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Timber comes in many forms or species each with their own set of characteristics. Here’s you’ll find the primary species that we use to produce our products and some of the factors you should consider before determining most appropriate timber species for your project:
The durability of timber is based on the results of placing testing hardwood samples into the ground, fully exposed to the elements, with the number of years before decay becomes obvious determining the durability of the natural (untreated) timber into one of five classifications.
The hardwood of species with a rating of Durable or Very Durable can be successfully used in exterior situations without the support of preservative treatments.
Due to the varying grain structure and how it responds to the elements, and in our furniture we prefer to use the more stable species. Regardless of species, all timber will ‘move’ to some extent as its moisture content changes in varying climates, resulting is fissures or cracks during hot, dry conditions, but which will tend to close up in periods of cold, wet weather.
There is a huge variety of colour and grain characteristics across different timber species, preferences on which are very much subjective. Photos of timber products and component parts shown on our website and in our brochures are generally new products with freshly machined timbers (<3 months old), before any significant weathering has occurred that will cause the original timber colouration to fade.
The density of the timber is important in two respects – firstly to perform its structural function (with an appropriate visual mass), and secondly to resist marking in general wear and tear. In simple terms, the denser the material the lighter the section can be and the more resistant it is surface marking. Generally speaking the more dense the species, the higher its cost.
The natural colouration of new machined timber will fade as it is exposed to UV light, fading to a weathered patina that some people prefer in a landscape setting over the original colouration. Many proprietary timber finishes are available, which bring varying degrees of maintenance implications – read up on our timber treatments for more info on this.
Converting timber from a tree to a useable machined section is a labour intensive process, and with tropical hardwoods especially, involves considerable transportation – all of which adds to the cost of the raw material. With our standard product range our approach is generally to use timber sparingly, in sectional sizes that are appropriate to the performance requirement, and often supported by structural steelwork. Our design team are happy to offer advice on the appropriate material sizes that will minimise the cost of timber product and components.
As standard , we use FSC Iroko to product most of our products. Here are a list of timber species commonly used in street furniture and a brief summary of their characteristics and typical product applications.
Classification: Very Durable Source: West Africa Weathering: 3 months
A West African species that is rich in natural oils with a ‘Very Durable’classification, which is also relatively stable, readily available and is cost effective. Iroko is the timber that we use on the vast majority of our timber surfaced seating products, most often supplied in a smooth planed finish that will typically fade to silver-grey within 12 months.
If supplementary treatments are required to retain the original colouration for longer, the natural oils must be either allowed to dissipate through weathering over 3 months outdoors before application, or be cleansed if treatments are applied at the outset (applying a treatment directly to freshly machined timber tends to result in it sitting on the surface and not penetrating into the grain).
Classification: Very Durable Source: British woodlands
Endura Thermally Modified Ash uses quality ash grown in local woodlands. The modification process makes the ash very stable and confers a high level of durability.
The strong grain, lack of knots and deep dark chocolate colour of Endura ash offer a locally grown alternative to imported hardwoods.
The ash is subjected to temperatures up to 214°C, improving the quality and essentially acts as an additional layer of protection to create a more durable and stable product.
This technique was first pioneered in Scandinavia to try and mitigate the use of tropical hardwood and use the ash and pine that they were surrounded by to replace that tropical hardwood that they were so reliant on.
Classification: Very Durable Source: UK Partner: Ashwells Reclaimed Tropical Hardwood Species: Ekki, Greenheart, Jarrah, Opepe
Reclaimed hardwood timber is a great alternative to using raw timber as it offers a more environmentally friendly material option without compromising on quality.
As part of our commitment to delivering more sustainable street furniture solutions, we have partnered with Ashwells, reclaimed tropical hardwood specialists.
Our Fordham range is now exclusively manufactured from reclaimed hardwood timber, with more ranges to follow.
Read more about reclaimed tropical hardwood here.
All hardwoods used by Furnitubes are supplied only from countries where governments operate strict controls on the size of trees that can be felled and where a forest conservation policy and re-plantation programmes are in operation. The countries of origin for Teak and Balau are Malaysia and South East Asia with Iroko and Ekki from the West Coast of Africa, predominantly Ghana and Cameroon.
From the hundreds of trees available, the timber logger rarely takes as many as thirty trees and then only those with the dimensions as ruled by the government. After the trees have fallen in a particular area the forest is left alone for a minimum period of 25 years. The main problem is undoubtedly the over population in those parts of the world where the huge natural forest and vegetation areas are being cleared by burning, so that the land is then available for agriculture and building. This action not only destroys the trees that could have been put to better use, but releases carbon dioxide adding to the ‘greenhouse’ effect.
Furnitubes is not directly registered with the Forestry Steward Council (FSC). Where certified timber is specified or offered the material will be purchased as such from our timber merchants, who will be the end named party in the chain of custody certification, which will be supplied if requested. The terminology that we may use for such material is ‘timber from a well-managed source’.
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