8 m wood poles
ACQ vacuum-pressure treatment.
Supplied to order. Typical uses: urban and campus telecom and distribution lines; design span 35–40 m in urban areas (GB 51158-2015).
Treated wood poles. Made in Luanda.
ACQ vacuum-pressure treatment for wood utility poles and timber.
Products
9 m wood poles
ACQ vacuum-pressure treatment.
Typical uses: suburban and roadside telecom and distribution lines; design span 45–50 m, up to 50–60 m in open light-load areas (GB 51158-2015, YD 5148).
12 m wood poles
ACQ vacuum-pressure treatment.
Typical uses: road, river and railway crossings, long spans and multi-level attachments where extra clearance is required.
Treated timber
Length: contact us for details.
ACQ vacuum-pressure treatment.
Typical uses: fencing and agricultural timber structures.
Pole dimensions and classes
- Timber: Eucalyptus grandis, Eucalyptus saligna and their hybrids.
- Lengths: 9 m and 12 m as standard; 8 m to order.
- Top-diameter classes to SANS 754: 140–159, 160–179, 180–199 and 200–219 mm, measured at the top end. The class is chosen from the line design.
- Ground-line diameter follows from length, class and taper and is confirmed per order.
- Poles are supplied debarked, with both ends nail-plated against splitting.
| Minimum diameter at ground line (1.5 m from butt) | 172.5 mm |
|---|---|
| Diameter at top | 140–159 mm |
| Minimum diameter at midpoint | 160 mm |
| Cantilever load | 5.37 kN |
| Midpoint load | 13.69 kN |
| Strength class (average fibre stress) | 63 MPa |
| Modulus of elasticity | 11 000 MPa |
| Minimum sapwood depth / minimum preservative penetration | 15 mm / 15 mm |
9 m and 12 m poles are supplied to the corresponding SANS 754 class; dimensions and loads are confirmed per order.
Treatment standard
- Preservative: water-based ACQ (alkaline copper quaternary), free of arsenic and chromium, applied by full-cell vacuum-pressure treatment.
- Hazard class: poles are treated to SANS 1288 for hazard class H4 (ground contact) or H5 (fresh water or heavy wet soils), as specified in the order.
- Retention: the minimum ACQ retention required by the applicable standard for the hazard class, verified for each treatment charge by increment-core sampling and analysis.
- Penetration: full sapwood penetration, uniformly distributed, verified on every pole.
- Seasoning: kiln-dried before treatment to a moisture content below 14%.
- Reference standards: SANS 754 (eucalyptus poles for power distribution and communications), SANS 457-3 (hardwood poles), SANS 1288 (preservative-treated timber), SANS 10005 (preservation of timber).
- Expected service life: around 25 years.
Inspection and acceptance
- Before treatment: debarking, straightness, taper, checks and knots are inspected against the pole standard; poles outside tolerance are rejected.
- After treatment: penetration is checked on every pole and retention is verified for each treatment charge by increment-core sampling and analysis. A treatment certificate stating preservative, hazard class, retention and date is issued with each delivery.
- Marking: each pole carries an aluminium identification plate with the treatment plant mark, standard designation, hazard class and year of treatment.
Applications
Everything that fits the cylinder can be treated
Utility poles
Telecom and power distribution poles, 9 m and 12 m, 8 m to order; shorter poles for low-voltage lines, street lighting and fibre drops
Our core product, pressure-treated to the retention the line requires
Crossarms, stays and posts
Crossarms, stay stakes, guardrail posts, sign posts, mooring posts
Cut from the same pole stock and treated in the same cycle
Farm and fencing timber
Fence posts, vineyard and orchard stakes, livestock enclosure posts, greenhouse frames
Round and half-round posts for ground contact
Construction timber
Roof trusses, purlins, battens, ground beams and sills, formwork timber
Water-based ACQ treatment, suitable for residential and public buildings
Outdoor and landscaping
Decking, pergola posts, boardwalks, playground timber, garden timber
Treated timber that stays in service outdoors without paint
Sleepers and mine timber
Railway sleepers, mine props
Water-based treatment schedule set for each timber species
Plywood and LVL
Pressure treatment of plywood and laminated veneer lumber
For formwork and exterior cladding
Fire-retardant and colour impregnation
Water-based fire-retardant treatment, colour impregnation
Same vacuum-pressure cycle, different solution
Treatment of customer timber
Pressure treatment of timber supplied by the customer
Bring your timber, we treat it to specification
Vacuum-pressure treatment
Full-cell treatment in an autoclave using water-based ACQ preservatives.
Load the autoclave
Initial vacuum
Pressure impregnation
Final vacuum / draining
| Autoclave: internal diameter × length | 1.8 m × 12 m |
|---|---|
| Working pressure | −0.098 / +1.58 MPa |
| Preservatives | Water-based ACQ |
| Solution tanks | 3 × 10,000 L |
| Solution mixing ratio | 1:20 |
Why ACQ
ACQ (alkaline copper quaternary) is a water-borne wood preservative whose active ingredients are copper and a quaternary ammonium compound. It contains no arsenic, no chromium and no persistent organic pollutants. It is effective against decay fungi, wood-boring insects and termites, and is suitable for poles in contact with soil and water.
- No arsenic, no chromium: ACQ protects wood with copper and a quaternary ammonium compound.
- Lower toxicity in handling, installation and disposal than CCA. ACQ is the preservative adopted in markets where CCA has been restricted for residential and public-contact use.
- Same service class as CCA: rated for ground contact (hazard class H4 and H5) against decay, termites and wood-boring insects.
- Water-based treatment leaves a dry, clean, odour-free surface that can be handled, climbed and painted.
- Hardware: use hot-dip galvanised or stainless-steel fasteners and fittings with ACQ-treated wood.
- Fixation: once pressed into the wood, the copper binds to the cellulose and hemicellulose by ion exchange and forms insoluble compounds, so it is not washed out by rain or soil moisture.
- Treated wood takes a light brown colour. Strength and electrical insulation are not reduced, and the surface can still be painted.
- Transport: the preservative is classified as non-dangerous goods under the IMDG Code by a CNAS-accredited laboratory.
Production and quality control
- Log intake: species, length and diameter class are checked against the order; logs with rot, insect damage or excessive sweep are rejected.
- Debarking and trimming: bark and cambium are removed, ends are cut square and both ends are nail-plated.
- Seasoning: kiln-dried to a moisture content below 14% before treatment, checked with a moisture meter.
- Pre-treatment inspection: straightness, taper, checks, knots and dimensions are verified against SANS 754 and the order; non-conforming poles are set aside.
- ACQ vacuum-pressure treatment: full-cell cycle with vacuum, pressure, time and solution concentration recorded for each charge.
- Post-treatment inspection: penetration is checked on every pole by increment core and retention is verified per charge by analysis; poles with insufficient penetration are re-treated.
- Marking and documentation: an aluminium identification plate on each pole and a treatment certificate with each delivery.
- Fixation, storage and dispatch: treated poles are held until the preservative has fixed, then stacked off the ground under cover until dispatch.
Plant & capacity
Our own plant in Luanda, Angola.
| Pole length | Approximate poles per day |
|---|---|
| 8 m | 70 |
| 9 m | 52 |
| 12 m | 38 |
Epoxy protective flooring, collection channels and a collection pit provide plant-wide containment and solution recovery.
Bundles enter and leave the autoclave on rail trolleys. Loading uses a loader and winch traction.
Gallery
Equipment photographs and illustrations.
Quality & environment
- Water-based ACQ preservatives.
- Plant-wide containment with epoxy protective flooring, collection channels and a collection pit.
- Treatment solution is recovered and recirculated in a closed system.
Contact
info@bestpoles.com
liang@bestpoles.com
Telephone
+244 928 622 777
+244 922 222 294
Location
Luanda, Angola