African hardwoods
Our trading history with African suppliers goes back many years: years in which Brooks Bros has developed a real understanding of the many and varied woods that its tropical forests can sustain. From Cedrella to Zebrano…from Tropical West and Central Africa …from cabinet making and boat building to construction work and decorative veneers African hardwoods are a part of our everyday life.
Idigbo
- Botanical Name
- Terminalia Ivorensis
- Origin
- West Africa
- Brief Description
- Colour: Pale yellow-brown showing a zonal figure, sometimes with a light pinkish cast
Grain: Straight to slightly irregular.
Texture: Medium to fairly coarse.
- Uses
- Furniture and high-class joinery in interior and external work, general carpentry, joinery and construction work
- Working Properties
- Nails, screws and glues well and finishes well once filled
- Durability
- Durable
- Density
- 560 kg/m³
Iroko
- Botanical Name
- Chlorophora Excelsa
- Origin
- West and East Africa
- Brief Description
- Colour: Golden-orange to light brown
Grain: Interlocked
Texture: Coarse but even..
- Uses
- Ship and boat building, interior and exterior joinery, laboratory benches,
furniture making. Also: Piling and marine work, domestic flooring,
plywood manufacture and decorative veneering
- Working Properties
- Works ok with hand and machine tools, nails, screws and glues well and finishes well once filled
- Durability
- Very durable
- Density
- 640 kg/m³
Obeche
- Botanical Name
- Triplochiton Scleroxylon
- Origin
- Tropical West Africa.
- Brief Description
- Colour: Creamy-white to pale yellow
Grain: Interlocked.
Texture: Moderately fine and even.
- Uses
- Generally where durability and strength are important: interior rails, drawer sides and linings, cabinet framing and interior joinery
- Working Properties
- Very easy to work with hand and machine tools, nails easily, glues well and finishes well once filled
- Durability
- Non-durable
- Density
- 380 kg/m³
Sapele
- Botanical Name
- Entandrophragma Cylindricum
- Origin
- West and Central Africa
- Brief Description
- Colour:Medium to dark-reddish brown, characterised by a
well-defined ribbon striped figure on quartered surfaces
Grain: Interlocked or wavy. Texture: Fairly fine.
- Uses
- Quality furniture and cabinet making, joinery, shop fitting, office furniture, solid doors, boat building, musical instruments, sports goods, counter tops and flooring. Also: A constructional veneer for plywood.
- Working Properties
- Works well with hand and machine tools, nails, screws and glues well,
Properties care required when staining but provides excellent polished finish
- Durability
- Moderately durable
- Density
- 640 kg/m³
Utile
- Botanical Name
- Entandrophragma Utile
- Origin
- West and Central Africa
- Brief Description
- Colour: Matures from pink-brown when fresh cut to deep red-brown
Grain: Interlocked.
Texture: Uniformly moderate.
- Uses
- Furniture, cabinet-making, counter tops, high-class exterior and interior joinery, flooring, boat building and planking. Also: Sliced for decorative veneer and plywood manufacture
- Working Properties
- Works well with hand and machine tools, nails satisfactorily, glues and Properties stains well and finishes well once filled
- Durability
- Durable
- Density
- 660 kg/m³
Wenge
- Botanical Name
- Millettia Laurentii
- Origin
- Mainly Zaire, also Cameroon Republic and Gabon
- Brief Description
- Colour: Dark brown with very close and fine black veins
Grain: Fairly straight
Texture: Coarse
- Uses
- Mainly flooring strips or blocks. Also: Interior and exterior joinery and general construction work
- Working Properties
- Works fairly well with machine tools, resin cells can interfere with gluing and polishing, nailing can be difficult and finishes well once filled
- Durability
- Durable
- Density
- 880 kg/m³
Zebrano
- Botanical Name
- Microberlinia Brazzavillensis.
- Origin
- West Africa, mainly Gabon and Cameroon Republic
- Brief Description
- Colour:Light gold-yellow with narrow veining or streaks of dark brown
to almost black, giving the quartered surfaces a zebra-like appearance
Grain: Interlocked
Texture: Coarse
- Uses
- Mainly used as sliced decorative veneer for small cabinetwork, flush doors, cross banding (or inlay banding), fancy goods, marquetry and panelling
- Working Properties
- Works fairly well with hand and machine tools, requires a belt sander for a smooth finish, glues satisfactorily and finishes well once filled
- Durability
- Non-durable
- Density
- 740 kg/m³
American hardwoods
The American hardwood industry dates back to the first European settlers and today claims to have more temperate hardwood species than any other region of the world. From the heavily forested Eastern States to the Appalachian mountain range its hardwood forests support a wide variety of commercial species. Grading Rules established more than a century ago and good forest management practice ensure product stability, consistancy and sustainability.
Alder
- Botanical Name
- Alnus Rubra
- Origin
- Pacific coast of USA and Canada
- Brief Description
- Colour: Pale yellow to reddish-brown
Grain: Fairly straight.
Texture: Uniform.
- Uses
- Turnery and carving. Also: Plywood core stock, utility plywood, small laminated articles and veneers.
- Working Properties
- Works well with hand and machine tools, has good nailing and gluing properties and takes stain, paint and polish well
- Durability
- Perishable
- Density
- 530 kg/m³
Ash
American
- Botanical Name
- Fraxinus Americana
- Origin
- USA and Canada
- Brief Description
- Colour: Grey-brown heartwood, sometimes red tinged
Grain: Straight. Texture: Coarse and even.
- Uses
- All types of sports equipment, handles for striking tools, bent parts for boat building, shop fitting and high-class joinery
- Working Properties
- Works satisfactorily with hand and machine tools, pre-boring necessary for nailing, glues, stains and polishes well
- Durability
- Non-durable and perishable.
- Density
- 660 kg/m³
Cherry
- Botanical Name
- Prunus Serotina
- Origin
- Deciduous forest areas of USA and Canada
- Brief Description
- Colour: Varies from rich red to reddish-brown. Grain: Fine, straight and close.
Texture: Smooth.
- Uses
- Furniture and cabinet making, high-class joinery, boat interiors. Also: Selected logs converted into decorative veneers for furniture, cabinets and wall panelling
- Working Properties
- Works well with hand and machine tools, nails, glues, stains and polishes well.
- Durability
- Moderately durable
- Density
- 580 kg/m³
FSC Cocobolo/
Rosewood
- Botanical Name
- Dalbergia Retusa
- Origin
- Central America from sustainable well managed forests and plantations
- Brief Description
- Colour:Rich reddish burgundy through to all the hues of brown to
bright orange, often with a figuring of darker irregular traces
Grain: Straight and wavy
Texture: Tight and dense
- Uses
- Turning, cutlery and tool handles, gun grips and knife handles, wine bottle stoppers, bowls, fancy goods and jewellery boxes. Also: Exotic looking hardwood flooring and veneers for inlay and decorative work
- Working Properties
- Excellent, machines, nails and screws easily and polishes to a lustrous, glassy finish
- Durability
- Very durable
- Density
- 1100 kg/m³
FSC
EcoMahogany
- Botanical Name
- Swietenia Macrophylla
(A true broad leaf Mahogany)
- Origin
- Sustainable, well managed forests and plantations.
- Brief Description
- Colour: Varies from light to dark reddish-brown to deep rich red
Grain: Straight to interlocked
Texture: Medium.
- Uses
- High class furniture, cabinetmaking, interior joinery, panelling and boat interiors. Also: Veneers plywood manufacture and decorative veneering
- Working Properties
- Works easily with hand and machine tools, easy to glue, nails and screws well, stains and polishes to an excellent finish
- Durability
- Durable
- Density
- 640 kg/m³
Elm
Red
- Botanical Name
- Ulmus Rubra
- Origin
- Deciduous forest areas of USA and Canada
- Brief Description
- Colour: Varies from rich red to reddish-brown Grain: Fine, straight and close.
Texture: Smooth.
- Uses
- Furniture and cabinet making, high-class joinery, boat interiors.
Also: Selected logs converted into ecorative veneers for furniture, cabinets and wall panelling
- Working Properties
- Works well with hand and machine tools, nails, glues, stains and polishes well
- Durability
- Non-durable
- Density
- 580 kg/m³
FSC Laurel
- Botanical Name
- Cordia Alliadora.
- Origin
- West Indies and Tropical America
- Brief Description
- Colour: Dull golden brown with variegated irregular markings
Grain: Straight
Texture: Medium
- Uses
- Cabinets and furniture, interior joinery, boat decking, light construction and vehicle bodies. Also: Veneers for panelling and furniture
- Working Properties
- Works easily with hand and machine tools, takes nails and screws well, glues, stains and polishes to a good finish
- Durability
- Moderately durable
- Density
- 550 kg/m³
Maple
Hard
- Botanical Name
- Acer Saccharum
- Origin
- Eastern USA and Canada
- Brief Description
- Colour: Cream-white with reddish tinge.
Grain: Straight
Texture: Fine and even
- Uses
- Heavy-duty flooring, furniture and panelling. Also: Selected stocks
are rotary cut to produce bird's eye maple veneer
- Working Properties
- Can be a difficult wood to work with, pre-boring necessary for nailing, glues, stains and polishes well
- Durability
- Non-durable
- Density
- 720 kg/m³
Maple
Soft
- Botanical Name
- Acer Rubrum
- Origin
- Eastern USA and Canada
- Brief Description
- Colour: Grey-brown sometimes tinged with red.
Grain: Straight .
Texture: Coarse and even.
- Uses
- All types of sports equipment, handles for striking tools, bent parts
for boat building, shop fitting and high-class joinery
- Working Properties
- Works satisfactorily with hand and machine tools, nails and glues satisfactorily with care, stains and polishes well
- Durability
- Non-durable
- Density
- 560 kg/m³
Oak
American Red
- Botanical Name
- Quercus Rubra
- Origin
- Eastern Canada and USA
- Brief Description
- Colour: Similar to most other oaks with a biscuit to pink colour, but has a reddish tinge
Grain: Mostly straight.
Texture: Coarse
- Uses
- Flooring, furniture and internal joinery. Not suitable for exterior work. Also: Plywood manufacture and decorative veneers
- Working Properties
- Varies according to density of wood and growth conditions, nailing may need pre-boring, gluing properties are variable, stains and polishes to a good finish
- Durability
- Non-durable
- Density
- 770 kg/m³
Oak
American White
- Botanical Name
- Quercus Alba
- Origin
- Eastern USA and South Eastern Canada
- Brief Description
- Colour: Varies from pale yellow-brown to biscuit with a pinkish tint
Grain: Straight
Texture: Medium to coarse.
- Uses
- Furniture, cabinet making, joinery, heavy construction, parquet and strip flooring, boat building. Also: Plywood and ornamental veneers for panelling and decorative veneers.
- Working Properties
- Varies according to rate of growth, nailing may need pre-boring, screws well, gluing properties are variable, stains and polishes to a good finish
- Durability
- The heartwood is durable and extremely resistant to preservative treatment. The sapwood is moderately resistant
- Density
- 760 kg/m³
FSC Spanish
Cedar
- Botanical Name
- Cedrella Odorata
- Origin
- Central and South America
- Brief Description
- Colour: Usually pale pinkish-brown to dark reddish-brown
Grain: Straight or shallowly interlocked.
Texture: Moderate
- Uses
- Furniture, cabinets and panelling, high-class joinery, flooring, house construction and boat building. Also: Veneers for panelling, plywood and panel corestock
- Working Properties
- Works well with hand and machine tools, takes nails and screws well, glues satisfactorily and can be brought to good finish
- Durability
- Durable
- Density
- 480 kg/m³
FSC Spanish
Oak
- Botanical Name
- Terminalia Amazonia
- Origin
- Central and South America
- Brief Description
- Colour:Yellow-brown to olive-brown with prominent reddish stripes and streaks
Grain: Irregular or interlocked
Texture: Medium with a high lustre
- Uses
- Cabinets, furniture, flooring, interior joinery, planking and decking in boat building. Also: In plywood manufacture and as a decorative veneer
- Working Properties
- Requires pre-boring before nailing, holds screws well, glues, stains and polishes to a good finish
- Durability
- Durable
- Density
- 800 kg/m³
Tulipwood
- Botanical Name
- Liriodendron Tulipifera
- Origin
- USA (also known as Canary Whitewood and Yellow Poplar)
- Brief Description
- Colour:Pale yellowish-brown to pale olive-brown,
streaked with olive green
Grain: Straight
Texture: Regular, fine
- Uses
- Pattern making, carving, cabinet making interior fittings and joinery
- Working Properties
- Easy to work, with both hand tools and machines
- Durability
- Non-durable
- Density
- 450 kg/m³
Walnut
Black
- Botanical Name
- Juglans Nigra
- Origin
- Eastern USA and Canada (Ontario).
- Brief Description
- Colour: Rich dark brown to purplish-black
Grain: Straight
Texture: Rather coarse
- Uses
- High quality furniture, cabinet making and interior joinery, boat building, plywood manufacture, panelling and cabinet/decorative veneers.
- Working Properties
- Works well with hand and machine tools, nails and glues are satisfactorily, polishes to a high finish
- Durability
- Very durable
- Density
- 640 kg/m³
Jatobá
- Botanical Name
- Hymenaea courbaril
- Origin
- South America (Brazil)
- Brief Description
- Colour: Varies from light orange-brown to dark reddish-brown, and tends to become darker with age. Exhibits quite a large colour variation from one board to the next and features
Grain: Tends to be wavy and interlocked
Texture: Medium to coarse
- Uses
- Flooring, furniture, cabinetry, tool handles, shipbuilding, stair treads, turned objects, and other small specialty items.
- Working Properties
- Glues, stains, and finishes well, and also turns well on the lathe. Tends to be difficult to work with on account of its density and hardness
- Durability
- Moderately durable
- Density
- 920 kg/m³
European hardwoods
The vast forests of Europe are today one of our most valuable sources of indigenous deciduous species like Ash, Beech, Birch, Oak and Sycamore. Efficient forest management has meant these popular timbers are responsibly sourced and readily available for us all to enjoy and admire.
Ash
- Botanical Name
- Fraxinus Excelsior
- Origin
- Grows throughout Europe, North Africa and Western Asia
- Brief Description
- Colour: Cream to pale tan colour
Grain: Tough, flexible and straight
Texture: Coarse but even
- Uses
- Cabinet making and furniture, sports goods and striking-tool handles. Also: Sliced for decorative veneer and plywood manufacture
- Working Properties
- Works well with hand and machine tools, necessary to pre-bore for nailing, stains easily and takes an excellent smooth finish filled
- Durability
- Non-durable
- Density
- 710 kg/m³
Beech
- Botanical Name
- Fagus Syvatica
- Origin
- Grows throughout central Europe and UK (also found in Western Asia )
- Brief Description
- Colour: Very pale pink-brown that turns reddish-brown when steamed.
Grain: Straight
Texture: Fine and even
- Uses
- Cabinet making, high-class joinery, desks and workbenches, domestic
flooring, construction and utility plywood. Sliced veneers are used for decorative veneering
- Working Properties
- Offers medium resistance to hand and machine tools, has a moderate blunting effect, pre-bore for nailing, stains well, glues
easily and takes an excellent finish filled
- Durability
- Perishable
- Density
- 720 kg/m³
Birch
- Botanical Name
- Betula Pendula
- Origin
- Grows throughout Europe and UK (also found in Scandinavia)
- Brief Description
- Colour: Cream-white to biscuit
Grain: Straight
Texture: Fine
- Uses
- High-class joinery, interior fitments, dowels, bobbins, general
turnery and flooring.
- Working Properties
- Has high bending and crushing strength. Glues well, stains and polishes to a good finish filled.
- Durability
- Perishable
- Density
- 660 kg/m³
Lime
- Botanical Name
- Tilia Vugaris
- Origin
- Grows throughout Europe and the UK.
- Brief Description
- Colour: A creamy-yellow wood, that matures to yellow/pale brown
Grain: Straigt
Texture: Fine and uniform
- Uses
- Mainly woodcarving. Also: broom handles, toys, turnery and selectively as a decorative veneer.
- Working Properties
- Works well with hand and machine tools, glues well, nails satisfactorily and can be brought to a good finish by staining and all processes filled
- Durability
- Non-durable
- Density
- 540 kg/m³
Oak
- Botanical Name
- Quercus Petraea and Robur
- Origin
- UK and Europe (also Asia Minor and North Africa)
- Brief Description
- Colour: Yellowish brown (irregular/cross-grained material can occur)
Grain: Straight.
Texture: Medium to coarse.
- Uses
- Continental oaks are preferred for furniture and cabinet making.
English oak is best for garden furniture, boat building, gateposts, furniture, floors and construction work. Also:Interior and exterior joinery, coffins, flooring, gates and fencing. For plywood manufacture it is rotary cut and when sliced creates a very attractively figured veneer
- Working Properties
- Has a moderate to severe blunting effect on cutters, takes waxing, liming, fuming and polishing treatments very well filled and has very
little shrinkage
- Durability
- Durable
- Density
- 670-720 kg/m³
Sycamore
- Botanical Name
- Acer Pseudoplatanus.
- Origin
- Central Europe and the UK.
- Brief Description
- Colour: White to creamy-white.
Grain: Straight.
Texture: Fine and even.
- Uses
- Furniture, domestic flooring, turnery, musical instruments
Also: Selected logs are sliced for decorative veneered panelling
- Working Properties
- Works easily with hand and machine tools, nails, glues, stains and polishes excellently when filled
- Durability
- Perishable
- Density
- 610 kg/m³
Far Eastern hardwoods
Malaysia (the world’s fifth largest producer of tropical timbers) and Indonesia (with more tropical rainforest than any other Asian country) list many thousands of indigenous species, but only a few are considered of commercial importance: species like Dark Red Meranti, Dark Red Seraya, Keruing and Yellow Balau. With conservation regulated through state law and forest management, areas of forest are protected making sources easier to identify.
Durian
- Botanical Name
- Coelostegia
- Origin
- Malaysia and Indonesia
- Brief Description
- Colour: Pink-brown to deep red-brown.
Grain: Straight to interlocked and a coarse. Texture: Often uneven
- Uses
- Furniture, joinery and panelling, veneers, light construction and plywood
- Working Properties
- Machines well, however turning produces a slightly rough surface,
nails well, can be satisfactorily bonded using standard procedures, seasoned timber readily accepts paint, stain and polish
- Durability
- Durable
- Density
- 690 kg/m³
Majau
- Seraya
- Botanical Name
- Shorea Pauciflora from Sabah (Oba Suluk)
- Origin
- Indonesia and Malaysia
- Brief Description
- Colour: Medium to dark reddish- brown with white Dammar or resin streaks
Grain: Interlocked
Texture: Fairly coarse
- Uses
- Exterior and interior joinery and constructional work, boat building,
shop fitting, furniture, parquet flooring and veneering
- Working Properties
- Works fairly easily to give a good finish
- Durability
- Durable
- Density
- 710 kg/m³
Meranti
- Botanical Name
- Shorea Pauciflora
- Origin
- South-East Asia and the islands of the South West Pacific
- Brief Description
- Colour:Varies from white through straw to yellow in the yellow-white groups.
Grain: Interlocked
Texture: Moderately coarse.
- Uses
- Widely used in the manufacture of doors and conservatories, as well as flooring, panelling, furniture, joinery, mouldings, plywood, turnery and carving.
- Working Properties
- Machines reasonably well, nails, glues and stains well and can be painted, stained or polished but may need to be filled before finishing
- Durability
- Moderately durable
- Density
- 660 kg/m³
Nemesu
- Botanical Name
- Shorea pauciflora
- Origin
- Malaysia
- Brief Description
- Colour: Medium to dark-red brown
Grain: Interlocked.
Texture: Rather coarse.
- Uses
- Exterior and interior joinery, shopfitting, boatbuilding, flooring and cladding (when treated). Also: Rotary cut for plywood manufacture and sliced for decorative veneers
- Working Properties
- Works well with hand and machine tools, nails, glues, stains and polishes well
- Durability
- Moderately durable
- Density
- 660 kg/m³
FSC Recycled
Rosewood
- Botanical Name
- Dalbergia Latifolia
- Origin
- Southern India and Java
- Brief Description
- Colour: From rose to dark purple-brown with darker purple-black lines
Grain: Narrowly interlocked
Texture: Uniform and moderate
- Uses
- Posts, rafters and exterior joinery, high-class furniture, cabinet making, shop, office and bank fitting, flooring and boat building
- Working Properties
- Hard to saw and machine and also nail, glues satisfactorily and gives an excellent polished or waxed finish
- Durability
- Very Durable
- Density
- 850 kg/m³
Sereya
Light Red
- Botanical Name
- Shorea Pauciflora
- Origin
- Malaysia
- Brief Description
- Colour: Varies from very pale pink to light red-brown.
Grain: Interlocked
Texture: Coarse but even
- Uses
- Interior joinery, light structural work, carpentry, domestic flooring, panelling, drawer sides and backs. Also: Plywood manufacture and sliced for decorative veneers
- Working Properties
- Works well with hand and machine tools, nails and glues well, produces a good finish once filled
- Durability
- Moderately durable to non-durable.
- Density
- 550 kg/m³
Sawn Timbers
Softwoods
