Dipterocarpus costatus belongs to the Dipterocarpaceae family and is known locally as keruing bukit. This species is widely distributed in Andaman Islands, Bangladesh, Myanmar, Thailand, Vietnam, Indo-China, Laos and Peninsular Malaysia. It is a large deciduous tree growing up to 25-40 m of height and is widely distributed in lowland to hill forests at altitudes of 600-1,100 m. In the seasonal forest of northern states of Peninsular Malaysia, this tree species occurs almost at sea level (Chua et al., 2010; Suhaida, 2013).

This species has a large straight bole and usually has greenish grey bark with yellowish brown patches where scales had recently fallen. The bark reveals a purple-red layer below the outer bark when cut. The petiole is less than 2.5 cm long and the stipules may reach to 5 cm long with the outer surfaces of mature stipules covered with golden silky hairs. It has a small sub-ovate or ovate-lanceolate leaf with about 13 nerved and tomentose on the undersurface. The fruits have calyx tube about 2 cm long, sharply angled, sparsely furnished with golden stellate hairs and wings (Suhaida, 2013).

The resin obtained from the trunk of this species is used in the paint industry. In Cambodia, the resin is used particularly for caulking of boats and making torches. The timber is used for general construction and in ship building, but it is not durable in the open (Suhaida, 2013). The wood is also used to make charcoals. This dipterocarp species is categorised as Vulnerable under the Malaysia Plant Red List (Chua et al., 2010).