Why choose African Hardwoods?

African hardwoods offer us an incredible choice in terms of their appearance, their properties and their versatile range of applications.

We focus on six stunning exotic African hardwood timbers that both we (and our customers!) love. Delve into the world of exotic timber with us and learn more about what Africa has to offer…

What are African Hardwoods typically used for?

African hardwoods are highly valued for their exceptional qualities and versatility, making them ideal for a variety of applications. They are commonly used in furniture making due to their durability, strength, and stunning aesthetic appeal, with woods like Sapele and Padauk being popular choices for high-end furniture. Their unique looks, such as the bold striping of Zebrano or the dark richness of Wenge, make them perfect for creating statement pieces.

African hardwoods like African Ebony, Ovangkol, and Wenge are prized for their excellent acoustic properties, often used in the construction of guitars, pianos, and other instruments where precision and resonance are crucial. Additionally, African hardwoods are favoured for hardwood flooring, offering both durability and elegance with their rich colours and striking grain patterns. These woods are also excellent for carving and inlay work, where their fine textures and workability allow for intricate designs and high-quality finishes.

Our 6 Favourite African Hardwoods

African Ebony (Diospyros crassiflora)

African Ebony grows in Equatorial West Africa and is one of the densest and heaviest African hardwoods in the world. As a result, it can be difficult to work, but it finishes well and turns superbly.

Usually jet black with little to no variation or visible grain, African Ebony has a fine, uniform texture and can be polished to a high lustre.

The wood is very durable, hard and strong and is prized for inlay, carving and musical instrument parts, such as piano keys. The limited supply of African Ebony and its unique qualities mean that it is expensive, but worth every penny! 

Ovangkol (Guibourtia ehie)

Ovangkol (also known as Shedua, Amazique or Amazouke) is an African hardwood full of character, with its varying shades of yellowish to reddish-brown with darker grey/black stripes. The wood has a straight to interlocked grain and a moderately coarse texture. It works fairly easily with hand tools and glues, screws, nails and stains/polishes well.

It is a striking timber from tropical West Africa, perfect for veneer, cabinet-making and turned objects. There is also a long history of using Ovangkol in guitar making as it is a beautiful tonewood with unique and attractive tonal qualities.

Padauk (Pterocarpus soyauxii)

Historically, Padauk was an african hardwood reserved for royalty, but today it is a deservedly popular hardwood among woodworkers because of its unique and vibrant reddish-orange colour and its affordability. It is a first-class furniture and cabinet wood, very hard and durable and about as heavy but stronger than oak.

Reaching heights of over 35m and a trunk diameter of 0.6 - 1.2m, Padauk trees grow in Central and West Africa. The timber is usually straight grained, with a coarse texture and a good natural lustre. It works and turns well, is easy to carve and sands and glues easily.

Padauk is often used for veneer, jewellery boxes, musical instruments, furniture, bowls and chopping boards. Its ability to hold fine detail also makes it well suited for delicate turnings and carvings. Over time, the vibrant hues of Padauk eventually mellow to a deep reddish brown.

 Sapele (Entandrophragma cylindricum)

Found across Africa, individual trees can grow up to an impressive 45m high, with a trunk diameter of 2m! Sapele is an African hardwood that has many similarities to mahogany, such as the lovely golden to dark reddish-brown colour of its heartwood, its durability, fine texture, great natural lustre and its grain patterns.  As it is much more affordable than costly mahogany, Sapele makes an ideal substitute.

One of the reasons Sapele is so sought-after is that its interlocking grain patterns create a dramatic and exotic look, which look fabulous in decorative furniture and turned objects. Sapele is also used indoors and outdoors for windows and doors, flooring and panelling, as it is dense, stable, rot resistant and low maintenance.

It’s no surprise that Sapele is so popular as it’s an incredibly beautiful and versatile timber!

Wenge (Millettia laurentii)

Wenge is a desirable dark brown African hardwood, sometimes with lighter streaks/stripes. It is often used in luxury furniture, cabinet-making and flooring applications, where its distinctive appearance makes it an excellent choice for modern and contemporary design styles. The wood is also used in the construction of musical instruments, such as guitars and drums, where its acoustic properties shine through.

The timber is very dense and extremely durable, with a coarse texture and straight grain. It can easily blunt woodworking tools and the dust can cause dermatological and respiratory allergic reactions.

Native to Central Africa, Wenge is listed as ‘endangered’ on the IUCN Red List, so it is vital to ensure your timber stockist is sourcing Wenge from a responsible and sustainable source.

Zebrano (Microberlinia brazzavillensis)

Featuring unique, bold striping, Zebrano is an African hardwood often used to great effect for furniture and furniture trim, musical instruments, veneers, inlay, bowls and pens. It is fairly expensive but cheaper than ebony or rosewood.

Zebrano is a large tree that grows mainly in the central part of West Africa, in the tropical rainforests of Cameroon, Congo and Gabon. The leaves and bark have traditional medicinal uses and have been discovered to have anti-inflammatory and anti-microbial properties.

The timber can have a strong, unpleasant odour when being worked on. Zebrano saws well but can be difficult to plane due to interlocking grain and tear-out is common. It is a dense, hard, and heavy wood that is easily worked and takes a high polish.

Whilst all these African hardwoods offer something special, it’s important to remember that many are listed on CITES Appendix II and/or on the IUCN Red List. This means it is especially important to purchase your timber from a reputable and sustainable supplier. You can confidently source your exotic wood from WL West Timber knowing that you are maintaining sustainability.

As members of Timber Development UK we are signatories to the mandatory Responsible Purchasing Policy which is audited annually. By completing this process, it meets our responsibility under the UK Timber Regulations to prove the legality of the timber that we supply. Risk assessments of our suppliers is undertaken as part of this process to ensure that we rule out any risk of illegally produced timber entering into the supply chain.

Contact one of our friendly team who can support you in your purchase today or explore our online shop for our products available for delivery.

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