Balsa wood
Balsa wood is obtained from the Balsa tree and is one of the lightest woods in the world, although it belongs to the ‘hardwood’ category.
It can be made into surfboards and other products replacing traditional petroleum-based foams.
Production process
The trees are cut at 3-4 years of age, and their barks are stripped. They are then dried and cut into slabs. These slabs are dressed for surfboards or made into blanks.
The products can be delivered customized to the customer in the form of wood, sheets, DIY kits, blanks, finished boards, fins, fin boxes, leash plugs, grip tape, wind turbines, etc.
Material properties
Balsa is very soft and light, with a coarse, open-grain structure. The density of dry balsa wood ranges from 800 to 175 kg/m3, with an average of around 160 kg/m3.
The wood of a living tree has large cells filled with water. It gives the wood a spongy texture and also makes it heavier than water and barely able to float.
For commercial production, the wood is kiln-dried for about two weeks, leaving the cells hollow and empty. The high volume-to-surface ratio of the resulting thin-walled, empty cells gives the dried wood a more strength-to-weight ratio as the cells are mostly air. Unlike naturally rotted wood, which soon disintegrates in the rainforests where balsa trees grow, the cell walls of this kiln-seasoned balsa wood retain their strong structure of cellulose and lignin.
Availability
Balsa Wood is available worldwide
Circular features
The material is all-natural and derived from sustainable sources. The end-of-life plan of the wood returns the nutrients to the earth as it is biodegradable. It does not produce any emissions as well.
Raw Materials
- Balsa wood
Afterlife Plan
- Biodegradable
- Compostable (Industrial)
- Compostable (Home)
Image source: Balsawoodsurfboardsriley