Started in 1982, Rare Woods is a family-owned business that was founded with one aim in mind – to offer the South African market a far greater range of imported and local timbers than it had previously had access to.
Over the years we have grown to the point where we now offer a range of around 150 species of timber from our long-established operations in Cape Town and The Garden Route (Knysna). With a stockholding of R150 million – as well as the associated infrastructure of warehouses, vehicles, machinery and of course our highly knowledgeable and experienced staff – we lay claim to being the largest timber merchant operating in Africa today.
The company is based on the ethos of Reliability, Continuity, Knowledgeable and Friendly Staff, and Value for Money.
We supply timber and expertise to a diverse spectrum of customers which includes: furniture manufacturers, joiners, architects, interior decorators, homeowners, construction companies, shopfitters, specialist knife, bow and musical instrument makers, wood turners, wood carvers, toymakers, and wooden car and boat restorers to name just a few.
Our facilities offer a convenient and valuable service to all manner of wood-lovers:
- Large showrooms with samples and wooden items on display – a great resource for tradesmen to visit with their end customers
- Expert salespeople on hand to offer friendly advice
- Extensive racking system for easy selection of specific boards
- Dedicated section for offcuts and smaller pieces – perfect for hobbyists!
- Large warehouses for bulk storage
- Clearance area with a wide variety of heavily discounted stock
- On-site machining facilities
- Large yard area for loading
- Lots of off-street parking
Please come and enjoy the warm ambience of natural timber while browsing our stock which ranges from popular species like Oak, Ash and Beech, to highly exotic timbers like Ebony, Ziricote or the Rosewoods (of which we have 7 varieties!). We look forward to showing you our comprehensive array of finished samples which highlight the beauty and diversity of this wonderful natural product.
At Rare Woods we love, live and breathe timber every day, and we are looking forward to sharing that passion with you.
You can read more about us in this article in Timber IQ magazine:
