Musk Sandalwood | The Wood Database (Hardwood)

> Hardwoods > Malvaceae > Mansonia > gagei

DATA SOURCE(S): 1,37

Common Name(s): Musk sandalwood, Thai sandalwood, Burmese sandalwood

Scientific Name: Mansonia gagei

Distribution: Southeast Asia

Tree Size: 32-65 ft (10-20 m) tall,

1-2 ft (.3-.6 m) trunk diameter

Average Dried Weight: 58.7 lbs/ft³ (940 kg/m³)

Specific Gravity (Basic, 12% MC): .81, .94

Janka Hardness: 2,030 lb_f (9,040 N)*

Modulus of Rupture: 18,030 lb_f/in² (124.4 MPa)*

Elastic Modulus: 1,613,000 lb_f/in² (11.13 GPa)*

Crushing Strength: 8,710 lb_f/in² (60.1 MPa)*

*dried strength values estimated from green values

Shrinkage: No data available

More images | Identification

Color/Appearance: Heartwood tends to be medium to dark brown, sometimes with darker streaks. Wide sapwood is tan colored and is fairly well demarcated from the darker heartwood.

Grain/Texture: Grain is generally straight. Texture is fine and uniform.

Rot Resistance: No data available.

Workability: Musk sandalwood is easy to work with both hand and machine tools. It glues, turns, and finishes well.

Odor: Musk sandalwood has a distinct, pleasing odor. Wood shavings and sawdust is sometimes used for incense.

Allergies/Toxicity: There have been no health effects associated specifically with musk sandalwood, though this may be due to its relative obscurity. However, analyses of the heartwood has shown it contains a number of anti-microbial compounds,^[1]Tiew, P., Ioset, J. R., Kokpol, U., Chavasiri, W., & Hostettmann, K. (2003). Antifungal, antioxidant and larvicidal activities of compounds isolated from the heartwood of Mansonia gagei. … Continue reading^[2]Mongkol, R., & Chavasiri, W. (2016). Antimicrobial, herbicidal and antifeedant activities of mansonone E from the heartwoods of Mansonia gagei Drumm. Journal of Integrative Agriculture, 15(12), … Continue reading and the closely related Mansonia altissima has also been reported as a sensitizer, with the the most usual reactions including eye and skin irritation, though the wood dust also produces a wide range of other deleterious effects. See the articles Wood Allergies and Toxicity and Wood Dust Safety for more information.

Pricing/Availability: Not available outside its natural range, musk sandalwood is used on a very limited (and diminishing)^[3]Fragrant sandalwood, a natural fragrance worth preserving (2021, June 7). https://hkm.hrdi.or.th/Knowledge/detail/488 basis within its natural range.

Sustainability: This wood species is not listed in the CITES Appendices or on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species.

Common Uses: Boxes and chests, turned objects, carvings, and other small specialty wood items. Shavings and sawdust extracts are also used to make incense and perfume.

Comments: Musk sandalwood is sometimes confused with or sold interchangeably with Indian sandalwood (Santalum album) as well as other Santalum species. However, these sandalwoods are in the Santalaceae family and are not closely related to musk sandalwood, which is in the Malvaceae (mallow) family. Additionally, the heartwood of these woods contain different characteristic chemical compounds—santalol for Santalum species, and mansonone G for Mansonia gagei.^[4]Narakornwit, W., Sukwattanasinit, T., Wangwattana, B., Srisopon, S., Burana-osot, J., & Sotanaphun, U. (2018). Discrimination of Botanical Origin of Chan-thet, Chan-hom, Chan-chamot, Chan-khao … Continue reading

Images: Drag the slider up/down to toggle between raw and finished wood.

There are currently no pictures of this exact wood species, but a similar species within the Mansonia genus is being substituted (M. altissima). If you’d like to contribute a wood sample of this specific species to be photographed, please use the contact form.

Watch video of wood finish being applied.

Do you have images of projects made from this wood species? You can submit them to me here.

Identification: See the article on Hardwood Anatomy for definitions of endgrain features.

Mansonia (endgrain 1x)

Porosity: diffuse porous

Arrangement: usually in radial multiples of two to four pores

Vessels: medium, few to numerous

Parenchyma: diffuse-in-aggregates

Rays: narrow width, normal spacing; rays generally not visible without magnification

Lookalikes/Substitutes: Can be confused with Santalum species if being sold as sandalwood. However, the pores in Santalum species are exclusively solitary. By contrast, it is very common for Mansonia gagei to have pores in radial multiples of two to four pores.

Notes: Storied structures present.

> Hardwoods > Malvaceae > Mansonia > Related Species

Mansonia
(Mansonia altissima)

Sandalwood, musk
(Mansonia gagei)

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References[+]

References
↑1	Tiew, P., Ioset, J. R., Kokpol, U., Chavasiri, W., & Hostettmann, K. (2003). Antifungal, antioxidant and larvicidal activities of compounds isolated from the heartwood of Mansonia gagei. Phytotherapy Research, 17(2), 190-193.
↑2	Mongkol, R., & Chavasiri, W. (2016). Antimicrobial, herbicidal and antifeedant activities of mansonone E from the heartwoods of Mansonia gagei Drumm. Journal of Integrative Agriculture, 15(12), 2795-2802.
↑3	Fragrant sandalwood, a natural fragrance worth preserving (2021, June 7). https://hkm.hrdi.or.th/Knowledge/detail/488
↑4	Narakornwit, W., Sukwattanasinit, T., Wangwattana, B., Srisopon, S., Burana-osot, J., & Sotanaphun, U. (2018). Discrimination of Botanical Origin of Chan-thet, Chan-hom, Chan-chamot, Chan-khao and Chan-thana Using Chemical Test and Thin-layer Chromatography. Thai Pharmaceutical and Health Science Journal-วารสาร ไทย เภสัชศาสตร์ และ วิทยาการ สุขภาพ, 13(3), 142-149.