Frake (Limba)

SCIENTIFIC NAME

Terminalia superba

DESCRIPTION OF THE WOOD

Frake wood features a heartwood ranging from light yellow to golden brown, with sapwood that is not distinctly separated. Its texture is coarse, while the grain is irregular or interlocked, which can give rise to a striped effect.

AVERAGE VOLUMETRIC MASS

at 12% moisture content: 550 kg/m³

Main uses

Frake is highly valued for its ease of working, making it suitable for a wide range of applications. It is used in the production of furniture, interior panels, fixtures (doors and windows), and decorative structures. It is also used for veneers and cladding, thanks to its elegant appearance and lightness.

Tiama

SCIENTIFIC NAME

Entandrophragma angolense

DESCRIPTION OF THE WOOD

Semi-heavy wood with a wide reddish-brown sapwood whose colour changes into a brownish red towards the heartwo-ad. It has a medium texture and a crossed grain with the consequent stripe effect on radial surfaces.

AVERAGE VOLUMETRIC MASS

at 12% humidity: 580 kg/m3

Main uses

Its preferred uses are for joinery works and to make furniture, coffins, staircases and indoor furnishings. It is often used to make frames.

Tali

SCIENTIFIC NAME

Erythrophleum ivorense

DESCRIPTION OF THE WOOD

Tali wood is characterized by a heartwood that ranges from dark yellowish-brown to reddish-brown, with lighter streaks that tend to darken upon exposure. The sapwood is well-defined and yellowish in color. The texture is medium to coarse, and the grain is often irregular or interlocked.

AVERAGE VOLUMETRIC MASS

at 12% moisture content: 950 kg/m³

Main uses

Thanks to its remarkable hardness and durability, Tali is used in works that require high resistance, such as shipbuilding, railway sleepers, jetties/piers, and outdoor flooring (decking). It is also used for load-bearing structures and in heavy carpentry.

Sipo

SCIENTIFIC NAME

Entandrophragma utile

DESCRIPTION OF THE WOOD

Semi-heavy wood with a reddish-brown heartwood that stands out. It has a fine texture and a grain that's often crossed, lending a stripe effect in radial surfaces.

AVERAGE VOLUMETRIC MASS

at 12% humidity: 620 kg/m3

Main uses

This wood is suitable for a large range of uses in solid pieces due to its good worka-bility, durability and quality appearance. Used in luxury indoor furnishings (homes. train carriages, boats), ornaments, parts for pianos and other musical instruments and flooring strips. It is also used in the veneer form for frames in visible furniture parts.

Sapeli

SCIENTIFIC NAME

Entandrophragma cylindricum

DESCRIPTION OF THE WOOD

Heavy wood with a reddish brown hear-twood that stands out, which tends to become darker over time. The perfume is characteristic in its natural state. It has a fine texture with a grain that's often cros sed and wavy.

AVERAGE VOLUMETRIC MASS

at 12% humidity: 690 kg/m3

Main uses

The desthetic properties associated with the colour and stripe effect achieved on radial surfaces favour the use of this wood in visible parts of furniture, also as a replacement for the Mahogany wood from Central America. It is often used in joinery, to make luxury flooring and doors and windows, parts of musical instru ments, furniture and covers for luxury boats.

Kossipo

SCIENTIFIC NAME

Entandrophragma candollei

DESCRIPTION OF THE WOOD

Heavy wood that stands out with a thin sapwood and dark red heartwood. It has a medium texture and a grain that's usually straight.

AVERAGE VOLUMETRIC MASS

at 12% humidity: 700 kg/m3

Main uses

Similar in appearance yet heavier and harder than Sapeli and Sipo, it is used to make heavy furniture, furnishings and decorations, flooring, doors and win-dows, steps for indoor staircases, veneer for frames, therefore making the most of its high mechanical and aesthetic pro-perties, supported above all by the stripe effect.

Iroko

SCIENTIFIC NAME

Milicia excelsa

DESCRIPTION OF THE WOOD

Heavy wood with a light yellowish sapwood that's clearly different to the brownish yellow heartwood, which acquires a golden brown colour after being cut. It has a medium or coarse texture with a grain that's often crossed.

AVERAGE VOLUMETRIC MASS

at 12% humidity: 660 kg/m3

Main uses

Due to its good mechanical properties and natural durability it lends itself well to building uses, even outdoors, for naval works, outdoor covers for boats, carpen-try, joinery, doors and windows, flooring platforms and outdoor furniture, harbour docks, frames and profiles.

Doussié

SCIENTIFIC NAME

Afzelia

DESCRIPTION OF THE WOOD

Very heavy wood with whitish or yel-lowish-white sapwood and golden brown or reddish brown heartwood. It has a coarse texture with a grain that's both straight and crossed or irregular.

AVERAGE VOLUMETRIC MASS

at 12% humidity: 830 kg/m3

Main uses

The high volumetric mass and natural durability make it the perfect wood for heavy works even outdoors. It's therefore preferred in the building of bridges, harbour docks, and flooring (also for velodromes). It is used to make furniture, doors and windows, staircases, flooring and profiles in indoor joinery work.