Timber
Softwoods | Hardwoods | Panel Products
Sapele |
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| Wood type | Hardwood |
| Distribution | It is found in the rain forests of West Africa from the Ivory Coast through Ghana and Nigeria to the Cameroons, and it extends eastwards to Uganda and Tanzania |
| The Tree | A very large tree with cylindrical bole and small or no buttresses. Grows to a height of 45m or more, and a diameter at breast height of 10m or slightly more |
| The Timber | The sapwood is pale yellow or whitish, the heartwood pinkish when freshly cut, darkening to typical mahogany colour of reddish-brown. Sapele is characterised by a marked and regular stripe, particularly pronounced on quarter-sawn surfaces. Occasionally mottle figure is present, It is fairly close textured, and the grain is interlocked. It is harder and heavier than African mahogany. weighing about 640 kg/m3 when dried. It has a pronounced cedar-like scent when freshly cut. |
| Drying | The timber dries rapidly with a marked tendency to distort. Quarter-sawn material is less liable to degrade in drying |
| Strength | Sapele is much harder than African or American mahogany, and in resistance to indentation, bending strength, stiffness, and resistance to shock loads, is practically equal with English oak |
| Working Qualities | Medium - Works fairly well with hand and machine tools, but the inter-locked grain is often troublesome in planing and moulding, and a reduction of cutting angle to 15° is needed to obtain a good finish. It takes screws and nails well, glues satisfactorily, stains readily, and takes an excellent polish |
| Durability | Moderately durable |
| Treatability | Difficult |
| Moisture Movement | Medium |
| Density (mean, Kg/m³) | 640 |
| Texture | Medium |
| Availability | Regular |
| Price | Medium |
| Botanical Name(s) | Entandrophragma cylindricum |
| Other Name(s) | Sapelli (Cameroons), saplewood (Nigeria), aboudikro (Ivory Coast) |
| Use(s) | Exterior joinery, Interior joinery, Veneer, Furniture, Flooring |
| Colour(s) | Pink/pale red (when freshly cut), Reddish brown (typical mahogany colour), Pink/pale red (when freshly cut), Reddish brown (typical mahogany colour) |