Apitong lumber is available. Why use softwood?

By Steve Getsiv, 03/13/09

I started selling truck trailer flooring products in the late 1980's. At that time, Apitong lumber was sort of new on the scene; most people used Douglas Fir or Southern Yellow Pine for their flatbed trailer flooring.

The use of softwood lumber on trailer floors just doesn't make a lot of sense. Yes, maybe it is a bit cheaper, even with cheap imported hardwood options. But it just doesn't last.

I've talked to four end users just this week and every one of them needed to replace their softwood trailer floor. We used Ipe in one case and Angelim Pedra, Brazilian Apitong in the other three cases. Problem solved.

The term Apitong is a technically a reference to Keruing, which is Diptocarpus spp. There are quite a few species within the Diptocarpus genus that can also be referred to as Apitong. In addition, Angelim Pedra, Hymenalobium excelsum, is now being referred to as Brazilian Apitong.

Apitong, whether Indonesian, Malaysian, or Brazilian, is hard, durable and will not rot out like softwood. If you've got a flatbed trailer with a softwood deck, you will need to replace it at some point. Choose one of the naturally durable hardwoods and you won't need to replace your deck again for a long time.

By Steve Getsiv, 03/13/09

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Apitong lumber is available. Why use softwood?

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