Some Facts about the Availability and Supply of Angelim Pedra
Angelim Pedra is clearly an acceptable substitute for Apitong or Keruing and it gained an amazing market share since it was first promoted for truck trailer use in the mid 1990's. However, with the strengthening of the Brazilian economy and the relative weakness of the US Dollar, market dynamics changed significantly around 2010.
The availability of Angelim Pedra was excellent for a number of years, with sources throughout Northern Brazil and adjacent countries. Many US based companies were importing Angelim Pedra in the late 1990's and early 2000's in very large quantities for flatbeds, drop-deck and lowboy decks as well as refrigeration van components.
Angelim Pedra is one of the major species available in most logging concessions in the Amazon region. The logs have practically no sap and are generally very large without any rot or shake all the way to the core of the tree. The yield from and Angelim Pedra log is among the highest of any of the tropical trees. The trees are exceptionally tall and therefore longer lengths or fixed lengths are much easier to achieve than in other species.
Due to its somewhat limited uses, Angelim Pedra has not been subject to the excess market demand such as Brazilian Cherry for interior flooring or Ipe for exterior decking. Because of the “pedras”, which translates as stone in Portuguese, Angelim Pedra has seen limited demand for decking or interior uses and hence the focus has been on industrial products where a high strength-to-weight ratio is necessary.
With the recent political instability in Brazil and the corresponding economic downturn / recession we have seen a 30% devaluation in the Brazilian Reais. We have therefore seen pricing drop and market conditions again change to strongly favor Angelim Pedra as the best commercial choice for flatbeds, drop-deck and lowboy decks as well as refrigeration van components.
While Keruing continues to see its dominance in the marketplace, we anticipate that Angelim Pedra will rise in popularity as customers seek cost savings without making concessions in terms of mechanical properties/strength, natural durability or tallies/lengths.
If you are interested to learn more about pricing and availability on Angelim Pedra please contact us at 1-855-APITONG or visit our website www.TrailerDecking.com