• Scientific name: Pericopsis elata Afromosia, grown in West Africa, is usually yellowish tending towards a brown with some reddish occasionally, and is known to get a little darker over time. The texture is fine and grain usually straight and has luxurious natural shine. Workability Easy to work with both by hand or machine tools with occasional interlocking grain. This specie glues, stains and finishes very well. May stain if in contact with iron in damp conditions. Rot resistance It is considered very durable against decay, rot, termites.  
  • Scientific Name Juglans Nigra Grown mostly in the Eastern United States, heartwood ranges from pale brown to a darker more chocolate brown. Sapwood is yellow grey. Grain can be figured with some burl, and has a medium texture and luster. Working Properties Working Properties Typically easy to work when grain is straight and regular. Glues, stains, finishes, and steams well. Rot resistance Very durable in decay resistance, but can be susceptible to insect attack.
  • Generally grown in the Eastern parts of North America, has a reddish brown heartwood and darkens with time and exposure to light. While its sapwood is pale and is more yellow. Grain is generally straight with some figured patterns, and fine texture and a somewhat natural luster Working Properties Cherry is a stable specie and machines, screws and finishes well. May need some extra care prior to staining to avoid some blotches. Saw dust may cause allergic reaction effects and wheezing for some. Rot resistance It is rated as superior in terms of resistance to rot and decay.
  • Scientific name: Fraxinus Americana Grown mostly in Eastern North America, the heartwood tends to have light to medium brownish. Color of sapwood takes a lighter beige brown. Worth nothing that sapwood and heartwood can sometimes be intertwined Grain is usually straight with occasional figured boards. Working Properties Generally works well with hand and machine tools. Also glues, finishes and stains well. Rot resistance Not considerable durable with regards to decay or insect and termite attacks.
  • Scientific Name: Millettia laurentii General Grown in Central Africa, Wenge has a distinct color and pattern with its medium to dark brown heartwood with black stripes. Wenge has a straight grain with a very course texture and a uniquely low luster. Working Properties It is considered relatively difficult to work both with hand and machine tools. Mainly due to its blunting of tool edges. Additionally, the splintery nature of Wenge is known to be more troubling and injurious than most other wood splinters. Can also be challenging when sanding due to the variance in density within the wood. Rot Resistance It is rated as extremely durable and resilient against termite and decay
  • Found in South East Asia with Burma dominating the export and supply of this specie, it is regarded as the one of the world’s most sought after exotic species both for it’s beauty, status association but also its superior characteristics. The heartwood is light to medium brown in color and can have a somewhat golden or honey element, with its sapwood having a lighter yellow pale brown. The grain is generally straight, although can sometimes also be wavy too with a course texture. Working Properties It is moderate when considering hand tools and can have a blunting effect on cutting tool. It can required some extra work such as pre drilling for nailing. It glues well and finishes well but particularly with oil finishes. Rot resistance Burmese teak scores particularly well with regards to rot resistance, decay and insect attack.
  • Commonly referred to as Dahoma too, is widely found in Central East Africa. this specie is accepted as an alternative to some species such as Iroko mainly due to it’s more attractive price point and is often undifferentiable to the untrained eye. Dabema’s heartwood is light golden brown with the sapwood tending to more greyish red. The interlocked grain gives a certain luster especially after finishing.  Working properties One of the trickiest species for woodworkers, the sawdust alongside the distingly strong smell of Dabema can cause severe issues for those working directly with it. The interlocked grain can cause a blunting effect on cutting tools and tends to warp over time even if dried well. Therefore ripping the material is highly unadvisable and will cause twisting and warping. It glues, paints and finishes moderately. It screws well with possible splitting at edges.   Rot Resistance  It is rated from moderate to good in termite and insect attack.
  • Scientific Name: Fagus sylvatica Beech usually comes in pale beige color, with veneer slightly darker. Flatsawn beech tends to be plain, while when quarter-sawn the surface shows a silvery dot pattern. Its grain is straight, with a fine smooth texture and slight natural luster. Commonly found across Europe, Beech is widely-used in Europe and globally due Its excellent properties and price point. Working Properties: Beech machines, finishes, glues, screws well and is exceptionally rated for steam-bending. However it does experience some movement throughout the course and ranks below moderate for stability. Rot Resistance: It is regarded as moderate and is somewhat vulnerable to insect attack.
  • Frake, also known as Limba is grown in Tropical Western Africa and has a yellowish to golden heartwood, with distinct grey and blacks streaks. The darker figured wood refers to the Black Frake or Limba, While the unfigured refers to White Limba.  The sapwood is pale grey and light brown and is not clearly defined form the heartwood. Grain is slightly interlocked with a somewhat coarse texture, displaying some natural luster. Working properties It is easy to work with both using and machine tools, and glues and finishes well. Rot Resistance Frake is considered vulnerable to insect attack and decay.
  • Scientific Name: Acer saccharum Grown mostly in Northeastern America, but unlike most other hardwoods, the sapwood is most commonly used – not its heartwood. The sapwood color ranges from almost white, to a cream color with the heartwood being a darker reddish brown. Hard maple can also be seen with curly or quilted grain patterns. Hard Maple’s grain and texture is for the most part straight, but may be curvy with a smooth texture. Working Properties: Considered easy to work with both hand and machine tools, however it could burn when being machined such as using a router. Glues, and finishes well, though imperfections s can occur when staining, and a pre-conditioner or toner may be needed to get an unified color. Rot Resistance: it is rated as non-durable to perishable, and is quite vulnerable to insect attack
  • Scientific Name: Milicia excelsa Typically found in Tropical Africa, Iroko’s heartwood is usually a yellow / golden or medium brown, with color getting darker over time. Pale yellow sapwood can be clearly told apart from the heartwood. The grain Iroko has a medium texture, with open pores and a slightly interlocked grain. Working Properties: It is easy to work, despite its slightly interlocked grain, with occasional deposits of calcium carbonate which could effect cutting slightly. In terms of gluing an finishing, it is considered good. Rot Resistance: Iroko is very durable, and is resistant to both rot and insect attack; it’s sometimes used as a substitute for Teak.
  • Scientific Name: Shorea spp Red Meranti is a very popular tropical ranforest species found mainly in Phillipines, Indonesia and East Malaysia. Meranti is light reddish to brown in color with a straight grain, but can sometimes be interlocked too. It has a relatively rough texture and little natural luster. Working Properties Meranti is generally easy to work and machine but can present some challenges when planning due to its interlocked grain. It glues, stains and finishes well. Rot Resistance: Meranti can be susceptible to insect attack, and is moderately rated with regards to durability and decay resistance.

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