Meranti grows throughout all of the major islands of Southeast Asia, mostly in the Philippines, Malaysia, and Indonesia. Meranti is a common name for species of trees from the genus Shorea, which is the term used to define about 196 species of rainforest trees. Meranti traditionally grows in well-drained soils at low altitudes. In ideal conditions, it can reach a height of 60 metres, with a trunk diameter of 1.8 metres. The texture is medium to coarse and the grain is straight but often interlocked, producing a distinctive ribbon striped appearance.

The heartwood can vary from a dark red/purple to a straw yellow or pale white. Depending upon colour, the various species are often classified as dark red meranti, light red meranti, white meranti, yellow meranti, and balau.