AZOBE Logs

Description

When fresh Azobé’s heartwood is reddish-brown, discolouring to dark-red and chocolate-brown, sometimes to a violet-coloured dark red-brown. Azobé has markedly white to yellow coloured constituents in the pores. In general, the structure is fairly regular.

Properties of this timber species

General

• Botanical name: Lophira alata
• ATIBT name: Azobé
• Other names: Ekki, Bongossi

 Quality requirements

• Azobé is listed in the Dutch norm NEN 5493 ‘Quality Requirements For Hardwoods In Road Construction Works, Hydraulic Engineering Works And Other Structural Applications’.

 Strength class

• Azobé quality class Category 3/Tropical/NEN 5493 is classed in strength class D70 (NEN-EN 338).

Uses
Because of its great strength, consistency and durability, Azobé is widely used as construction material in  hydraulic engineering for lock gates, fendering, flood-control, jetties, bridges, bridge decks, shore piling, purlins, webbing, noise barriers, dragline mats, bottom boards and support structures for heavy machinery
In more recent years it has been used extensively for constructional elements in galleries and parking decks in housing projects because of its good strength and fire-resistant qualities

 Durability

• Resistance to fungi: class 1 (very durable)
• Resistance to insects: Termites probably class D (sapwood and heartwood very durable), Marine borers class D in Northern European conditions and class M (moderately durable) in Southern European conditions

 Density

• (940)-1060-(1100) kg/m³ at 12% moisture content
• Fresh 1100-1300 kg/m³