Different types of wood timber: the A-Z of good wood

From:

West Africa

Uses:

Interior joinery.

From:

Africa

Uses:

Plywood, interior use.

From:

West Africa

Uses:

Furniture, joinery.

From:

West Africa

Uses:

Top quality exterior joinery.

From:

West Africa

Uses:

Plywood, furniture.

From:

UK, Europe

Uses:

Minor utility products. Occasionally available as beams.

From:

Africa

Uses:

Various, depending on density.

From:

South America

Uses:

Turnery.

From:

Africa

Uses:

Furniture, light construction, plywood, boxes and crates.

From:

Africa

Uses:

Veneer, plywood, furniture, joinery, boxes and crates, light construction.

From:

UK, Europe

Uses:

Minor craft items.

From:

Africa

Uses:

Musical instruments, heavy construction, marine, furniture, flooring.

From:

UK, Europe, North America

Uses:

Light coloured furniture, panelling, tool handles. Occasionally available as flooring.

From:

Africa

Uses:

Outdoor construction, marine construction, furniture, decorative veneers.

From:

South-east Asia

Uses:

Heavy duty construction work.

From:

Ecuador

Uses:

Model making, insulation.

From:

South America

Uses:

Marine and dock work.

From:

UK, Europe, North America

Uses:

Furniture, flooring, musical instruments. Regularly available as wood strip and woodblock flooring.

From:

Africa

Uses:

Heavy construction, furniture and cabinetwork, veneers, panelling.

From:

South-east Asia

Uses:

General purpose timber, musical instruments.

From:

South-east Asia

Uses:

Plywood, light construction, furniture components, cabinetwork.

From:

UK, Europe, North America

Uses:

General purpose timber, plywood.

From:

Australia

Uses:

Furniture, cabinetwork, joinery.

From:

Europe, America

Uses:

Poles, agricultural implements, furniture.

From:

Africa

Uses:

Musical instruments, craft products.

From:

Australia

Uses:

General purpose timber, also used for paper. Occasionally available as wood strip flooring.

From:

Europe

Uses:

Turnery, craftwork, sports goods, musical instruments.

From:

West Africa

Uses:

Veneer, furniture. Regularly available as woodblock flooring.

From:

South America

Uses:

Light construction, furniture, cabinet work.

From:

Africa

Uses:

Light construction, furniture, veneer, plywood.

From:

South and Central America

Uses:

Cabinet making, boatbuilding, light construction.

From:

J. virginiana: North America J. procera: East Africa

Uses:

Specialist uses.

From:

North America,

Uses:

Exterior use, cladding some UK plantations. Regularly available as beams.

From:

Africa

Uses:

Furniture, cabinets, carving, veneer.

From:

UK, Europe, North America

Uses:

Specialised crafted furniture and decorative work, musical instruments.

From:

Europe

Uses:

Minor goods, turnery and utensils. Regularly available as beams.

From:

UK, Europe

Uses:

Furniture, joinery, fencing. Regularly available as beams.

From:

South America

Uses:

Outdoor and marine construction.

From:

South America

Uses:

Furniture, joinery, mouldings, turnery.

From:

Africa

Uses:

Exterior cladding, furniture, joinery.

From:

Africa

Uses:

Plywood, blockboard, boxes and crates, furniture.

From:

South America

Uses:

Heavy construction, flooring, turnery.

From:

South-east Asia

Uses:

Veneer, furniture, cabinet work, joinery.

From:

Africa

Uses:

Heavy construction, wharf decking, flooring.

From:

Africa

Uses:

Furniture, turnery, flooring, tool handles.

From:

Africa

Uses:

External construction.

From:

South-east Asia

Uses:

Furniture, veneer, plywood, light construction.

From:

Africa, Asia

Uses:

Cutlery handles, musical instruments, craftwork. Regularly available as antique escutcheons, door knobs.

From:

Africa

Uses:

Sea defences, sleepers. Occasionally available as woodblock flooring.

From:

UK, Europe, North America

Uses:

Furniture, joinery, flooring, external cladding. Regularly available as floorboards.

From:

UK, Europe (plantations) North America

Uses:

Plywood, structural work, sea defences. Regularly available as floorboards.

From:

UK (plantations),

Uses:

Building, joinery, packaging.

From:

South America

Uses:

Joinery, veneer, construction.

From:

Africa, South America

Uses:

Veneer, weak packaging.

From:

Native to South Asia, timber is from tropical plantations

Uses:

Light construction, packaging, furniture.

From:

Africa

Uses:

Plywood, blockboard, veneers, particleboard, furniture, joinery.

From:

Guyana

Uses:

Sea defences. Regularly available as beams.

From:

Central and West Africa

Uses:

Furniture and exterior work.

From:

UK, Europe (plantations) North America

Uses:

Construction.

From:

North America

Uses:

Sports goods, tool handles, drum sticks.

From:

UK, Europe

Uses:

Craft work, inlays.

From:

UK, Europe

Uses:

Minor items, musical instruments.

From:

West Africa

Uses:

Interior construction, furniture, veneer, turnery.

From:

West Africa

Uses:

Joinery and outdoor work.

From:

Africa

Uses:

General utility timber, furniture components, interior joinery, plywood.

From:

South America

Uses:

Interior construction, furniture.

From:

South America

Uses:

Furniture, interior joinery, decking, flooring, vats and tanks, veneers.

From:

Africa

Uses:

Garden furniture, boatbuilding, flooring and joinery. Regularly available as wood strip and woodblock flooring.

From:

Africa

Uses:

Turnery.

From:

South America

Uses:

General purpose timber, musical instruments.

From:

Australia

Uses:

Outdoor construction, flooring, decking, sleepers. Regularly available as wood strip and woodblock flooring, occasionally as beams.

From:

South-east Asia

Uses:

Interior work, crafts, pattern making.

From:

South America

Uses:

Construction, furniture.

From:

South-east Asia (Indonesia, Malaysia)

Uses:

Exterior joinery and construction.

From:

Australia

Uses:

Heavy duty outdoor construction, sleepers. Regularly available as wood strip and woodblock flooring, occasionally as beams.

From:

South-east Asia

Uses:

Furniture parts, minor items.

From:

South-east Asia

Uses:

Heavy construction.

From:

Indonesia, Malaysia

Uses:

Strength applications in hidden work in furniture, building, and transport decking, plywood. Regularly available as flooring.

From:

Africa

Uses:

Underwater construction and piling.

From:

Africa

Uses:

Furniture, flooring.

From:

Africa

Uses:

Veneer, interior joinery, furniture.

From:

UK (softwood) (plantations) Europe, Russia

Uses:

General purpose timber.

From:

Africa

Uses:

Heavy construction, furniture, marine work, veneer.

From:

Africa

Uses:

Interior joinery, veneer, mouldings.

From:

South America

Uses:

Veneer.

From:

Central and South

Uses:

Special bearings, tools, sports goods.

From:

Africa

Uses:

Construction (including marine), industrial flooring, panelling.

From:

Europe

Uses:

Brush backs, turnery, minor goods. Regularly available as antique carving.

From:

Africa

Uses:

General purpose timber.

From:

South America

Uses:

Marine structures, heavy duty work.

From:

West Africa

Uses:

Utility and decorative work, indoors and outdoors, from boatbuilding to furniture and joinery. Regularly available as woodblock flooring.

From:

Central and South America

Uses:

Joinery, high quality furniture, plywood. Regularly available as woodblock flooring, occasionally as beams.

From:

Africa

Uses:

Flooring, furniture, joinery.

From:

West Africa

Uses:

Joinery and wood work subjected to tough environments.

From:

Africa

Uses:

High class joinery and furniture.

From:

North America

Uses:

Flooring, musical instruments. Regularly available as wood strip or woodblock flooring.

From:

South America

Uses:

Construction, furniture, mouldings, flooring, turnery.

From:

South-east Asia

Uses:

Joinery, carving, furniture, light construction, veneer.

From:

South-east Asia

Uses:

Interior joinery.

From:

South-east Asia

Uses:

All types of joinery, framing, doors and fittings. Also used in plywood. Regularly available as woodblock and wood strip flooring, occasionally as beams.

From:

Asia, Africa, Australia, (main source of timber is Indonesia, Malaysia)

Uses:

Top quality exterior joinery. Occasionally available as wood strip flooring.

From:

South-east Asia

Uses:

Light construction, furniture, plywood, veneer, marine construction.

From:

South America

Uses:

Industrial flooring, marine and heavy construction.

From:

Africa

Uses:

Construction, turnery. Occasionally available as woodblock flooring.

From:

East Africa

Uses:

High quality flooring subject to heavy wear. Regularly available as wood strip and woodblock flooring.

From:

Africa

Uses:

Panelling and joinery. Regularly available as wood strip and woodblock flooring.

From:

Africa

Uses:

Turnery, flooring, furniture, veneer.

From:

West Africa

Uses:

Furniture.

From:

Africa

Uses:

Cabinetwork, joinery, decorative veneers, flooring, turnery.

From:

South-east Asia

Uses:

Exterior construction, fine furniture, veneer, musical instruments.

From:

UK, Europe, North America

Uses:

Wide variety of applications, including joinery, furniture, fittings, flooring wood strip and woodblock flooring. Regularly available as reclaimed beams, floorboards.

From:

Australia

Uses:

General purpose timber, flooring.

From:

Africa

Uses:

Interior and exterior construction, furniture.

From:

Africa

Uses:

Plywood, joinery, furniture, veneer.

From:

Gabon

Uses:

Plywood.

From:

Africa

Uses:

Flooring, veneer, general construction, joinery.

From:

Africa

Uses:

Interior construction, furniture, veneers.

From:

West Africa

Uses:

Outdoor construction, marine defence, sleepers, flooring. Occasionally available as beams, woodblock flooring.

From:

India, Myanmar, West Africa

Uses:

Joinery, flooring, boat-building. Regularly available as wood strip and woodblock flooring.

From:

Africa

Uses:

Cabinet work, joinery, veneer, flooring, turnery. Regularly available as woodblock flooring, musical instruments.

From:

Brazil

Uses:

Furniture making, flooring, construction, turnery.

From:

Europe

Uses:

Turnery, carving, drawing instruments, veneer.

From:

South America

Uses:

Fine furniture, veneer, cabinet work, flooring, interior trim and turning.

From:

North America

Uses:

Decorative ware, musical instruments, turnery.

From:

UK, Europe (commonly in plantations), North America

Uses:

General utility work. Regularly available as beams, floorboards, wood strip, woodblock flooring.

From:

Brazil (some plantations)

Uses:

Joinery, plywood.

From:

Southern USA, Brazil (plantations)

Uses:

Construction, plywood.

From:

Europe

Uses:

Veneer, general purpose handles.

From:

UK, Europe

Uses:

Matches, turnery, minor craft goods.

From:

Central and South America

Uses:

Heavy construction work, decorative purposes. Occasionally available as beams.

From:

South America

Uses:

Carpentry, utility plywood, furniture components, interior trim, millwork.

From:

Malaysia, Indonesia

Uses:

Mouldings.

From:

South America

Uses:

Furniture, joinery, mouldings, turnery.

From:

Africa, South America, India

Uses:

Furniture, musical instruments.

From:

Malaysia (plantations)

Uses:

Furniture.

From:

West Africa

Uses:

Furniture, joinery, decorative applications.

From:

South-east Asia

Uses:

Furniture, veneer, light construction, household utensils, plywood, flooring.

From:

North America

Uses:

Joinery.

From:

South-east Asia

Uses:

Plywood, interior joinery, furniture and cabinetwork.

From:

UK, Europe (commonly in plantations), North America

Uses:

General purpose timber. Regularly available as beams, floorboards, wood strip and woodblock flooring.

From:

Africa

Uses:

Light construction work, interior joinery, boxes and crates.

From:

South-east Asia

Uses:

Furniture, cabinetwork, joinery, flooring, plywood, veneers.

From:

Europe

Uses:

Turnery, veneers.

From:

Africa

Uses:

Flooring, heavy construction.

From:

South America

Uses:

Furniture, flooring, joinery, heavy construction.

From:

South-east Asia

Uses:

General purpose timber.

From:

Africa

Uses:

General purpose timber, veneer, plywood.

From:

South-east Asia (also in plantations elsewhere)

Uses:

High quality furniture, joinery, garden furniture. Regularly available as wood strip and woodblock flooring, occasionally as beams.

From:

Southern Africa

Uses:

Exterior construction, flooring. Regularly available as wood strip and woodblock flooring.

From:

South-east Asia

Uses:

Light general purposes.

From:

Africa

Uses:

Furniture, joinery, construction, flooring.

From:

South America

Uses:

General furniture construction.

From:

North America

Uses:

Mouldings, drumsticks.

From:

West Africa (Ghana, Cote d'Ivoire)

Uses:

Furniture, fitments, joinery, construction. Regularly available as wood strip and woodblock flooring.

From:

South America

Uses:

Plywood, mouldings, interior joinery.

From:

South-east Asia

Uses:

Boxes and crates, utility furniture, joinery.

From:

South America

Uses:

Heavy construction, poles, industrial flooring.

From:

West and Central Africa

Uses:

Furniture and panelling.

From:

Europe, North America

Uses:

Furniture, joinery, gun butts. Regularly available as antique panelling and veneered doors.

From:

Queensland Australia

Uses:

Furniture, interior joinery and construction, veneers.

From:

Africa

Uses:

Kitchen furniture, mouldings, hidden work, plywood.

From:

Central Africa

Uses:

Furniture, decorative veneers, speciality uses. Regularly available as woodblock flooring.

From:

UK, Europe

Uses:

Cricket bats, basket work, toys and other items.

From:

UK, Europe

Uses:

Decorative veneer.