Grouping of commercial tropical timber using wood color

Abstract

This work aims to evaluate the color of 18 tropical species collected in sawmills located in the north region of Mato Grosso state, Brazil. In total, samples were produced from six trees for each species. The selected samples were sanded and evaluated by spectrophotometer, using the measurements system Cielab, to obtain the variables: brightness (L), the chromatic coordinates (a* and b*), saturation (C) and hue angle (h). There was no difference between the color of tangential or radial wood planes. The species could be grouped in 6 different classes based on the similarity of the pieces superficial colors. Grouping species by color is a possibility for marketing in local wood market, where often clients search for products based only in their aesthetic appearance.

Keywords

• Wood technology
• Macroscopic characterization
• Colorimetry
• Amazon woods