Vitex is a creamy-grey to light greenish-coloured durable hardwood. It planes and machines well and is easy to cut across the grain. A good finish can be obtained and it has good bending qualities.
Botanical Name
Vitex Cofassus
Origin
Solomon Islands, Papua New Guinea
Exterior
Working Properties
Timber is sawn without difficulty. Planes and machines well and cut across the grain easily. Bends and holds nails well (no pre-drilling required). Good finishes are achievable.
Mechanical Properties
Vitex is a dense hardwood with above-average crushing and bending strength. Medium stiffness and resistance to shock loads.
Main Uses
Used primarily in outdoor applications such as decking, exterior joinery, and board walks. Occasionally substituted for Teak in boat building.
Seasoning
Seasons well with little degradation providing stacks are weighted and fillets/stickers are closely spaced.
Working Qualities
The timber planes and machines well and is easy to cut across the grain. A good finish can be obtained and it has good bending qualities. Holds nails well without pre-drilling.
Uses
Decks, rails, cross-arms, bridge and wharf decking, boat-building.
Durability Above Ground Durable
Density Air Dry 750 kg/m3
Shrinkage Radial 1.8 %
Shrinkage Tangental 4.1 %
Janka Hardness 7.3 kN
Modulus of Rupture 113 MPa
Modulus of Elasticity 14 GPa
Max Crush Strength 64 MPa
Timspec was established in 1990 as a wholesaler of specialty timber and was wholly New Zealand owned. In March 2019 Timspec was acquired by ITI Australia and became ITI Timspec LTD.
Today we import, export, and wholesale a huge range of timber to builders, joiners, home owners, floor layers, landscape builders and furniture manufacturers. We pride ourselves on being environmentally responsible and strive to source the most sustainable timber options available. Timber stocked includes species from North America, South America, Europe, Africa, South East Asia, Australia, and New Zealand's exotic as well as indigenous species.
The ITI Timspec team are extremely knowledgeable about the various types of timber, treatments and uses available and are happy to help you in choosing the right product for your project.