Laboratory test for grouping tropical species for kiln drying

Summary A system was developed for grouping tropical wood species for kiln drying based on similar estimated drying times. Six tropical species were subjected to drying and water soaking tests; variables were test temperature and specimen thickness. Soaking time, specimen thickness, and test temperature were used in an empirical model to predict drying times. The capability of the model to predict drying times was considered acceptable based on an adjusted coefficient of determination equal to 0.929 and an average error of 14 percent. The overall capability of the method proposed for grouping tropical hardwoods for drying is considered promising and worthy of further investigation.