What is Sapele Wood?
Sapele is a tropical African wood that can reach heights of up to 45 meters and diameters of up to 10 meters. According to top wood suppliers in India, sapele, primarily from West Africa, is most commonly found in Tanzania, Nigeria, and Ghana. It is tougher and heavier than African mahogany, with a dry weight of about 640 kg/m³. Sapele also grows in Uganda, Zaire, and from the Ivory Coast to the Cameroons.
In the Janka test, which measures a wood's resistance to dents and wear, sapele scores 1500, making it 16% harder than red oak, which scores 1210. Highly durable, sapele is suitable for both indoor and outdoor use due to its excellent resilience, strength, and density. It is commonly used for paneling, doors, conservatories, furniture, picture frames, flooring, architraves, and more. You can source this wood from PLANET EXPO, one of the leading exotic wood suppliers in India.
Sapele wood is strikingly similar to mahogany in color and grain patterns. Its heartwood ranges from golden to dark reddish brown and darkens with age unless treated with finishing oils to prevent oxidation. The heartwood often features ribbon patterns and other figured patterns, such as wavy and quilted, due to the interlocking grain structure. These unique patterns give sapele an exotic appearance that is highly prized.
Workability
Due to its interlocking grain, sapele can be difficult to work with in some machining operations (such as planing, routing, etc.), leading to tearout. As observed by exotic wood dealers in India, when in close contact with iron, it will also react by discoloring and staining. Sapele spins, glues, and finishes well but has a small blunting impact on cutters.
Sustainability
Common Uses
We exclusively provide Sapele Wood in log form:
- Only round logs are available
- On request, sapele logs can be sawn
- Origin: Africa