How Is Melia Dubia Wood Used? Understanding The Basics

How Is Melia Dubia Wood Used? Understanding The Basics

If you’re thinking about growing Melia Dubia (Malabar neem, also known as Tamil: malai vembu in Tamil and hebbevu or kaadu bevu in Kannada) on your plantation or farm in India, you may not be sure what exactly this tree is, or how its wood is used? Let’s discuss a few of the top ways that Melia Dubia can be used in industry now, and show you why planting Malabar neem at your farm can be so profitable.

What Is Melia Dubia?

Melia Dubia is a quickly-growing softwood, deciduous tree of the Meliaceae order and Sapindales species. It reaches a harvestable size after just 6-8 years of growth, with 7 years being the optimal time for harvest for most purposes.

It grows with a strong, straight trunk that can be easily processed, and it’s resistant to pests and is ideal for wet, moist climates. And because it produces minimal shade due to a small crown and minimal side branches, it can be planted along with other crops, maximizing your revenue.

How Is Melia Dubia Used?

Wondering how Melia Dubia is used, and who may be interested in buying your Melia Dubia wood once it’s ready for harvest? Here are a few of the common industries that use Melia Dubia. 

• Plywood (core & veneer) – This is the biggest industry for which Malabar Neem/Melia Dubia is used. It’s relatively easy to peel away the wood from the trunk and create strong, durable sheets of plywood for use in building, furniture assembly, boatbuilding, and every other purpose for which plywood is used.

  Depending on the quality of your wood, it can be used either as part of the core of plywood, or as a veneer to provide it with a beautiful, wood-like finish and appearance.

   

• Furniture making – Melia Dubia is typically only used for furniture making if the trees are larger and more mature – typically 10-15 years of age. Younger Malabar neem trees are not as suitable for furniture. Wood furniture such as tables, chairs, benches, and cabinets can be made from Melia Dubia.

   

• Matchsticks – It is very easy to process Melia Dubia into matchsticks, and the wood has a great combination of light weight, durability and low cost, making it extremely popular for such products.

   

• Interior decorations – Many companies use Melia Dubia as an alternative to more expensive woods for things like picture frames, decorative wood-carved items, and other such interior decorations.

   

• Pencils – Similar to matchsticks, processing and creating pencils from Malabar neem/Melia Dubia is very simple, and thanks to its beneficial properties and low cost, it’s rising in popularity with many pencil-making companies.

   

• Pulp – Melia Dubia can be used for paper pulp. Young Melia Dubia trees that are only 5-6 years old are ideal for this. If you are planting Melia Dubia for use as paper pulp, you can plant the trees more closely together and maximize your yield. However, you should note that the wood will not be of sufficient quality to use it for any other purpose beyond pulp, which commands a lower price than Malabar neem used for plywood, furniture making, etc.

  When determining whether or not to grow Melia Dubia for pulp, we recommend checking with suppliers to learn about the current rates they pay for pulp and plywood. By doing so, and calculating how many trees you can plant for either pulp or plywood, you can determine which option makes more financial sense for your farm or plantation.

This is just the beginning – Melia Dubia/Malabar neem has many other useful purposes, and is becoming more and more important as supplies of readily-available, natural wood begin to diminish in India. For this reason, planting this tree is a great investment for your farm.

Begin Your Melia Dubia Plantation Right Away & Maximize Your Profits

As time goes on and wood products become even more valuable in India, you’re sure to be able to maximize your profit if you plant Melia Dubia. It has so many uses – so no matter how much you grow, you’ll always be able to find a buyer for your wood. Plant your first seedlings today – and prepare to make a massive profit when your trees reach maturity.