NIOVE

niove TIMBER USES

Very durable, acid-resistant, the tropical wood niove is used for a wide range of applications, from cabinet making to hydraulic engineering.  Resistant to termites and funghi, it can be used in contact with ground or water without prior treatment.

It can be used for the following purposes:

Structures and panels

• Sliced veneer

Exterior joinery (building facade)

• Cladding and outer coating
• Windows and doors

Carpentry and interior fittings

• Wooden floors
• Interior staircases
• Doors and door frames
• Interior panelling and cladding
• Layout and furnishings
• Furniture and cabinetmaking

Outdoor equipment - Recreation

• Exterior staircases and guard railing
• Single-level terraces and pool areas
• Elevated terraces, balconies and corridors
• Shelters, outdoor furniture and playgrounds
• Gates
• Visual barriers and windbreak panels, pergolas

Industrial usage and heavy work

• Structures and bridges in contact with soil or freshwater
• Sleepers and dunnage
• Industrial floors and heavy framework
• Vehicle, wagon and container bottom (or floor)

Shipbuilding

• Boat decks and planking
• Pleasure-boating pontoons

Miscellaneous uses

• Turnery, cutlery and brushmaking

Where to buy niove timber?

DISTRIBUTION AREA OF niove

The exotic species niove is found in part of tropical Africa. Its distribution area extends from West Africa (Nigeria) to Central Africa (Cameroon, Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, Central African Republic, Congo, DRC).

ECOLOGY and Biology of niove

The exotic species niove is a non-deciduous, shade-tolerant and non-gregarious species. Depending on the variety, niove is found in evergreen and semi-deciduous forests. It is a slow-growing species: its abundance thus indicates old forests. Its seeds are dispersed by animals from June to January.

DESCRIPTION OF niove TIMBER

• Color: red brown
• Sapwood: clearly demarcated
• Texture: fine
• Grain: straight
• Interlocked grain: absent

niove: PHYSICAL AND MECHANICAL PROPERTIES

Read the Tropix sheet of niove (CIRAD).

niove: NATURAL DURABILITY AND TREATABILITY

• Funghi: class 1 - very 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
• Species covering the use class 5: No

Read the Tropix sheet of niove (CIRAD).

PROCESSING OF niove TIMBER

Read the Tropix sheet of niove (CIRAD).

Sources :

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