Iroko: An Ideal Hardwood for Joinery
What is Iroko?
Iroko is a durable hardwood from the tropical west coast of Africa. Iroko wood is an exceptionally strong, dense and highly durable wood which is naturally resistant to insect attack and decay.
Golden in colour, Iroko varies from light yellows to honey browns, turning to a darker brown on exposure to UV light. Iroko is approx 640kg pert m3 at approx 12% M/C. This timber naturally regenerates and the majority of Iroko is now secondary growth, where trees have been repopulated after clearing.
What can Iroko be used for?
As Iroko is highly durable, it is ideal for a wide range of uses such as decking, kitchen worktops and cabinet making.
Iroko is also used widely for external joinery and boat building and lab benches are always a favourite because Iroko has a resistance to chemical attack. Due to its density, Iroko also works well or flooring and, when peeled, works well in veneer form.
The highlights and challenges of Iroko
Iroko wood works well but it can dull tools. The grain sometimes is interlocked, which can cause tear out in machining and can lead to distortion in drying.
It can take nails and screws well and is scratch-resistant. It can be brought up to a high-quality finish and can stain and glue well. It has good durability rating ideal for external joinery, but does have a low resistance to shock loads.
Caution must be taken around the dust and masks are needed as it can irritate the skin or cause breathing issues when inhaled.
Occasionally, the timber can accumulate calcium carbonate and silica in the vessels, and in rare instances the centre of very old logs will rot out. Interestingly, a column of stone is left when this occurs and some African tribes have been known to use these in worship.
At WL West & Sons we stock Iroko 25mm > 100mm. Keep an eye on our case studies for updates from our newest major garden project using Iroko, including decking, planters and screens. Contact us today to enquire about Iroko or any of our other timbers for your next project.
WL West Timber is a family-owned sawmill & timber merchant in West Sussex with over 155 years’ industry experience. We provide a wide range of air-dried oak and kiln-dried oak timber products and supplies. We also build and install custom projects for our customers.
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