Africa
HMT buys a number of woods from Africa. We have a clear and unequivocal requirement of FSC® certification, or another form of assurance that the forest and the local environment are treated in a responsible manner. Get an offerAfrica
Africa’s rainforest area is concentrated along the Guinea coast and in the Congo Basin, where there is a lush, tropical lowland rainforest containing many palms and tall trees in the Fabaceae and Euphorbiaceae families. As with its wildlife, Africa’s rainforests have far fewer plant species than the rainforests of Asia and South America. In dry areas, the rainforest grows along the river banks as narrow belts of gallery forest, and the highlands are dominated by mountain rainforest containing conifers such as Podocarpus. Above the mountain rainforest in the mountains of East Africa, there is a subalpine zone with shrub-like or woody heathers and Philippa. Higher up still is an alpine zone with “rose woods” of the genus ragwort and lobelia as well as northern species of sedge and fescue.
HMT buys a number of woods from Africa. We have a clear and unequivocal requirement of FSC® certification, or another form of assurance that the forest and the local environment are treated in a responsible manner.
Wood species
Iroko
Yellow-brown colour, which quickly turns olive brown. Uniform structure without significant grain (grows all year). Iroko is one of the woods with properties most similar to teak. FSC® certified available.
Hardness: Janka 760, i.e. hard wood
Weight: 500 to 750 kg/m3 at 8% humidity
Product types:
Sapele, mahogany
Reddish brown mahogany type with fine, uniform grain structure. Mahogany is perfect for worktops as it is very oily, durable and highly maintainable. Mahogany darkens with age, but if exposed to strong sunlight over a long period of time, the worktop can become lighter.
Hardness: Janka 490, i.e. medium hard wood
Weight: 460 to 650 kg/m3 at 8% humidity
Product types:
Wengé
Wengé is a dark wood with an attractive grain structure. Makes for a highly exclusive worktop with a uniform appearance. Wengé is a very dimensionally stable wood. The worktop may be light brown/pale green and speckled on delivery, but “matures” later in the light and air to become a dark chocolate brown, brown-violet or almost black. It may have marked graining. The wood also contains oils that enhance its natural protection and resistance. FSC® certified available.
Hardness: Janka 900, i.e. hard wood
Weight: 800 to 1000 kg/m3 at 8% humidity
Product types:
Zebrano
Vibrantly striped with an attractive grain. A Zebrano worktop has a harmony of its own and cannot be compared with any other type of wood. The heart wood is yellowish with thin, brownish stripes.
Hardness: Janka 610, i.e. hard wood
Weight: 700 to 800 kg/m3 at 8% humidity
Product types: