Iroko

TROPICAL HARDWOOD

Uses: Ship and boat building, interior and exterior joinery; laboratory benches, furniture making and carving. It is a structural timber suitable for piling and marine work, and for domestic flooring. Also for plywood manufacture and sliced for wall panelling, flush doors and decorative veneering.

General Description: Iroko is golden-orange to brown, lighter vessel lines are conspicuous on flat saw surfaces. The material may contain large, hard deposits of calcium carbonate in cavities, and the timber around them may be darker in colour. The grain is interlocked and sometimes irregular and the texture rather coarse, but even. The weight is 640 kg/m³ (40 lb/ft³); specific gravity .64.

Further product details

Mechanical Properties

Iroko's medium density timber has a moderate steam bending classification, with medium bending and crushing strength, very low stiffness and resistance to shock loads.

Seasoning

Iroko dries fairly rapidly and well without much degrade and there is a tendency for stick marks to show during drying. There is a small movement in service.

Durability

The sapwood is liable to attack by powder post beetle, but is highly resistant to termites in Africa. The heartwood is very durable, and is extremely resistant to preservative treatment. The sapwood is permeable.

Other Information

Family Name: Moraceae

Latin Name: Chlorophora excelsa

Distribution: West and East Africa.

Also known as: mvulu (E Africa); odum (Ghana); kambala (Zaire); tule, intule (Mozambique); moreira (Angola); band (Cameroon).

Abura African Blackwood Afrormosia Agba Angelim Vermelho Anigre Balau Bubinga Cumaru Ekki Greenheart Wood Guarea Idigbo Ipe Iroko Jatoba Khaya Mahogany Koto Lemonwood Lignum Vitae Makore Massaranduba Meranti Okan Opepe Ovangkol Padauk Purpleheart Red Louro Sapele Tatajuba Teak Utile Wenge Zebrano