Albizia (sengon, batai)

Overview

Sengon, or batai, is one of the lightest commercial plantation timbers: a pale, soft, coarse wood from a very fast-growing tree. It is used for crates, plywood, veneer and lightweight furniture, and it is almost never chosen for strength or durability. Pick it when low weight and low cost matter more than hardness or longevity.

Pros

• Very light: about 375 kg/m3 dry (Wood Database).
• Generally easy to work with hand and machine tools; glues, stains and finishes well.
• Plantation grown, quick to mature and widely cultivated across the tropics.
• Good natural lustre and a uniform though coarse texture.

Cons

• Soft (about 420 lbf), so it dents and wears easily.
• Perishable: in-ground durability tests in Indonesia showed average lifespans of six months to two years (Wood Database).
• Fuzzy surfaces when planing, and it dulls cutters faster than its low density suggests.
• Eye irritation, sneezing and at least one case of occupational asthma have been reported (Wood Database).
• Invasive in Hawaii, American Samoa and several other island nations (Wikipedia).

Variants and subspecies

• Falcataria falcata / F. moluccana: the sengon of this entry. Older texts place it in Albizia or Paraserianthes; Wood Database notes the classification has changed several times.
• Albizia ferruginea: a West African timber that is not sengon: golden brown, Janka 1,020 lbf, about 605 kg/m3, on the Red List as Vulnerable (Wood Database). Do not apply this entry's figures to it.
• Young versus old wood: plantation stock is very pale and uniform; older or wild trees have more reddish-brown heartwood.

Working and finishing

Easy to cut, but the low density tears and fuzzes under planers and sanders: use sharp tools, light cuts and fine abrasives. Wood Database cites one source that blames the blunting on pinching and heat on the blade as tension releases, so keep blades clean and well set. Pre-drill, since soft wood splits near edges. Distinctive odour when green, fading when dry.

Staining and finishing colour

Glues, stains and finishes well per Wood Database. Test an offcut first; the coarse, soft grain may absorb unevenly, and as the wood is perishable it should stay indoors.

Sustainability and handling

Wood Database reports batai as not listed in the CITES Appendices and as Least Concern with the IUCN (checked 2026-09). The tree is a weed in several Pacific islands, per Wikipedia, so plantation management matters. I did not verify FSC availability, and Lacey Act and EUDR duties were not researched. Dust irritates the eyes and airways, so use extraction and a respirator.

Popular projects

Lightweight furniture, drawer sides, interior millwork, boxes and crates, plywood and veneer. Japan values lightweight furniture species like batai, which it calls falcata.

Buying notes

Seldom sold in the US as lumber; look for plywood and imported lightweight furniture. I found no retail price. Keep it dry and indoors, and avoid it where a surface takes hard use.