Different types of wood timber by A to Z
Use this page to help you determine to the best alternative if you
can't buy Forest
Stewardship Council (FSC) certified timber.
The table below contains the following information for each species
of tree:
- Common and scientific name*
- Country of origin
- Common uses
- Whether it is threatened with extinction (see key below)
- Whether reclaimed timber of that tree species is available
- How much it is used in the UK
* listed alphabetically by common name and according to type of tree
eg. American Cedar is listed under Cedar American
Key to threat classification |
|
CR |
Critically Endangered: a very high risk of extinction
in the wild |
|
EN |
Endangered: a high risk of extinction in the wild |
|
VU |
Vulnerable: at risk of extinction |
|
LR (NT) |
Lower risk (near threatened): close to qualifying
as Vulnerable |
|
Table of different types of wood timber by A to Z
Click on a letter to track down your tree species.
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|
Common name |
Scientific name |
Origin |
Uses |
Level of use in the UK |
Global threat status |
Available as reclaimed? |
|
Oak |
Quercus spp. |
UK, Europe, North America |
Wide variety of applications, including
joinery, furniture, fittings, flooring wood strip and woodblock
flooring |
Major |
– |
Regularly as reclaimed beams, floorboards, |
|
Oak, Tasmanian |
Eucalyptus delegatensis |
Australia |
General purpose timber, flooring |
Minor |
– |
|
|
Odoko |
Scottellia coriacea |
Africa |
Interior and exterior construction, furniture |
Minor |
– |
|
|
Ogea |
Daniellia spp. |
Africa |
Plywood, joinery, furniture, veneer |
Minor |
D. klainei LR/NT
D. oblonga VU |
|
|
Okoume |
Aucoumea klaineana |
Gabon |
Plywood |
Minor |
VU |
|
|
Okwen |
Brachystegia spp. |
Africa |
Flooring, veneer, general construction,
joinery. |
Minor |
B. kennedyi VU
B. zenkeri VU |
|
|
Olon |
Fagara heitzii |
Africa |
Interior construction, furniture, veneers. |
Minor |
– |
|
|
Opepe/ Kussia |
Nauclea diderrichii |
West Africa |
Outdoor construction, marine defence,
sleepers, flooring. |
Minor |
VU |
Occasionally as beams, woodblock flooring
|
|
Padauk |
Pterocarpus spp. |
India, Myanmar, West Africa |
Joinery, flooring, boat-building
|
Minor |
P. indicus VU |
Regularly as wood strip and woodblock
flooring |
|
Common name |
Scientific name |
Origin |
Uses |
Level of use in the UK |
Global threat status |
Available as reclaimed? |
|
Panga Panga |
Millettia stuhlmanii |
Africa |
Cabinet work, joinery, veneer, flooring,
turnery, |
Minor |
– |
Regularly as woodblock flooring
musical instruments |
|
Pau Marfim |
Balfourodendron riedelianum |
Brazil |
Furniture making, flooring, construction,
turnery |
Minor |
EN |
|
|
Pear |
Pyrus communis |
Europe |
Turnery, carving, drawing instruments,
veneer |
Minor |
– |
|
|
Peroba Rosa
|
Aspidosperma spp. |
South America |
Fine furniture, veneer, cabinet work,
flooring, interior trim and turning |
Minor |
A. polyneuron EN |
|
|
Persimmon
|
Diospyros virginiana |
North America |
Decorative ware, musical instruments,
turnery |
Minor |
– |
|
|
Pine (softwood) various and types, also
known
as Redwood
|
Pinus spp. |
UK, Europe (commonly in plantations),
North America |
General utility work |
Major |
– |
Regularly as beams, floorboards, wood
strip woodblock flooring |
|
Pine, Parana (softwood)
|
Araucaria angustifolia |
Brazil (some plantations) |
Joinery, plywood |
Minor |
VU |
|
|
Pitch Pine (softwood)
|
Pinus spp. |
Southern USA, Brazil (plantations) |
Construction, plywood |
Minor |
– |
|
|
Plane, European |
Platanus hybrida |
Europe |
Veneer, general purpose handles |
Minor |
– |
|
|
Poplar |
Populus spp. |
UK, Europe |
Matches, turnery, minor craft goods |
Minor |
– |
|
|
Purpleheart
|
Peltogyne spp. |
Central and South America |
Heavy construction work, decorative purposes |
Minor |
– |
Occasionally, as beams |
|
Common name |
Scientific name |
Origin |
Uses |
Level of use in the UK |
Global threat status |
Available as reclaimed? |
|
Quaruba
|
Vochysia spp. |
South America |
Carpentry, utility plywood, furniture
components, interior trim, millwork |
Minor |
– |
|
|
Common name |
Scientific name |
Origin |
Uses |
Level of use in the UK |
Global threat status |
Available as reclaimed? |
|
Ramin |
Gonystylus bancanus |
Malaysia, Indonesia |
Mouldings |
Major |
VU |
|
|
Rauli |
Nothofagus procera |
South America |
Furniture, joinery, mouldings, turnery |
Minor |
– |
|
|
Rosewood |
Dalbergia spp. |
Africa, South America, India |
Furniture, musical instruments |
Minor |
Various Dalbergia species in international
trade are threatened; D. nigra CITES Appdx I |
|
|
Rubberwood |
Hevea brasiliensis |
Malaysia (plantations) |
Furniture |
Major |
– |
|
|
Common name |
Scientific name |
Origin |
Uses |
Level of use in the UK |
Global threat status |
Available as reclaimed? |
|
Sapele |
Entandophragma cylindricum |
West Africa |
Furniture, joinery, decorative applications |
Major |
VU |
|
|
Sepetir
|
Sindora spp. |
South-east Asia |
Furniture, veneer, light construction,
household utensils, plywood, flooring |
Minor |
S. inermis VU S. supa VU |
|
|
Sequioa, red |
Sequioa sempervirens |
North America |
Joinery |
Minor |
– |
|
|
Simpoh |
Dillenia spp. |
South-east Asia |
Plywood, interior joinery, furniture
and cabinetwork |
Minor |
Several species VU |
|
|
Spruce (softwood),
also known as
Whitewood |
Picea spp. |
UK, Europe (commonly in plantations),
North America |
General purpose timber |
Major |
– |
Regularly, as beams, floorboards, wood
strip and woodblock flooring |
|
Sterculia, red
|
Sterculia rhinopetala |
Africa |
Light construction work, interior joinery,
boxes and crates |
Minor |
– |
|
|
Swamp sepetir |
Pseudosindora palustris |
South-east Asia |
Furniture, cabinetwork, joinery, flooring,
plywood, veneers |
Minor
|
– |
|
|
Sycamore |
Acer pseudoplatanus |
Europe |
Turnery, veneers |
Major |
– |
|
|
Common name |
Scientific name |
Origin |
Uses |
Level of use in the UK |
Global threat status |
Available as reclaimed? |
|
Tali |
Erythrophleum spp. |
Africa |
Flooring, heavy construction |
Minor |
– |
|
|
Tatajuba |
Bagassa guianensis |
South America |
Furniture, flooring, joinery, heavy construction |
Minor |
– |
|
|
Taun |
Pometia pinnata |
South-east Asia |
General purpose timber |
Minor |
– |
|
|
Tchitola |
Oxystigma oxyphyllum |
Africa |
General purpose timber, veneer, plywood |
Minor |
– |
|
|
Teak |
Tectona grandis |
South-east Asia (also in plantations
elsewhere) |
High quality furniture, joinery, garden
furniture |
Major |
– |
Regularly as wood strip and woodblock
flooring, occasionally as beams
|
|
Teak, Rhodesian |
Baikiaea plurijuga |
Southern Africa |
Exterior construction, flooring |
Minor |
LR/NT |
Regularly as wood strip and woodblock
flooring |
|
Terentang
|
Campnosperma brevipetiolata |
South-east Asia |
Light general purposes |
Minor |
– |
|
|
Tiama / Edinam /
Cedu nohor |
Entandrophragma angolense |
Africa |
Furniture, joinery, construction, flooring |
Minor |
VU |
|
|
Tornillo |
Cedrelingua cataeneformis |
South America |
General furniture construction, |
Minor |
– |
|
|
Tulipwood /
American poplar |
Liriodendron tulipifera |
North America |
Mouldings, drumsticks |
Minor |
– |
|
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