BOTANICAL NAMES

Aningeria robusta – Aningeria superba – Aningeria altissima – Aningeria Adolli Friederici – Aningeria pseudo racemosa

FAMILY

Member of the Sapotaceae family

TECHNICAL CHARACTERISTICS

Sapwood and heartwood not well demarcated. The wood is reddish brown but tends to darken when exposed to air. The structure has a straight grain and fine texture.
Drying is fast and easy and does not result in any significant defects such as warping and splitting. The wood is of average density, moderately hard and not flexible.

SPECIFIC WEIGHT

When air-dried, the specific weight of the wood ranges from 550 to 600 kg per cubic meter.

PRINCIPAL USES AND PROCESSING TECHNIQUES

The wood is easy to work and clean, and will take a dye perfectly. Due to these characteristics, it is commonly used by the furniture industry as a substitute for walnut. Read more

BOTANICAL NAMES

Afromosia elata Harms – Pericopsis elata Meeuv

TECHNICAL CHARACTERISTICS

The sapwood is whitish, dense, and has a tendency to yellow. The heartwood is yellowish brown with darker veining. It has a rather fine texture and almost regular grain. The species has a pleasing decorative appearance and has long been used as a substitute for teak in Scandinavian-style furniture. It easily lends itself to kiln-drying, and if this process is performed slowly and carefully, it offers excellent results.

SPECIFIC WEIGHT

The specific weight of air-dried sawn timber ranges from 700 to 800 kg per cubic meter.

PRINCIPAL USES AND PROCESSING TECHNIQUES

The species is commonly used in all transformation industries: from mosaic parquets to boat furnishings. Even in outdoor applications, its resistance to the elements makes it quite useful. Read more

BOTANICAL NAMES

Triplochiton scleroxylon – Triplochiton johnsonii – Triplochiton nigericurn – Samba scleroxylon

FAMILY

Member of the Sterculiaceae family

TECHNICAL CHARACTERISTICS

Sapwood and heartwood are not well demarcated, although the sapwood alters faster than the heartwood. In general, the wood is yellowish white with a coarse texture. Ayous is a soft, very light, elastic and flexible wood, but is susceptible to wood-destroying pests. Therefore, after processing, appropriate treatments against the lyctus beetle, the most dangerous insect to all white tropical trees, are recommended.

SPECIFIC WEIGHT

With a moisture content of 12%, the specific weight of Ayous ranges from 350 to 450 kg per cubic meter.

PRINCIPAL USES AND PROCESSING TECHNIQUES

Ayous can be easily worked using all tools available to the most modern wood manufacturers. Read more

BOTANICAL NAMES

Guarea cedrata – Guarea thompsonii – Guarea laurentii – Trichilia cedrata – Member of the Meliaceae family

TECHNICAL CHARACTERISTICS

Sapwood and heartwood are well-demarcated. The wood, which is almost always perfect, is a uniform color in freshly cut logs, with light rosy brown tones. This shading tends to darken with time, however, or after prolonged exposure to light. The very broad sapwood is whitish pink. The texture is regular, uniform and rather fine, with an irregular cross grain. The wood’s vessels very often exude a resinous substance.

SPECIFIC WEIGHT

The sawn, air-dried wood has a specific weight that ranges from 600-750 kg per cubic meter.

PRINCIPAL USES AND PROCESSING TECHNIQUES

The species generally can be worked quite well with all types of carpentry tools. The furniture industry has made good use of the species’ technological peculiarity of darkening with time or exposure to light, and in fact it is preferred over other similar species, as it has darker and thus warmer tones. Read more

BOTANICAL NAMES

Chlorophora excelsa – Chlorophora regia – Member of the Moraceae family.

TECHNICAL CHARACTERISTICS

Sapwood and heartwood are very well demarcated; the sapwood is a creamy yellow or whitish color, while the heartwood, which has an oily appearance, is greenish yellow when freshly cut, going to yellow-brown after exposure to air. The wood is of average hardness, with a medium to coarse texture and irregular veining.
It is not at all affected by the elements, even in humid environments, and is very resistant to fungi and insect attacks.

SPECIFIC WEIGHT

With a moisture content of 12%, the specific weight ranges from 560 to 750 kg per cubic meter, with an average of 660 kg per cubic meter.

PRINCIPAL USES AND PROCESSING TECHNIQUES

Sawing presents no particular difficulties, apart from the presence of calcium carbonate deposits that may cause the saw teeth to break. The use of nails and screws is easy and the hold more than satisfactory. Slicing also produces fair results. Read more

BOTANICAL NAMES

Terminalia superba – Terminalia altissima
Member of the Combretaceae family

TECHNICAL CHARACTERISTICS

The sapwood and heartwood are not particularly well demarcated, as both have a uniform straw color when the wood is green. It has a straight grain with wavy veining. Both natural and kiln-drying can be carried out rather quickly, without excessive difficulty. The wood does not stand up to the elements, and thus is not suitable for outdoor use.

SPECIFIC WEIGHT

The specific weight of air-dried sawn timber is 600 kg per cubic meter. Kiln-dried wood, brought to a moisture content of 12%, weighs between 500-530 kg per cubic meter.

PRINCIPAL USES AND PROCESSING TECHNIQUES

The species is usually used for furniture parts and exterior veneers. The interior door and window industry uses it only after anti-parasite treatment or after kiln-drying. Read more

BOTANICAL NAMES

Entandrophragma cylindricum – Entandrophragma rula – Entandrophragma tomentosum – Pseudocedrala cylindrica

TECHNICAL CHARACTERISTICS

Sapwood and heartwood are well demarcated. While the sapwood is reddish grey, the heartwood has a warm red-brown color with golden flecks. Exposed to the air, it tends to darken significantly. The wood is hard, of average density, with a fine texture and wavy grain. It is also quite resistant to attacks by parasitic pests.

SPECIFIC WEIGHT

With a moisture content of 12%, the specific weight ranges from 600 to 650 kg per cubic meter.

PRINCIPAL USES AND PROCESSING TECHNIQUES

Sapele is easy to work and takes a perfect finish after polishing. It is an excellent wood for natural and rotary cut veneers, and is thus much in demand by the plywood industry. It is also suitable for fine carpentry work and greatly valued by the furniture industry. Read more

BOTANICAL NAMES

Entandrophragma utile

TECHNICAL CHARACTERISTICS

The wood is not very hard and thus is not very heavy. It has a fine but irregular texture which, in the radial sections creates a distinctive striping with various degrees of sheen produced by the multiple contractions of the grain as the tree grows. The species has good mechanical resistance, though it is fragile when struck. Also, because it has a good structure and makes very attractive furniture, it has undeniable value.

SPECIFIC WEIGHT

When sawn and air-dried, but protected under covered canopies, it weighs from 650 to 700 kg per cubic meter.

PRINCIPAL USES AND PROCESSING TECHNIQUES

Can be worked very well with all carpentry tools. Easy to saw, and can be planed to a perfect finish. When polished, it acquires a fine sheen that is highly esteemed in furniture finishing. Holds together well using all modern adhesives and glues. Nails and screws have a moderate hold when pulled. It can be sliced and peeled, and for this reason the furniture industry often uses it as a substitute for mahogany. Plywood factories also use it for exterior veneers. Read more

BOTANICAL NAMES

Erythrophloeum ivorense – Erythrophloeum suaveolens – Erythrophloeum guineense

TECHNICAL CHARACTERISTICS

Sapwood and heartwood are well-demarcated. The thin sapwood is a creamy yellow, while the heartwood is yellowish brown with reddish reflections. Exposure to the air causes the heartwood to darken from red-brown to purple tones. The wood varies from hard to very hard, with a coarse texture and very irregular, often interlocked grain.
Very resistant to the elements and extremely resistant to fungus and insect attacks.

SPECIFIC WEIGHT

With a moisture content of 12%, specific weight ranges from 800 to 1080 kg per cubic meter, with an average of 940 kg per cubic meter.

PRINCIPAL USES AND PROCESSING TECHNIQUES

Because it is so hard, the wood is difficult to saw. It is thus recommended to saw freshly cut logs. Nails and screws can be used only if holes are first drilled. Read more