Timber & Hardwood

West African hardwood, supplied to specification

AARE Commodities handles hardwood in log, sawn and dimensioned form. Each enquiry is quoted against the species, grade, dimensions and moisture requirement you specify.

Flagship species

Ekki / Azobé — Lophira alata

Our most active international hardwood line, specified worldwide for marine works, bridges, heavy civil engineering, crane mats and bog mats. Known as Azobé in the Netherlands and Belgium, Bongossi in German-speaking markets, and Ekki in the UK and Ireland.

View Ekki / Azobé

Stack of squared hardwood baulks with dark end grain and blue identification marks in a Nigerian timber yard

Featured timber species

The hardwoods we supply

A featured selection, not an exhaustive list — our catalogue expands as further species are confirmed. Each species has its own technical page covering botanical reference, character in service, applications and supply forms.

Flagship · Lophira alata

Ekki / Azobé

The flagship West African structural hardwood: exceptionally dense, hard-wearing and specified worldwide for marine, bridge and heavy civil timber work.

Technical page

Milicia excelsa

Iroko

A stable, durable West African hardwood widely used for joinery, exterior carpentry, marine work and furniture.

Technical page

Khaya spp.

Mahogany

African mahogany for joinery, furniture, veneer and interior work, supplied in log and sawn form.

Technical page

Erythrophleum spp.

Tali

A very dense, durable West African hardwood used where heavy structural and exterior performance is required.

Technical page

Diospyros spp.

Black Ebony

A rare, exceptionally dense dark hardwood supplied in limited, specification-led quantities.

Technical page

Looking for a species not listed here? Submit your specification and we will confirm availability.

How timber enquiries are handled

Species, grade and form confirmed before commitment

Availability, dimensions and grading vary by parcel, so each element is confirmed in writing against your requirement before we quote.

—Tell us the species — or the performance requirement, if you are open to alternatives.
—Provide dimensions, tolerances and volume, together with grading and moisture requirements.
—Confirm destination, port and Incoterm so preparation and loading can be planned.
—State documentation and certification requirements up front so they can be assessed.

What we confirm per order

Species and botanical identification
Section sizes, lengths and tolerances
Grade, moisture and preparation
Quantity, packing and loading point
Incoterm, port of discharge and lead time
Export and shipping documentation

Squared hardwood baulks with dark end grain and identification marks stacked across our timber yard in Nigeria — Our own yard · NigeriaLog, hewn baulk, sawn board

Felled Ekki (Azobé, Lophira alata) logs in the round, bark still on, lying at the forest edge in Nigeria at dusk — 01 · In the roundRaw Ekki logs in the round, felled and held at sourceDiameters and lengths confirmed per enquiry

Sawn Ekki / Azobé baulks squared and butted together, marked by hand with piece numbers and dimensions of 1.09m, 0.55m and 0.22m — 02 · Squared / hewn baulkCut Ekki baulks, numbered and measured by handPiece dimensions recorded for the pack list

Freshly sawn reddish-brown hardwood boards strip-stacked in long lengths at a sawmill in Nigeria, with further timber stacks behind — 03 · Sawn boardsSawn boards — long lengths stacked at the millThickness, length and grading cut to specification

Conversion at source — log milled square on siteLogs squared at source to the buyer's sections

Conversion at source · our own footage

Squared where the log falls

Large hardwood is converted close to the felling site on rail-guided saws, then moved to the yard for sorting, marking and loading. Working this way keeps handling losses down and lets us cut to a buyer's section sizes early.

Close view of the freshly sawn face and end grain of heavy hardwood baulks stacked at a Nigerian conversion yard — Sawn face — dense hardwood, cut squareMoisture and section sizes agreed per order

Submit your timber specification

Request a quotation Commercial enquiry