian timbers. Div. of Build. Res.
Technical Paper (Second Series) No. 38, CSIRO Aust., 1981.
DITCHBURNE, N, KLOOT, N.H. and RUMBALL, B. The mechanical properties of Australian-grown pinus
radiata D. Don. 1975. Div. of Build. Res. Technical Paper (Second Series) No. 9, CSIRO Aust.
JESSOME, A.P. Strength and related properties of woods grown in Canada. Forestry Technical Report 21.
Ottawa. 1977.
MACK, J.J. Australian methods for mechanically testing small clear specimens of timber. Div. of Build. Res.
Technical Paper (Second Series) No. 31, CSIRO Aust., 1979.
MOULEN, A.W. and GRUBITS, S.J. The early fire hazard properties of timbers. Dept. of Housing and
Construction Experimental Building Station. Technical Study No. 50. Australian Government Publishing Service,
Canberra. 1980.
THORNTON, J.D. and JOHNSON, G.C. The Australian test of the in-ground durability of heartwood Its aims,
current status, limitation and potential. 21st Forest Research Conference, Paper B27, 1984.
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