In numerous tropical forest species, wood properties are poorly described and wood is under-valorized. Especially very few is known about small diameter trees although they may be used, directly as round wood, in construction timber building. A selection of abundant species was done and characterization tests were performed to assess their usability as building material. The aim of this work was to determine the natural durability of wood from 9 selected Guyanese species. Oxandra askeckii, Goupia glabra, Lecythis persistens, Hymenopus heteromorphus, Pouteria bangii, Licania alba, Tachigali melinonii, Simarouba amara and Virola surinamensis samples were exposed to white rots (European and tropical), brown rot and European subterranean termites (using non-choice and multi-choice tests), in laboratory conditions by screening tests adapted from European standards. Following their performance evaluation, only two species are classified as durable against both fungi and termites: Licania alba and Pouteria bangii, meaning they can be used without treatment as building material under tropical or temperate climate. Other species result durable but with important difference between fungal and termite durability (Goupia, Lecythis, Oxandra), or moderately durable (Hymenopus), or slightly durable to sensible (Tachigali, Simarouba, Virola), meaning they cannot be used in construction without protection .

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