Meerdink (UK) Ltd

Meerdink (UK) Ltd is a major supplier of Ekki, Opepe and FSC ® (Forest Stewardship Council ®) timbers, suitable for marine and heavy construction work, including wharfs, bridges, decking, river pilings, lock gates, walkways, verandas, handrails, stairways, etc. Ekki wood is an extremely hard timber, tough and dense, it weighs between 60 to 70 lbs per cubit foot and is not affected by seasonal changes in humidity.

The wood is also impervious to decay, insects, worms etc., and has a high resistance to fungal infection. Sawn and machined sections are produced at our mill in Winterswijk; Holland to customers requirements and range from large beams for bridge spans and rail track work, to handrails and infill’s for walkways and bridges. Meerdink are approved suppliers to the Rail Industry through the Link-Up qualification scheme.

Call, write or email today for a competitive quote and delivery times, you will not be disappointed, over 30 years of trading in hardwood timbers from our Holland sawmill.

• Seasoned hardwood timbers
• Ekki, Opepe, Cumaru, Massaranduba
• Angelim, Purple heart and Piquia
• Uses: Prefabricated structures, pontoons
• Landing stages, bridges, lock gates etc.
• Manufactured to customer specification
• Suppliers to the Rail Industry
• Planed, grooved, notched or drilled

Applications

Bridges & Walkways
Ekki is the ideal hardwood for building bridges because of its superior strength and natural durability, also much less wood is required than alternative timbers, which in turn means that by using Ekki reduces the pressure on the forests of the world as an active conservation measure imposed by the Governments of exporting countries Ekki trees are selectively logged and only the logging of mature, large diameter trees is permitted.

Railway Bridge Crossing
Ekki timber is so versatile in the construction industry, here are some examples of it being used for spanning the full length of a railway bridge in sections of up to eight metres in length. The timber should remain maintenance free for up to 25 years and beyond.

Marine and Lock Gates
Meerdink have for many years manufactured timber Lock Gates and lock gate sections at their Mill in Holland. Ekki and Opepe have been the timbers used for this work as both are quality timbers and have a superior grade and life span. The products have a high breaking strength and can withstand tremendous pressures and are stronger than Oak.

Decking

Timber Decking
Durability and Maintenance All softwood is treated with Tanalith E preservative. The hard woods used are classified very durable and will naturally give a service life in excess of 30 years. A routine sweeping of the deck is recommended to prevent build up of debris. An occasional wash with a pressure washer will restore slip resistant properties to the deck.

Safety
The high grip decking is designed to meet the requirements of BD 29/04 with regard to slip resistance of walkway surfaces. Independent tests on the grip-able decking have shown a slip resistance value of up to twice that required by the normal standard, the decking is perfect for all public access areas where safety is a priority.

Sustainability
Timber is one of the few renewable natural resources, timber decking is purchased from FSC sources or via their FSC ‘controlled wood’ policy.

Specifications

Massaranduba
Manilkara SPD also known as Balata. Bolletrie & Maparaluba. Description: Grown in South America, Central America and the West Indies it can reach a height of 40 to 45 metres with a diameter of 0.8 to 1.5 metres. Regular supplies are available in Square Edged form but the specification can be somewhat limited. In many ways its properties and uses are similar to Greenheart and Ekki. It has dark red brown slightly purplish heartwood, which turns to dark reddish brown on exposure with a distinct pale pink brown sapwood.

Opepe
(Nauclea diderrichii) Also Known as Badi. Bilinga & Kussia Description: Opepe grows widely in West Africa a and is a very large tree reaching some 50 metres in height with a clean straight cylindrical bole of 25 to 30 metres above a small buttress, diameters of over 1 metre are quite common. The sapwood is whitish to pale yellow or reddish but the heartwood is a rich golden yellow, which darkens on exposure to a deep gold or orange.

Ekki
(Lophira alata) Also known as Azobe, Bongossi and Red Ironwood Ekki is native to tropical West Africa with large quantities being exported from Gabon and Cameroon. Description: The sapwood is pale pink and sharply defined from the heartwood, which is red brown to dark brown containing small white deposits in the pores. The grain is usually interlocked producing a course texture.

Ipi
(Tabebuia serratifolia) Also known as Iron wood, Yellow Poui, Wassiba and Groenhart. Ipe is found in the Caribbean region, South America, Guyana and Brazil. Description: The heartwood is yellowish green when initially cut but turns to a light to dark olive brown with light and dark streaks.