AZOBE Sawn Timber

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