Iroko Wood

Iroko is the giant of the African forests. Milicia excelsa, a tree found across tropical Africa from the Atlantic coast to the eastern regions, can live for up to five hundred years and grow large enough to yield wide, long boards that are rare in other species. Because of its color and performance it is called African teak, even though it has no botanical relationship with teak: its heartwood is naturally resistant to rot, fungi and termites, which is why it earned a place on boat decks, outdoor flooring and cladding that have to face the elements. It is a resistance that belongs to the heartwood itself, not to a finish.

The color starts as a golden yellow and, with exposure to light and air, slowly darkens to a deeper coppery brown. The grain is often interlocked and, on quartersawn cuts, creates a regular ribbon-striped effect. Janka hardness is around 1,080 lbf. In craftsmanship it is used for joinery, furniture, flooring, stairs and turned or carved objects, because it combines good dimensional stability with easy workability. Compared to teak it has similar hardness and color, but a generally more accessible price.

Its open-pored structure and interlocked grain give the surface a more pronounced texture than other species, and this shows in laser engraving: with medium strokes and bold designs the mark reads clearly against the golden background.