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Timber and Wood Catalogue

ISOTECH A Dubai Free Zone Company

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Botanical Name Brachystegia speciformis

Commercial name Messassa, Mputu, Msasa, Mtondo, Mtundu, Mumanga, Mundu, Muputu, Musewe, Mutundoje, Mutuya, Myombo, Puti

Sapwood The sapwood is pale or creamy or white, and is clearly demarcated from the heartwood.

Heartwood The color of this heartwood is reported to vary from pale fawn or pale brown to red brown or dark brown. The color darkens upon exposure. The grain is irregular and interlocked, producing a ribbon figure. The wood is coarse in texture. The wood is lustrous.

Timber uses Cabinetmaking, Domestic flooring, Joinery, Railroad ties, Tannin, Beams, Bedroom suites, Building construction, Cabin construction, Concrete formwork, Crossties, Decks, Drawer sides, Excelsior, Factory construction, Flooring, Form work, Foundation posts, Framing, Furniture, Joists, Kitchen cabinets, Light construction, Living-room suites, Office furniture, Parquet flooring, Porch columns, TV cabinets, Rough construction, Sub-flooring

Other features The bending strength qualities of this species in the air-dry condition is very high, far superior to those of Mahogany. Compression strength parallel to grain, or maximum crushing strength, is very high - higher than in Teak or Hard maple. It is hard and superior to Teak and probably Mahogany. It is a very heavy wood. The wood is very dense.

The heartwood is reported to have very little or no natural resistance to decay, and is susceptible to attack by termites. Sapwood is highly vulnerable to attack by staining fungi. The heartwood is rated as extremely resistant to preservative treatment, but the sapwood is treatable.

Timber types

Brachystegia speciformis ............................................................................................................................................................ 2

Millettia stuhlmannii .................................................................................................................................................................. 3

Amblygonocarpus andongensis .................................................................................................................................................. 4

Erythropleum suaveolens ........................................................................................................................................................... 4

Burkea africana .......................................................................................................................................................................... 5

Afzelia quanzensis ...................................................................................................................................................................... 5

Pterocarpus angolensis .............................................................................................................................................................. 6

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Botanical Name Millettia stuhlmannii

Commercial name Jambire, Panga panga, Partridgewood

Sapwood The sapwood is pale yellow in color, and is clearly demarcated from the heartwood

Heartwood The heartwood is chocolate brown in color, with alternating light and dark colored bands running throughout, or dark brown to almost black in color, with bands of white tissue. Panga-panga is similar to Wenge (M. laurentii ) which is from Zaire, Gabon, and the Cameroon Republic. It is reported to keep its color better than Wenge, although color loss in the latter can be easily corrected. The texture is fine to medium, and uniform. The grain is typically straight, and the wood has a characteristic partridge feathered figure.

Timber uses Flooring, Heavy construction, Mine timbers, Shipbuilding, Boat building, Cabinetmaking, Musical instruments , Joinery, Furniture , Bedroom suites, Building construction, Building materials, Cabin construction, Canoes, Chairs, Chests, Concealed parts (Furniture), Construction, Desks, Dining-room furniture, Domestic flooring, Dowell pins, Dowells, Drawer sides, Drum sticks, Excelsior, Factory construction, Factory flooring, Fine furniture, Floor lamps, Furniture components, Furniture squares or stock, Hatracks, Kitchen cabinets, Lifeboats, Living-room suites, Office furniture, Organ pipes, Parquet flooring, Piano keys, Pianos , Radio, stereo, TV cabinets, Rustic furniture, Sounding boards, Stools, Sub-flooring, Tables , Utility furniture, Violin, Violin bows, Wardrobes, Xylophones

Other features Heartrot shakes and pockets of ingrown bark may be present in some logs. Heartwood is reported to be naturally resistant to attack by decay fungi and termites. The heartwood is extremely resistant to preservative treatment. The sapwood is moderately resistant.

Resistance to wear is rated as very high which makes it an attractive choice for flooring strips or blocks.

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Botanical Name Amblygonocarpus andongensis

Commercial name Banga Wanga, Scotsmans Rattle, Umnonjwana

Sapwood The narrow band of sapwood is grey-white

Heartwood The heartwood is dark brown or red-brown, darkening on exposure, and distinctly demarcated from the narrow band of grey-white sapwood. The grain is wavy or straight, sometimes slightly interlocked; texture fine and even

Timber uses It is considered excellent for heavy duty flooring and for railway sleepers, and is also suitable for construction, mine props, vehicle bodies, sporting goods, agricultural implements, poles and piles, and vats

Other features The wood is difficult to saw and work; blunting of cutting edges is common. It can be finished to an excellent surface, is resistant to abrasion, and has good gluing properties. Pre-boring is necessary for screws and nails. The wood is durable and termite-resistant; it is resistant to impregnation with preservatives

Botanical Name Erythropleum suaveolens

Commercial name Forest Ordeal Tree, Missanda

Sapwood Narrow, creamy yellow.

Heartwood Dark red brown to chocolate brown.

Timber uses Railway sleepers, agricultural implements, boxes, crates, bridge building, cabinetry, carpentry, carving, decking, parquet flooring, joinery and turning.

Other features Extremely resistant to water, often used in bridges, docks. Extremely resistant wood from borer and fungi attacks.

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Botanical Name Burkea africana

Commercial name Red Syringa, Wild Syringa, Mucurala

Sapwood Narrow, off white with yellow or pink tinges.

Heartwood Yellow, brown to deep red brown, often lack banded.

Timber uses Sleepers, boat building, cabinetry, carpentry, cart making, carving, joinery, mining timber, paneling, turning, agricultural implements, strong construction-timber, wagons and fencing.

Other features Highly resistant to fungi and borer attacks. Multi-purpose tree, not only important for its timber but also as a source of medicine (bark and root), dye and edible caterpillars.

Botanical Name Afzelia quanzensis

Commercial name Chanfuta, Pod Mahogany

Sapwood Pale of white to white, varying in width but generally quite narrow.

Heartwood Pinkish brown when freshly sawn, oxidising rapidly after conversion to a deep reddish brown. Pockets, spots or streaks of calcium are often seen.

Timber uses Furniture, cabinetry, boatbuilding, docks, carpentry, carving, inlay, veneer, flooring, joinery, paneling and turning.

Other features Hard heartwood and resistant to borer and fungi attack

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Botanical Name Pterocarpus angolensis

Commercial name Kiaat, Mukwa, Muninga, Umbila

Sapwood Off-white with large contrast to heartwood.

Heartwood Rich, dark brown, often with red streaks

Timber uses Furniture, cabinetry, carpentry, musical instruments (the wood produces a rich, resonant sound), carving, decking, parquet flooring, joinery, turning, veneer, implements.

Other features Valued for several medicinal uses; the brown heartwood is resistant to woodborer insects and termites, is durable and has a pleasing spicy fragrance.