GENERAL DESCRIPTION
Wenge wood has excellent strength and hardness properties, and come in shades dark enough to be used as a substitute for ebony wood. Heartwood is medium brown, sometimes with a reddish or yellowish hue, with streaks that are almost black. The grain is straight, with a very coarse texture.

DISTRIBUTION
Found in Central Africa.

COMMON USES
Veneer, panelling, furniture, turned objects, and musical instruments.

DURABILITY
Wenge is a very durable wood, and is resistant to termite attacks.

GENERAL DESCRIPTION
Afrormosia wood grains are usually straight but sometimes can be found interlocked, with a fine uniformed texture and beautiful natural lustre. Heartwood is typically a yellowish brown, occasionally with reddish or olive hues.

DISTRIBUTION
West and Central Africa, and also in the Ivory Coast, Cameroon, and Congo.

COMMON USES
Boatbuilding, veneer, flooring and furniture.

DURABILITY
Afrormosia is rated as very durable in regards to decay resistance, and is also resistant to termites as well as other insects.

GENERAL DESCRIPTION
Widely-used hardwood in Europe for its hardness, wear-resistance, strength, excellent bending capabilities and low prices make this hardwood a mainstay for many European woodworkers. Depending on soil conditions, German Beech can grow to very large sizes, and wide, long lumber is commonly available for use.

DISTRIBUTION
Found throughout the forests of Europe.

COMMON USES
Lumber, veneer, flooring, boatbuilding, furniture, cabinetry, musical instruments (piano pinblocks), plywood, and turned objects.

DURABILITY
Beech is considered non-durable or perishable; it is also susceptible to insect attack.

GENERAL DESCRIPTION
American Walnut is popular among woodworkers in the United States, as its cooperative working characteristics, coupled with its rich brown coloration puts the wood in a class by itself among temperate-zone hardwoods. Heartwood can range from a lighter pale brown to a dark chocolate brown with darker brown streaks. Color can sometimes have a grey, purple, or reddish cast. Sapwood is pale yellow-gray to nearly white. Figured grain patterns such as curl, crotch, and burl are also seen.Grain is usually straight, but can be irregular. Has a medium texture and moderate natural luster.

DISTRIBUTION
Found in Eastern parts of the United States.

COMMON USES
Furniture, cabinetry, gunstocks, interior panelling, veneer, turned items, and other small wooden objects and novelties.

DURABILITY
American Walnut is rated as very durable in terms of decay resistance, though it is susceptible to insect attack. The wood also has good dimensional stability, shock resistance, and strength properties.

GENERAL DESCRIPTION
A beautiful, sustainable wood material produced by using heat and steam. This thermal modification improves the wood’s properties, making it suitable for a wide range of applications. This wood comes in a beautiful shade of brown that display attractive, tight grain figuring with an abundance of live round and splay knots. It is non-toxic, dimensionally stable, resistant to decay, and resin free.

DISTRIBUTION
Found in the northern latitudes.

COMMON USES
Cladding facades, rainscreens, solar shades, decking, and many other external applications.

DURABILITY
Thermopine is very durable, with an expected service life of 30 years when used as cladding and decking.

GENERAL DESCRIPTION
A characteristic feature in the hard maples is bird’s-eye figure which usually appears as attractive patterns on veneer manufactured from the species. Flecks caused by inserts may also be present in the wood. Figured boards are reported to be often culled during grading and sold at premium.

DISTRIBUTION
The most commercially important maple can be found in the United States. It is reported to most prevalent in New England, but its growth range extends from the extreme southeastern region of Manitoba east to Nova Scotia, southward to North Canada, and west to eastern Kansas.

COMMON USES
Maples makes excellent heavy industrial flooring for roller-skating rinks, dance halls, squash courts, and bowling alleys. It is used for textile rollers, dairy and laundry equipment, butchers’ blocks, piano actions and musical instruments, and sports goods. It is also a valuable turnery wood. Selected logs are peeled for bird’s eye figure, or sliced to produce fiddleback, curly or blistered, and mottled maple veneers for cabinets and architectural paneling.

DURABILITY
The wood is of medium density, has good bending and crushing strengths, with low stiffness and shock resistance, and a good steam-bending classification. Maples fire resistant properties are reported to be higher than the average timber.

GENERAL DESCRIPTION
The heartwood can vary in colour from light tan or pale yellow-brown to dark or pale brown, and can have a pinkish tint. The wood usually has a straight, open grain and its medium to course in texture. It has longer rays than red oak, and therefore displays more figures, which can include swirls and crotch pattern.

DISTRIBUTION
White oak grows down the eastern side of North America from Canada to Florida.

COMMON USES
American White Oak is used in virtually every way you can imagine. From joinery, interior trim, and flooring, to furniture and cabinet making, and also sliced for figured veneers and rotary-cut plywood.

DURABILITY
The heartwood is resistant to decay, but the wood can be attacked by ambrosia beetles and other insects.

GENERAL DESCRIPTION
The heartwood is orange to reddish brown with darker streaks, featuring attractive grains which are usually interlocked or wavy. The wood is described as very hard, heavy to very heavy, with a texture that is moderately fine or medium and even.

DISTRIBUTION
The species is widely distributed in Burma, as a large tree with a straight cylindrical bole up to 9m (30ft.). It is also common in parts of India, especially the forest of the west coast where it is known as Irul or Jamba.

COMMON USES
The species is pre-eminently a timber for heavy construction such as bridge building, marine pilling and harbour work. After Teak, is the most important timber in Burma for this class of work and for railway sleepers, for which it is claimed to be one of the best timber in the world. It is suitable as flooring where a good appearance is required and for heavy pedestrian and industrial traffic.

DURABILITY
The heartwood is resistant to the attack of fungi and insects, including soil-burrowing termites and marine borers because of the resinous substance in the wood.

GENERAL DESCRIPTION
Teak has a golden-brown colour. The freshly machined surface can be remarkably variable in colour, with unsightly blotches and streaks, but after a short period of exposure it tones down to the familiar golden-brown shade. The wood contains an oleo-resin and has an odour similar to that of leather.

DISTRIBUTION
Teak is indigenous in Burma, India, Thailand and Vietnam and is virtually naturalized in Java and it has been extensively planted for timber or as an ornamental within its natural range and throughout the tropical regions of the world.

COMMON USES
Teak is world famous for its durability and stability, combined with good strength and working properties and pleasing appearance. Recognition of its outstanding qualities for ship building led to the development of the teak trade in the 19^th century and it is still considered one of the best timber for this purpose, though its use is limited by the high price. It has since become popular for flooring, furniture and cabinet work.

DURABILITY
Natural resistance to attack by decay, fungi and termites is reported to be very high in the heartwood, as teak’s resinous oil is reported to act as a natural insect repellent.

GENERAL DESCRIPTION
SieanaWalnut® is a dense and heavy wood, superior to Teak in most strength properties. The heartwood coloration is irregular, ranges from light brown with few fine streaks to dark brown with darker bands or streaks. The wood is reasonably straight-grained, but often interlocked or irregular, with a coarse to medium texture and dull to medium lustre.

DISTRIBUTION
The trees are widely distributed and common throughout India and Burma. The best figured timber comes from South India and Burma where trees commonly grow to about 1m in diameter.

COMMON USES
SieanaWalnut® produces a highly decorative effect which it is used intensively for furniture and cabinet making, and high-class interior joinery for panelling, doors and staircases. It is also widely used in building and construction, harbour work and boat building.

DURABILITY
Under tropical conditions, it is moderately durable and resistant to preservative treatment.