This wood is found in several parts of India. In Rohilkund it grows to a height of about 30 feet, and from 1 to 3 feet in diameter. At Chandah it is said to attain a greater size than elsewhere.

Sissoo wood somewhat resembles the finer sorts of teak, but it is tougher and more elastic.

It is generally more or less crooked, and therefore not suited for beams, though very much used by the ship-builders of Bengal, and throughout India generally for joiners' work, for which purpose it is said to excel all other timber, as it unites strength and durability with a close and compact grain. It is also much used for furniture.

The wood is said to harden with age. The colour is a light greyish brown, with darker-coloured veins, and the pores nearly filled with dry resinous matter.

The weight of a cubic foot is 46 1/2 lbs. The cohesive force of a square inch is 12,000 lbs.; and the breaking load on the middle of a specimen 1 foot long, between the supports, and 1 inch square, is about 700 lbs.