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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

Despite not being included in the CITES Appendices, the Sapele Wood species is on the IUCN Red List. It is classified as vulnerable due to exploitation, a decline in its natural range, and a population decline of more than 20% during the previous three generations.

Common Uses

Veneer, plywood, household furnishings, kitchen cabinets, flooring, boatbuilding, musical instruments, turned objects, and tiny wooden speciality goods.

We exclusively provide Sapele Wood in log form:

  • Only round logs are available
  • On request, sapele logs can be sawn
  • Origin: Africa

Characteristics

Tree Size

50-100 ft (15-30 m) tall

Trunk Diameter

100-150 ft (30-45 m) tall

Janka Hardness

1,410 lbf (6,280 N)

Average Dried Weight

42 lbs/ft3 (670 kg/m3)

Odor

When sapele is being worked, a unique, cedar-like fragrance is released.

Workability

While some machining operations might be challenging to work with, it turns, glues, and finishes nicely.

Texture

Uniform and extremely fine texture, capable of absorbing a lot of natural lustre

Sustainability

A population decline of over 20% over the last three generations has led to the species being designated as vulnerable.

Drying

Drying process is slow

Durability

It is a wood with a mediocre degree of durability, but its heart is exceptionally rot- and decay-resistant.

Maintenance

Low

Cost

Moderately priced

Interested in discussing your project? Let’s discuss!

Phone – : +91 8826970078 ,
Email – : planetexpo51@gmail.com
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