(Larix decidua)

This tree is spread in the mountain forests of central Europe where it grows either alone or with fir tees and pines.
This very high tree (up to 40 mt.) has yellowish-white sapwood and very resinous, reddish-brown duramen.
It has medium-thin texture and straight fibre.

Characteristics
Drying process is quite easy, with average shrink age, while subsequent finishing processes may be difficult due to the massive presence of resin it has.
Noticeable qualities of this wood are the excellent mechanical resistance and durability, even in less favourable environments.

Qualities and utilisation
Larch wood is widely employed in all fields, especially in heavy carpentry, in building and road engineering, in heavy joinery and in floorings.

(Quercus petraea)

This very big tree can reach even a height of 30mt and a diameter of 1,5mt.
It is widely spread into Central and Eastern Europe, creating magnificent forests.
Its wood has good characteristics of hardness and stability: this is why it is so largely employed in parquet flooring, and in the building and naval field.

Characteristics
Its colour is golden-yellow; with middle texture and regular fibre it may show some darker spots, due to the presence of tannin.

Qualities and utilisation
Within its qualities are to be mentioned low oxidisation and the regularity it gains in the years.

(Olea europea)

This evergreen tree may reach a height of 15-20mt; it has a twisted, cylindrical trunk and is spread in the Mediterranean area and in South Italy.
The wood is obtained from little, irregular pieces. Sapwood is either yellowish or light brown; duramen is generally brown with pink shades and darker stripes. Its texture is very smooth and its fibre very twisted and irregular.

Characteristics
Its mechanical characteristics are excellent and the lastingness very good.
This flooring is surely unique both for its chromatic effects and for its resistance to pressure.
It is quite hard to work this wood; this is why it may be found only in few and little pieces.
It has a very low oxidization.

Qualities and utilisation
It is an extremely hard and resistant wood; thus it is widely used in the field of cabinet making, inlay, and turning. Briers are most appreciated.

(Juglans regia)

This very high tree can grow up to 30mt and is spread all over Europe and Italy. It has yellowish sapwood and a dark variegated, brown duramen.
It has a medium-thin texture and varied fibre.
This wood may be quite easily dried, without serious disadvantages; it has an average shrinkage.

Characteristics
Its mechanical characteristics are good, such as lastingness; nevertheless it is an easy prey to insects, that may attack it even during the working processes.
However by means of an evaporation treatment we may obtain both a pleasing aspect and a good cleanness and protection.

Qualities and utilisation
Walnut-tree has been for centuries highly estimated in the fields of fine joinery, inner furniture, artistic handicraft, and flooring.

(Robinia pseudoacacia)

Typical tree of the West mountains in the United States, it has been spread all over Europe since 1600.
This tree can reach the height of 20mt and have a diameter up to 50cm.
Its sapwood is yello wish, while the duramen is either brown or bronze with medium texture and usually straight, but some< -times twisted, fibre.
This wood wants a slow drying process to prevent from clefts; it has an average shrinkage.

Characteristics
The characteristics of mechanical resistance are good while its lastingness is modest.
During drying process it occurs a modest shrinkage and usually deformations.

Qualities and utilisation
As this wood has a scarce oxidisation, it greatly used in the fields of furniture, flooring, decorations, and musical instruments such as violins and the like.

(Acer saccharum)

This tree develops a medium height; it has large foliage and its trunk grows often twisted and irregular.
This species is spread all over Europe and Asia Minor; in Italy it reaches the coastal regions.
It presents medium-thin texture and varied fibre.
It is easily sawed and its drying process is quick.

Characteristics
The characteristics of mechanical resistance are good while its lastingness is modest.
During drying process it occurs a modest shrinkage and usually deformations.

Qualities and utilisation
As this wood has a scarce oxidisation, it greatly used in the fields of furniture, flooring, decorations, and musical instruments such as violins and the like.

(Prunus avium)

This tree belongs to the Rosaceae-family.
It was imported from Asia Minor and spread all over Europe in a very late past.
It grows up to 20mt and can reach a diameter of about 1mt.
It has brown-pinky duramen and yellowish sapwood, straight fibre and thin texture.

Characteristics
Its lastingness and mechanical resistance are good.
The peculiar characteristic of this essence is the presence of marked, darker knot-like striping.
The seasoning process is quite hard, while the subsequent operations are easy.

Qualities and utilisation
Its warm colour makes it particularly agreeable even after oxidisation; thus it is largely employed in many fields.

(Fagus sylvatica)

This tree may reach the height of 35mt and a diameter of 1.4mt.
It is widely spread all over Europe and Italy.
Thanks to its leaves beech-tree can improve the soil where it grows.
It has a light brown-pinky colour with little difference between sapwood and duramen.
Its texture is thin and its fibre quite straight.

Characteristics
This wood has good mechanical characteristics and is easily worked.

Qualities and utilisation
As this wood can be easily worked it finds an excellent utilisation in every field domestic, flooring, furniture, shearing fields.
As a result of the evaporation process, which assure it a better lastingness, it may also obtain a very pleasant, darker colour.

(Castanea sativa)

This very tall tree may reach a height of 30mt and a diameter up to 2mt.
It may live a very long time.
It is largely spread in Europe from Portugal to the Caspian Sea.
It has either white or yellowish sapwood and brown duramen.
Its texture is rough and the fibre usually straight.

Characteristics
Its lastingness and mechanical resistance are good, while the drying process takes quite a long time.
When it is used in floorings its colour is light yellow, with a tendency to brown.

Qualities and utilisation
Chestnut wood is widely employed in agricultural, furniture, flooring, girder, and frame fields.

(Myrocarpus frodosus)

This wood comes from South America.
It has yellowish-white sapwood and grey duramen.
Its texture is either thin or medium, and various fibre.

Characteristics
It has high mechanical resistance; its lastingness is good.
Drying and working processes are difficult; it has average shrinkage.
It has low oxidisation; anyway its colour tends to uniform as time passes.

Qualities and utilisation
Thanks to its characteristics it is used for stairs, fastenings, furniture, floorings, artistic handicraft, and also outdoor.

(Tabebuia ipè)

This tree grows in Central and South America.
It has yellowish sapwood and olive-green duramen.
Its texture is thin and the various fibre often twisted.
The sawing is difficult and the drying process quite slow with an average shrinkage.

Characteristics
This wood has high mechanical characteristics and excellent lastingness, while working processes are difficult.
It has high oxidisation, which anyway tends to uniform with the lighter colour.

Qualities and utilisation
Among its qualities hardness must be mentioned, which makes it suitable in railway engineering, floorings and fastenings.

(Intsia Acuminata)

This very big species of tree grows in Malaysia, Indonesia, in the Philippines and Pacific Islands.
Its sapwood is yellowish, while the duramen is either brown or reddish with yellow veins.
This wood is hard to sew and to dry, but its shrinkage is not noticeable- this is doubtless a quality.
Its texture is rough and the fibre often twisted.

Characteristics
Its mechanical resistance is very good and the lastingness excellent only for the duramen.
Its oxidisation noticeable but appropriate as in this way the yellowish shades can uniform.

Qualities and utilisation
As this wood looks like Doussiè, but is less expensive than it, may be a good alternative.
It is used in carpentry, carrying structures, civil and sportive floorings, furniture, and fastenings.

(Tectona grandis)

This very big tree is spread both in Asia and in West Africa.
It has light yellow sapwood while the duramen after drying process becomes golden brown with green and blackish shades.
Its texture is thin and its fibre not always straight.
It is not hard sawing this wood; anyway the presence of silica may make it sometimes hard.
It has an average shrinkage and the drying process is quite easy.

Characteristics
This wood has good mechanical characteristics and excellent lastingness, even when it is in critical situations.
Its good stability makes it easily worked. Oxidisation is very marked, due to the photosynthesis processes the result is a uniform colour.

Qualities and utilisation
As teakwood neither rots, nor suffers humidity changes, it is widely used in all fields naval and civil engineering, artistic handicraft, smart flooring and furniture.

(Pericopsis elata)

This tree comes from West Africa, Ivory Coast, and ZAIRE.
It has white-yellowish sapwood, sharply different from duramen, which is olive-brown.
Its texture is thin and its fibre often twisted.

Characteristics
It has good mechanical resistance and excellent lastingness.
Drying process does not present particular problems.
Oxidisation is very high, with tendency to uniform in the darker tonality.

Qualities and utilisation
This wood gives excellent results in each choice: its thin fibre gives the floor a particular elegance.
Thanks to its mechanical characteristics and its excellent hardness it is used in carrying structures both in private and industrial buildings, and in the furniture field.

(Nauclea badi)

This tree comes from the African equatorial forests.
It has either grey or pink sapwood while duramen varies from pink-yellow to golden brown.
The texture is medium and the fibre often twisted.

Characteristics
It has excellent durability and resists quite well both fungus and insect attacks.
Its mechanical resistance is good.
Drying process is slow to prevent from superficial clefts.
Uniformity in floors is difficult, due to the great difference between sapwood and duramen.

Qualities and utilisation
Its light colour is undoubtedly its main peculiarity; it is employed in naval and road constructions, in carrying structures, both indoor and outdoor fastenings, in civil and industrial floorings, and in decorations.

(Afzelia africana)
This big equatorial tree is spread in Senegal, Angola, Mozambique, and Tanzania.
It has yellowish white sapwood, and reddish brown duramen.
Its texture is rough and the fibre often twisted.

Characteristics
It has high mechanical resistance; durability is scarce for sapwood, while duramen is very resistant even outdoors.
Drying process is slow, but has no problems. As it contains silicon and other minerals, which react to paint, some shades may appear.

Qualities and utilisation
This wood is particularly suitable for highly worn floorings, such as buildings for sport, gyms, cycle-tracks, and stores. It is much appreciated in carrying structures, outdoors and in fastenings.

(Chlorophora excelsa)

This very big tree grows in the African forests.
It has both yellowish and white sapwood; while the duramen is green-yellow, which becomes brown-yellow with darker shades after drying process.
Sawing is quite hard. Its texture is medium-rough and the fibre is various.

Characteristics
It has good mechanical resistance and good durability even in wet conditions.
It has a noticeable oxidisation, anyway the final result is appreciable; this is why this wood is widely employed in floorings.

Qualities and utilisation
It is employed in naval engineering, floorings, furniture, and in the artistic and decorative fields.

(Guibourtia tessmanii)

This wood comes from the west-tropical forests of Africa.
It has yellowish sapwood and brown duramen with violet shades.
It has thin texture and twisted fibre.
Its drying process is quite slow and some clefts may appear in the end.
During working process high attention and powerful machines are required.

Characteristics
It has excellent characteristics of mechanical resistance and durability, even outdoors.

Qualities and utilisation
It is a very smart wood and is employed in furniture, decorative, and flooring fields.
Due to its high hardness it is particularly recommended for highly worn floors.

(Guibourtia ehie)

This big tree is spread on the Tropical zone in West Africa, Gabon, and Guinea.
It has white sapwood, which, once dried becomes greyish-brown, and brown duramen with either yellowish or dark violet shades.
Its texture is medium-thin, its fibre undulating, so that it gives nice marbling.
It is easily sewed and the drying process causes a modest shrinkage.

Characteristics
Its characteristics of mechanical resistance are high; its lastingness is good.
The oxidisation is scarce and tends to uniform in brown.

Qualities and utilisation
This wood is similar to the walnut, thus is pleasant.
Moutenye-wood has a very high quality.
It is used in furniture, smart flooring, and decoration fields.

(Baillonella taxisperma)

It is spread in Equatorial Africa, from Nigeria to Congo.
It has greyish-pinky sapwood definitely different from duramen, which is either pink or reddish-brown.
It has thin texture and straight fibre.
As it contains silicon, it is quite difficult to cut.

Characteristics
Drying processes is quite slow to reduce the risk of clefts and deformation.
It has average shrink age.
The characteristics of mechanical resistance are very high, while the durability is good only for duramen.

Qualities and utilisation
Due to its good hardness it is widely employed in the fields of carrying structures, even outdoors, fastenings, flooring , and working and sports instruments.

(Distemonanthus benthamianus)

This very big tree grows in tropical and West Africa.
Its yellowish sapwood is slightly different from lemon-yellow duramen, which changes into dark ochre in the contact with air.
It has fine texture and twisted fibre.

Characteristics
Drying processes is quite slow to reduce the risk of clefts and deformation.
It has average shrink age.
The characteristics of mechanical resistance are very high, while the durability is good only for duramen.

Qualities and utilisation
It is employed in rafters and bars for floors.
Thanks to its hardness it also employed in heavy carpentry and in the field of furniture.
Due to its particular refractoriness to dilute acids, Movingui is employed in chemical field, to make tubs and various cans for factories.

(Pterocarpus osun)

This big tree is spread in Equatorial Africa, from Nigeria to Angola.
It has either whitish or yellowish sapwood and bright red duramen.
Its colour gets dark red after seasoning.
Its texture is quite rough and its fibre is regular.

Characteristics
Drying process is very slow, even under artificial processes; it is done very carefully to prevent from clefts.
It has scarce shrink age, and the finishing processes are easy.
Its durability and mechanical resistance are excellent, particularly for duramen.

Qualities and utilisation
It is employed in rafters and bars for floors.
Thanks to its hardness it also employed in heavy carpentry and in the field of furniture.
Due to its particular refractoriness to dilute acids, Movingui is employed in chemical field, to make tubs and various cans for factories.

(Entandrophragna cylindricum)

This very big tree in the tropical African zone, from Liberia to Angola.
It has yellowish-pinky sapwood with grey shadows, while duramen is reddish, but changes into warm brown-red in the contact with air.
It is easy to cut off, but sometimes sudden clefts may happen.
Its texture is medium-thin, its fibre is very often twisted.

Characteristics
If it is slowly dried, drying processes causes an average shrink age.
The others finishing processes are easy.
It has high mechanical characteristics, while durability is good only if it is used indoors.

Qualities and utilisation
It is doubtless a smart wood suitable for furniture, offices, indoor fastenings, and musical instruments.
Due to its mechanical resistance it is employed in the fields of naval furniture and flooring.

(Erythrophloeum)

This tree grows in the tropical-equator zone of Africa.
It has yellowish sapwood, very different from duramen, which is light brown, with reddish-green shades.
It has rough texture and usually twisted and irregular fibre.
This wood is difficult to sew, due to its hardness and thickness, even after seasoning.
It needs a long time to be dried and has a very elevated shrinkage.

Characteristics
Resistance and duramen lastingness are excellent.
As it is extremely hard which is its peculiar characteristic its working process is difficult.
It has a low oxidisation.

Qualities and utilisation
Tali is particularly suitable for buildings for sport, where high resistance and lastingness are required.
It is more generally used in the field of heavy joinery.

(Millettia laurentii)

This tree is spread all over Congo and Mozambique.
It has thin, white sapwood and dark duramen.
Its texture is medium-rough and the fibre generally straight.
It undergoes a slow drying process, in order to reduce the possible deformations.
It usually has an average shrinkage.

Characteristics
It has up to excellent characteristics of mechanical resistance; the lastingness is good for duramen, while insects easily attack sapwood.
Due to its hardness, it may easily be chipped along the grain.

Qualities and utilisation
Its excellent mechanical characteristics make this wood suitable for surfaces that need a high resistance to wear, such as stairways and buildings for sport.
Its characteristic colour gives it a unique and precious effect in commercial floorings and in artistic and decorative handicraft.

(Gilbertiodendron dewevrei)

This tree grows in the tropical forests of central and western Africa, particularly in Zaire.
It has thin sapwood either grey or yellowish, clearly different from duramen, which is reddish-brown.
Its texture is rough and the fibre not always straight. Sewing and drying process are quite easy; the shrinkage is important.

Characteristics
The characteristics of mechanical resistance may vary according to the employed piece; lastingness is instead on the average good.
The easy variation of its mechanical characteristics makes any working process rather hard.

Qualities and utilisation
Its nice aspect makes this wood very similar to nobler woods and thus suitable for floorings.
It is also employed in the frame field.
When it is used outdoors an antiseptic treatment is recommended in order to increase its lastingness.