01
Marine & hydraulic works
Quay walls, fender piles, lock gates, sheet-pile capping and waterfront structures.
Typically ordered as squared baulks and long sawn sections, cut to a fixing schedule.
Flagship hardwood
Ekki / Azobé
Lophira alata · West and Central Africa — supplied from Nigeria
The flagship West African structural hardwood: exceptionally dense, hard-wearing and specified worldwide for marine, bridge and heavy civil timber work.
Our own material — photographed in Nigeria
Ekki / Azobé from raw log to cut, measured timber
01 · Raw log
Ekki logs in the round
02 · Conversion
Ekki staged for conversion
03 · Cut & measured
Ekki baulks, measured and marked
04 · Handling
Ekki prepared for loading
Species profile
Ekki / Azobé — Lophira alata
Ekki — known internationally as Azobé and as Bongossi in German-speaking markets — is one of the densest commercially traded West African hardwoods. It is specified where timber must carry load, resist abrasion and survive prolonged exposure to water and ground contact.
We supply it from Nigeria in the round, as squared baulks and as sawn sections, cut to the buyer's schedule.
Character in service
- Very high density; heavy and hard in service
- Interlocked grain, coarse texture, deep red-brown to chocolate colour
- Long-established reputation in marine and hydraulic engineering
- Converted square on site and at our mill for export packing
Trade reference
- Common name
- Ekki / Azobé
- Botanical name
- Lophira alata
- Family
- Ochnaceae
- Also traded as
- Ekki, Azobé, Bongossi, Kaku, Eba
- Origin
- West and Central Africa — supplied from Nigeria
- Supply forms
- Logs in the round · Squared / hewn baulks · Sawn sections and beams · Cut-to-schedule dimensions
Sizes, grades, moisture, volumes and documentation are confirmed in writing against each specification before order.
Measured on site
Ekki baulks, measured and marked.
Typical species characteristics
- Botanical name
- Lophira alata
- Density (12% MC)
- Approx. 1,000–1,100 kg/m³
- Natural durability
- Class 1 (EN 350) for the species
- Grain & texture
- Interlocked grain, coarse texture
- Colour
- Deep red-brown to chocolate
General published data for the species, given as technical background only. It is not an AARE Commodities stock specification.
Where Ekki is specified
Engineered applications
Each quoted against your drawings or cutting list.
02
Bridges & heavy civil
Bridge decking, stringers, beams and heavy structural members in exposed conditions.
Section sizes, lengths and tolerances are set from your drawings before cutting.
03
Crane mats & bog mats
Temporary access, outrigger support and load-spreading platforms on soft ground.
Usually supplied in repeat dimensions and container-optimised lengths.
04
Industrial decking & flooring
Heavy-traffic decking, sleepers and abrasion-exposed industrial floors.
Sawn and dimensioned to a cutting list, bundled for handling on arrival.
Procurement
How Ekki is supplied
Supply, packing and terms
- Supply forms
- Logs in the round · squared / hewn baulks · sawn sections and beams
- Cutting
- Cut to buyer schedule — sections, lengths and tolerances agreed before conversion
- Packing
- Bundled or loose-loaded; container stuffing carried out by our own yard crew
- Loading
- Loaded in Nigeria; loading point confirmed per shipment
- Incoterms quoted
- EXW · FOB · CFR · CIF (others on request)
- Documentation
- Pack list, measurement list and shipping documentation issued per order
Trade names
Ekki, Azobé, Bongossi — one species
- United Kingdom & Ireland
- Ekki / ekki wood
- Netherlands & Belgium
- Azobé / azobé hout
- Germany & Austria
- Bongossi
- France
- Azobé
- Botanical & documentation
- Lophira alata
- Regional trade names
- Kaku, Eba, Akoura
Buyer questions
Ekki procurement, answered
Is Ekki the same as Azobé and Bongossi?
Yes — all three are trade names for Lophira alata. Whichever term appears on your specification, it is the same timber.
What sizes can you cut?
Logs in the round, squared baulks and sawn sections. Send the cutting list or drawing with your enquiry and we confirm sections, lengths and tolerances in writing.
What quantity do you quote from?
Container and multi-container volumes as well as project-specific parcels. Tell us the volume, destination port and required date and we will confirm availability and lead time.
Which Incoterms and ports do you work with?
EXW, FOB, CFR and CIF from Nigeria, and other terms on request. Give us the destination port and we will price to it.
From our yards
Material, handling and loading
Timber portfolio
Other species we supply
Milicia excelsa
Iroko
A stable, durable West African hardwood widely used for joinery, exterior carpentry, marine work and furniture.
ViewKhaya spp.
Mahogany
African mahogany for joinery, furniture, veneer and interior work, supplied in log and sawn form.
View
Erythrophleum spp.
Tali
A very dense, durable West African hardwood used where heavy structural and exterior performance is required.
View
Diospyros spp.
Black Ebony
A rare, exceptionally dense dark hardwood supplied in limited, specification-led quantities.
ViewProcurement