Industry News

History of Tung Oil

History of Tung Oil

Pure Tung Oil, also called China Wood Oil, which is one of the truly GREEN Finishes with zero VOC’s. This natural finishing product provides a tough, flexible and highly water-resistant coating, and classed as a drying oil along with linseed, poppy seed, safflower seed, walnut, soybean, oiticica and other oils.

Although it is relatively new to the western world. Tung Oil was known as china wood oil for centuries. As a main source of China, it comes from the seed of Aleurites fordii and Aleurites montana. This vulnerability has restricted the cultivation of the tung trees to China and South America.

Tung Oil received wide application in ancient. Such as applied as a treatment for both stone and wooden structures in buildings. Also applied as a preservative and water repellent on wooden boats.

Through Marco Polo’s introduced to the western world. Tung Oil had only limited use from AD 13th to 19th. More recently, Tung Oil has gained favor over linseed oil for wood finishing because it is faster drying and does not darken as much with age.