Nilambur teak is the teak wood obtained from the forest areas, plantation and homesteads in Nilambur Taluk and Edavanna panchayat in Ernad Taluk of Malappuram district, Kerala. Teak is considered as one of the royal wood obtained from the tree Tectona grandis.
Teak is a large deciduous tree with rounded crown. Heart wood is dark golden yellow in colour sometimes with dark streaks, turning brown with age, oily with a characteristic colour, extremely durable and does not warp or split. Nilambur Teak is considered a very valuable wood due to its ability to withstand inclement weather.
Nilambur Teak is very stable, which means that it does not warp when subjected to variations in humidity and temperature. The percentage wood shrinkage in radial as well as tangential direction at three conditions like green to air dry, air dry to oven dry and green to oven dry, is less for Nilambur teak, indicating its stability.
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Nilambur teak has unique qualities such as world renowned golden yellow color and attractive figure. It is famous for its elegance, class, grandeur, durability, antiquity, grace and strength. There is a profound influence of planting locations on wood colour and texture in teak. The Nilambur teak is gold brown in colour whereas teak from Vadavar, Myanmar and Trinidad are yellow to yellowish brown in colour.
The durability of teak is the result of synergetic effect of total extractive compounds especially the polyphenolic compounds mainly tectoquinone and naphthoquinone. The hydrophobicity, antioxidant properties and oily nature of teak wood were mainly due to Caoutchouc compound.
It even prevents any metal used in it from rusting. It is proved that tectoquinone (2-methyl anthraquinone) which is characteristically present in Nilambur teak (heartwood) is a repellent to the dry wood termite, The resistance to fungal decay is mainly due to naphthoquinone and its derivatives present in teak wood. The world renowned golden yellow colour of Nilambur teak is due to the presence of high percentage of extractive content in wood.
Teak grows fast in Nilambur and yields large diameter logs. The wood has straight grain with golden yellowish brown colour, often with darker chocolate-brown streaks. The superiority of teak from Nilambur and surrounding regions for ship building and structural purpose are due to the large size and form of the tree, the colour and workability of the wood and its ability to withstand weathering.
Nilambur teak has acquired worldwide reputation due to its superior qualities. Sail boats and small ships (Dhow or ‘Uru’ as it is called locally) made out of teak wood from Nilambur were built at Beypore in Calicut district and the yacht industry still prefers the beautifully figured and very durable teak wood from Nilambur.
Most of the well-known palaces and other historical monuments in Kerala have immense wood work of teak from Nilambur. The Kerala Legislative Assembly hall and the building contain considerable quantities of wooden furniture’s and fixtures out of Nilambur teak.
GI Tag Registration Date : 30 December 2017
GI Tag Number : 543
Certificate Number : 305
Geographical Area : Kerala
Special Cover Release Date : 17 November 2021
Cancellation : Nilambur 679 329
Type : GI Tag Cover
Cover Identification Number : KL-41/2021
A sample of Nilambur Teak Wood is affixed on this Special Cover.
Enlarged View of Illustration
Enlarged View of Cancellation
Back Side Scan
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