Kambala / Iroko

Scientific name:
Kambala Chlorophora excelsa

Other names:
Semli (Sierra Leone, Liberia)
Odoum (Ghana, ivory Coast)
Rokko
Oroko(Nigeria)
Abang
Mandji (Cameroon, Gabon)
Mereira (Angola)
Kambala (Zaire)
Mvule (East Africa)

Weight:
Basic specific gravity (ovendry weight/green volume) 0.55; air-dry density about 43 pcf.

Use:
Suggested as a teak substitute. Joinery, boatbuilding, piling and marine work, domestic flooring, furniture, veneer, railroad crossties, cabinetwork, shop fittings.

General characteristic:
Heartwood varies from a pale yellowish brown to dark chocolate brown with lighter markings most conspicuous on flat-sawn surfaces; sapwood yellowish white, clearly demarcated. Texture medium to coarse; grain typically interlocked, sometimes irregular; slightly greasy feel; without odor; wet sawdust may cause dermatitis; occasional large “stone” deposits of calcium carbonate.

Working properties:
Works fairly easily with hand or machine tools but with some tearing of interlocked grain; occasional deposits of calcium carbonate severely damage cutting edges; good nailing and gluing characteristics; moderate steam-bending properties; may cause dermatitis in working wet wood.

Drying and shrinkage:
Dries rapidly with little or no degrade. Kiln schedule T6-D2 is suggested for 414 stock and T3-D1 for 8/4. Shrinkage green to ovendry: radial 2.8%; tangential 3.8%; volumetric 8.8%. Movement in service is rated as small.

Durability:
Heartwood is very durable and is resistant to termite and marine borer attack as well. Sapwood liable to powder-post beetle attack. Heartwood is extremely resistant to preservative treatments, sapwood permeable.

Index you maybe interesting in reading: Janka Hardness Hardwood Floor Scale

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