5.5m Natural Bamboo Pole

We recommend using a fine-toothed wood saw + a medium grit sand paper to smooth any rough edges.

We cut the bamboo poles in-house using a circular chop saw and a band saw. To minimise fraying of the pole, the key is to cut slow.

Old methods of cutting bamboo featured a machete and hammer (though we wouldn’t recommend this!).

Unfortunately not.

Often, bamboo poles are not perfectly cylindrical – wide at the base and tapering towards the top. Each pole is unique and the degree of tapering can also depend on the species. Wall thickness and node size also vary.

If ordering for a project requiring an exact internal diameter, we recommend going for a pole a few sizes up.

Dried bamboo poles are not very flexible. All of our poles are dried before they reach the UK to prevent mould build-up during shipping.

While there is a degree of flex (depending on the species), bamboo architecture in places like Bali are constructed using recently harvested bamboo with a high moisture content. The green poles are dried and set into specific shapes, which is how bamboo bridges are made, for example.

This depends on the bamboo species. 

• Bamboo from our Natural Bamboo Poles category have a waxy exterior that resists application of paint.
• The same applies for the Dark Bamboo Poles category, aside from the larger sized poles (60/80mm and up) as they have a naturally matte exterior.
• Guadua bamboo has a matte exterior and customers have had success painting their bamboo.

If the poles are used outside, we recommend the bamboo undergoes a year of weathering to break down the resistant exterior. The poles can then be stained and a wood preserver applied.

For shipping purposes.

We want your poles to arrive to you in tip-top condition.

With minimum order quantities in place, we bundle the bamboo poles to offer the best degree of protection in transit.

If you do not meet the minimum order but are ordering multiple products

Contact the Sales team (sale@ukbamboo.com) with your order details and we can create a manual order. The products can then be bundled together for shipping.

No. Our bamboo comes from sustainably managed forests. 

Our stock of bamboo from China (Phyllostachys edulis, Phyllostachys nigra, Phyllostachys bambusoides f. lacrima-deae) grows in Anji County, in the north-west of Zhejiang province. Over a thousand kilometres away in the mountainous regions of the provinces of Sichuan, Shaanxi, and Gansu, the natural habitats of giant pandas are found. The Chinese government has placed large areas of bamboo forests under protection to safeguard the species. As such, no pandas are harmed by our activities.

Our bamboo comes from all over the world, via our trusted supply network.

China

• Black bamboo (Phyllostachys nigra)
• Moso bamboo (Phyllostachys edulis)
• Speckled bamboo (Phyllostachys bambusoides f. lacrima-deae)

Africa

• Vivax bamboo (Phyllostachys vivax)

Indonesia

• Java Black bamboo (Gigantochloa atroviolacea)

Colombia

• Guadua bamboo (Guadua angustifolia)

No. The UK’s climate sadly is not suitable for growing commercial-sized bamboo.

Bamboo is an amazing giant grass. It can grow fast. But, in order to do so the plant requires a lot of rainfall, sunlight, and a warm tropical climate.

While we may have bamboo in our garden, it will not grow to the size of a large diameter pole, such as the 120/150mm natural bamboo pole.

Iowa State University in the United States have a handy map that shows global distribution of bamboo.

We sell the whole pole as part of our commitment to sustainability.

This ensures minimal wastage, using 100% of the natural material.

Previously, UK Bamboo offered bespoke cuts to all customers and the workshop became quickly overwhelmed with odd-sized bamboo pieces which then couldn’t be sold or re-purposed. On the occasion we do have offcuts, they are upcycled into craft packs or bug hotels made by local groups.

Bamboo is a carbon sink.

As a species of giant grass, some bamboos can grow up to a metre in 24 hours in the right conditions. This lightning-fast growth means that bamboo fully matures in approximately 5 years, as opposed to 80 years for European Oak, and releases 32% more oxygen than an equivalent mass of trees.

“Bamboos are C3 plants and have normal photosynthetic capacities, so their main advantage for mitigating climate change lies in their fast biomass generation and in their renewability” (p7, INBAR Working Paper No. 65).

The rhizomatic root system sequesters carbon and harvesting poles does not harm the mother plant, but further stimulates growth (similar to coppicing trees). Careful selection of mature poles results in a fast-growing, readily available native crop that does not harm the environment. As long as the mother plant with its sequestered carbon remains intact and the bamboo is used in a durable application, bamboo’s eco-credentials (e.g., carbon capture ability) are unrivalled by traditional soft and hardwood crops.

Global companies like Nestlé are turning to bamboo to offset their carbon footprint by planting forests too.

Each bamboo pole is unique, so an exact figure cannot be given. 

As a natural product, bamboo poles can taper. In extreme cases this can be up to 60% of the thickest part of the pole, with variations also occurring in the wall thickness.

We endeavour to supply bamboo poles that do not taper to extreme degrees.

For projects requiring poles that are less likely to taper, we recommend the Guadua bamboo.