SELLING TO: DESIGNERS & SPECIFIERS
the legality of harvesting and supply at country- level, whereas the two main certification schemes license at individual forest and producer level. Merchants should watch the FLEGT space as a number of African countries are going through the licensing process, which will eventually make more species available for purchase under EUTR rules.”
Key species
Which are the main species available and what are their respective uses? Chris Bowen-Davies, Key Accounts Manager at Brooks Bros Timber, outlines some of the species’ detail: “In terms of African hardwoods, Sapele is our largest seller. It’s a good all-rounder for external and internal use, with reasonable density and good machining capabilities. It’s good for paint application too. Utile is still favoured as it tends to be more stable than many external hardwoods.
“Iroko is classed as Very Durable and lasts well in outdoor situations. It can be used for example as cill sections or for other outdoor joinery. It can also be used in boat-building and garden furniture, as well as for marine work,” Brooks’ Chris Bowen-Davies says. “Idigbo is another durable material, but it needs a primer coat before any top paint coat is applied. Its availability from legal and sustainable sources can be somewhat erratic. Travelling further round the globe, Meranti, which comes from the far east, is a very popular joinery hardwood used in window and door manufacturing. It paints satisfactorily but its density can vary considerably.” More familiar names in hardwoods come from Europe, the USA and Canada, as Brooks’ Chris Bowen-Davies explains: “Temperate hardwoods include species like Oak, Ash, Cherry, Maple and Beech. European Beech in what’s called ‘paint grade’ (with no defects) is popular, whereas American Ash and Cherry, popular sellers in previous years, are less favoured today. American and Canadian Maple have seen a slight increase in demand, but Tulipwood (American Yellow Poplar) is in high demand as a versatile internal hardwood. Good length and width specifications are available and it machines and finishes well. “Walnut is in demand from designers and specifiers. We import FSC®-certified SuperPrime grade. This is re-sawn post kilning and graded to a high standard on knot size and frequency. Joiners will get a higher yield from the boards.
“Oak is of course extremely popular though much of Europe’s production has been affected by demand from China. We sell a fair
5. Brooks Bros Prime Walnut detailing
1. International Timber
2. Brooks Bros Engineered Sapele 3. Timbmet Red Grandis
4. Michael Cooper, Benso
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volume of French Oak fresh sawn and air dried beams, alongside kiln dried Oak for joinery and cladding. Demand for Oak for use in post and beam construction is still growing,” Chris Bowen-Davies adds.
Merchant’s view
Merchants are seeing a sales benefit from stocking the more familiar types of hardwood, in defined ranges to suit particular market segments, as Business Development Director at builders’ merchants MGM Timber, relates: “We stock a range of hardwood mouldings in our branches. European Oak mouldings match the current fashion for Oak flooring, joinery and kitchens. We also stock Meranti mouldings for the replacement market, including skirtings, architraves and window cill sections.
“The market for hardwood mouldings is very wide-ranging, from the enthusiastic DIYer to builders and joiners involved in RMI, window fitters and even housebuilders. Local housebuilders want to increase the value of the homes they build by providing a high spec finish, which is where hardwood mouldings come in,” Grant Wilson says. With the advent of EUTR, and with due diligence systems such as the Timber Trade Federation’s Responsible Purchasing Policy, merchants are certainly still vigilant on sourcing, but are perhaps also becoming more confident. “We only stock products with full chain of custody in accordance with our TTF Responsible Purchasing Policy adherence. Ensuring sustainable sourcing is of primary importance on hardwoods,” MGM’s Grant Wilson affirms.
May 2019 / 11
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