BUBINGA

bubinga TROPICAL TIMBER USES

The exotic species Bubinga is a pinkish to reddish-brown wood, very finely veined with purplish red. It is a heavy to very heavy, hard to very hard wood and a durable species as it resists well to fungi, dry wood borers and termites, as well as moisture. It is therefore not necessary to treat it.

These characteristics make it a tropical wood suitable for many uses that require solid and durable materials :

• exterior joinery
• construction of heavy frameworks
• railway sleepers

Bubinga is a tropical essence also sought-after for indoor use, thanks to its solidity and aesthetic qualities :

• in interior joinery
• in cabinet making, for the manufacture of luxury furniture
• in flooring
• for the manufacture of sliced veneers
  
• for the manufacture of stairs, etc …

Where to buy Bubinga timber?

DISTRIBUTION AREA OF THE SPECIES bubinga

The tropical tree Bubinga grows in the forests of West Africa, in the Congo Basin: it is found from Nigeria in the North to the Democratic Republic of Congo in the South.

ECOLOGY and biology OF THE SPECIES bubinga

The Bubinga grows in dense evergreen rainforests.

The tropical species Bubinga belongs to the genus Guibourtia, of which a number of species are exploited and are of great commercial importance. Timber marketed under the name "Bubinga" actually groups together 3 species, whose wood has similar characteristics: Guibourtia demeusei, Guibourtia pellegriniana, Guibourtia tessmannii.     

We can distinguish G. tessmannii and G. pellegriniana by notching the bole: the first one exudes a reddish gum, while the second exudes a light yellow gum.

DESCRIPTION OF bubinga TROPICAL TIMBER

See the Tropix sheet of Bubinga (CIRAD).

•  Color: red brown
• Sapwood: clearly demarcated
• Texture: medium
• Grain: straight or interlocked
• Interlocked grain: slight

PHYSICAL AND MECHANICAL PROPERTIES OF bubinga TROPICAL TIMBER

See the Tropix sheet of Bubinga (CIRAD).

NATURAL DURABILITY AND TREATABILITY OF Bubinga TROPICAL TIMBER

See the Tropix sheet of Bubinga (CIRAD).

• Funghi: class 2 - durable
• Dry wood borers: durable - sapwood demarcated (risk limited to sapwood)
• Termites : class D - durable
• Treatability: class 4 - not permeable
• Use class ensured by natural durability: class 4 - in ground or fresh water contact
• Species covering the use class 5: No

PROCESSING OF bubinga TROPICAL TIMBER

See the Tropix sheet of Bubinga (CIRAD).

Sources :

• CIRAD
• ATIBT
• Q. Meunier, C. Moumbogou, J.-L. Doucet, 2015, Les arbres utiles du Gabon
  

Copyright photo: Q. Meunier, C. Moumbogou, J.-L. Doucet, 2015, Les arbres utiles du Gabon