What is bilinga wood?
The Wood Guide · The wood register
Tropical hardwood · referenceBilinga wood
Golden yellow when sawn, orange-red over time. A West African hardwood that pulls off a rare trick: withstanding seawater.
- Nauclea diderrichii
- Use class 5
- Tree up to 40 m
Bilinga wood
Golden yellow when sawn, orange-red over time. A West African hardwood that pulls off a rare trick: withstanding seawater.
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Bilinga in brief
Called aloma in Germany and opepe in Britain. A hardwood from tropical West Africa, family Rubiaceae — the same family as the coffee plant.
The colour is the first thing you notice: golden yellow to orange-yellow when freshly sawn, darkening over the years to orange-red and golden brown. The sapwood is pale yellow to white and clearly distinguishable, which makes sorting easy.
On the quarter-sawn face you see a characteristic striped figure, caused by the interlocked grain: successive growth layers that alternate in grain direction. Beautiful to look at, tricky to plane.
Bilinga is one of the few tropical wood species that is naturally suitable for use class 5 — permanent contact with salt water. That is why you find it in lock gates, fender works and bridge decks.
- Botanical
- Nauclea diderrichii or N. gilletii
- Family
- Rubiaceae — the coffee family
- Origin
- tropical West Africa
- Tree
- 30 to 40 m tall, trunk up to 1.20 m in diameter
- Density
- comparable to hickory, slightly less strong
- Use class
- up to 5 — including seawater
To be fair: bilinga deck boards warp easily if they have not been kiln-dried and do not have the right profile. Ask explicitly for both; undried boards from a cheap batch will be cupped after one summer.
A straight giant with edible fruit
Thirty to forty metres
With a trunk diameter of up to 1.20 metres. The trunk is cylindrical, slender and remarkably straight, without buttresses — which yields long, straight boards.
Flaky bark
Greyish brown and flaky, sometimes discoloured orange-yellow and often cracked.
Edible fruit
With a fleshy, fragrant pulp. Unusual for a timber species.
Interlocked grain
Successive layers grow in alternating grain directions, which gives quarter-sawn wood its distinctive striped figure.
What bilinga is used for
| Field of use | Examples | Why bilinga |
|---|---|---|
| Civil and hydraulic engineering | Bridges, jetties, railings | Strong, durable, resistant to permanent moisture |
| Hydraulic engineering | Lock gates, fender works, bridge decks | Use class 5 — including seawater |
| Outdoor furniture | Park benches, fences, gates, pergolas | Weather-resistant and strong |
| Decking | Decking and jetty boards | Provided it is kiln-dried and profiled |
| Shipbuilding | Ship planking and floors | Traditional use |
| Construction | Indoors and outdoors | High strength |
Bilinga is above all a wood for public spaces: the bridge railing along the canal, the jetty at the marina, the bench in the park. Rarely in private gardens, where teak and acacia take its place.
Frequently asked questions about bilinga wood
Can bilinga stand in water?
Yes, that is its strongest property. It is one of the few tropical species that naturally reaches use class 5 — permanent contact with both fresh and salt water.
What else is bilinga called?
Aloma in Germany, opepe in Britain. Botanically it is Nauclea diderrichii or Nauclea gilletii.
Why does bilinga warp?
Because of the interlocked grain and a high moisture content on delivery. Kiln-dried boards with the right profile — grooves on the underside — hold their shape much better.
Bilinga in perspective
A reference species in our register — the wood of bridges and jetties.
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Photos via Wikimedia Commons: Nauclea diderrichii — Philipp Zinger, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Nauclea diderrichii — Rasbak, CC BY-SA 3.0