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Clicking any heading in the main data area (at right) will scroll the page back to this top position. Use the following links to jump to the associated section in the main data. Blunting Effect Boring Carving Common Names Common Uses Countries of Distribution Cutting Resistance Distribution Overview Ease of Drying Environmental Profile Family Name Gluing Grain Heartwood Color Kiln Schedules Luster Mortising Moulding Movement in Service Nailing Natural Durability Numerical Data Odor Planing Product Sources References Regions of Distribution Resistance to Impregnation Response to Hand Tools Routing & Recessing Sanding Sapwood Color Scientific Name Steam Bending Strength Properties Texture Toxicity Trade Name Tree Size Turning Veneering Qualities Scientific Name Celtis soyauxii Trade Name African celtis Family Name Ulmaceae Common Names African celtis, Asan, Ba, Bolunde, Celtis, Esa, Esa fufu, Esa kokoo, Esa pa, Hackberry, Ita, Kayombo, Luniumba, Luniumbu, Mrinde, Mrunde, Mukokukoma, Namanuka, Odou, Ohia, Shiunza Regions of Distribution Africa Countries of Distribution  [VIEW MAP] Cameroon, Ghana, Ivory Coast, Kenya, Nigeria, Tanzania, Uganda, Zaire Common Uses Beams, Bent Parts, Building materials, Cabinetmaking, Chairs, Chests, Concealed parts (Furniture), Decorative plywood, Desks, Dining-room furniture, Domestic flooring, Dowell pins, Dowells, Drawer sides, Excelsior, Factory construction, Fine furniture, Floor lamps, Flooring, Framing, Furniture , Furniture components, Furniture squares or stock, Handles, Hatracks, Interior construction, Interior trim, Joinery, Joists, Kitchen cabinets, Living-room suites, Moldings, Office furniture, Parquet flooring, Plywood, Porch columns, Radio - stereo - TV cabinets, Rough construction, Stairworks, Structural work, Tool handles Environmental Profile Rare within its natural habitat Data source is World Conservation Monitoring Center Distribution Overview Tropical Africa, from Guinea to Sudan and south to Angola and Tanzania. Heartwood Color The wood is yellowish white to pale yellow which turns to a yellowish color upon exposure, with greenish-brown veining near the core. A false heart which changes to a bottle green color with age is sometimes present in logs Sapwood Color Clearly differentiated from the heartwood Grain Even Figure Irregular Interlocked Straight Straight Moderately interlocked Irregular Texture Fine Medium Fine Luster Lustrous Natural Durability Very little natural resistance Susceptible to attack by fungi Odor No specific smell or taste Toxicity Sawdust can cause irritation in some individuals Kiln Schedules 10 - D4S (4/4) US Ease of Drying Easy Tree Size Tree height is 0-10 m Product Sources Primary exporting countries are Ghana and Ivory Coast. Although current production is limited because of low demand, it can be increased substantially since the species is abundant and is widely distributed. Blunting Effect Blunting effect on machining is moderate Boring Easy Carving Good carving qualities Cutting Resistance Easy to saw Gluing Glues well Mortising Easy to mortise Moulding Good moulding properties Movement in Service The timber is dimensionally stable after seasoning, and holds its shape well after manufacture Nailing Pre-boring recommended Difficult to nail Planing A reduced cutting angle of 20 degrees has been recommended for best planing results Resistance to Impregnation Sapwood is moderately resistant Heartwood is moderately resistant Response to Hand Tools Difficult to machine Routing & Recessing Good in both routing and recessing. Sanding Easy to sand Turning Easy to turn Veneering Qualities Celtis timbers are reported to respond readily to slicing and peeling after steaming logs to about 200 degrees F (85 degrees C). There is little risk of checking and splitting when drying veneer. Shrinkage in the tangential direction is rated as moderate, and veneers can be glued satisfactorily with Urea formaldehyde or Phenol formaldehyde type adhesives. Steam Bending Good Strength Properties Compression strength (parallel to grain) = high Bending strength (MOR) = very high The wood has high density. Numerical Data Item Green Dry English Bending Strength 9604 17127 psi Density 45 lbs/ft3 Maximum Crushing Strength 4802 8155 psi Shearing Strength 1862 psi Stiffness 1642 1966 1000 psi Weight 56 lbs/ft3 Radial Shrinkage 5 % Tangential Shrinkage 9 % Volumetric Shrinkage 13 % Item Green Dry Metric Bending Strength 675 1204 kg/cm2 Density 721 kg/m3 Maximum Crushing Strength 337 573 kg/cm2 Shearing Strength 130 kg/cm2 Stiffness 115 138 1000 kg/cm2 Weight 897 kg/m3 Radial Shrinkage 5 % Tangential Shrinkage 9 % References Bolza, E., Keating, W.G.,1972,African Timbers - the Properties, Uses and Characteristics of 700 Species,C.S.I.R.O. Div. of Building Research ITTO. 1986. Tropical Timber Atlas, Volume 1 - Africa. International Tropical Timber Organization (ITTO) and Centre Technique Forestier Tropical (CTFT, 45bis, Avenue de la Belle Gabrielle, Nogent-sur-Marne Cedex, France. ITTO. New Marketable Species in Africa - Celtis. Technical Notes. Prepared by Centre Technique Forestier Tropical (CTFT, Division of CIRAD, 45 bis, Avenue de la Belle Gabrielle, 94736 Nogent-sur-marne Cedex, France. Keay, R.W.J. 1989. Trees of Nigeria. Revised Version of Nigerian Trees. Clarendon Press, Oxford. Maeglin, R., C. K. Baah, G. Troemmer, J. D. Danielson, and S. P. Loehnertz. 1989. Pre-project Report: Sawing of Difficult Species. Prepared for International Tropical Timber Organization (ITTO) by United States Department of Agriculture (USDA, Forest Service, Forest Products Laboratory, Madison, Wisconsin.