Sapele | Sapelli Wood(Entandrophragma cylindricum)
Heartwood ranges from moderately durable to very durable in regard to decay resistance. Moderate insect/borer resistance. Heartwood is a golden to dark reddish brown. Color tends to darken with age. Besides the common ribbon pattern seen on quartersawn boards, Sapele is also known for a wide variety of other figured grain patterns, such as: pommele, quilted, mottled, wavy, beeswing, and fiddleback.. This Specie Can be produced and shipped in Saw logs, Peeled Logs, Square edged timber, Round edged timber, Flooring boards, Finishing boards, Unedged boards, Square logs, Decking boards, Parquet floors, Floor planks, Wall coverings(Veneers Sheets), Plywood, Roof coverings, Rattan, Sleepers, Polls and proprietary grade hardwood products of both finish and unfinished.
Sapele Wood Specie
- Common Name(s): - Sapele, Sapelli, Sapeli
- Scientific Name: - Entandrophragma cylindricum
- Distribution: - Tropical Africa
- Tree Size: - 100-150 ft (30-45 m) tall, 3-5 ft (1-1.5 m) trunk diameter
- Average Dried Weight: - 42 lbs/ft3 (670 kg/m3)
- Specific Gravity (Basic, 12% MC): - .50, .67
- Janka Hardness: - 1,410 lbf (6,280 N)
- Modulus of Rupture: - 15,930 lbf/in2 (109.9 MPa)
- Elastic Modulus: - 1,746,000 lbf/in2 (12.04 GPa)
- Crushing Strength: - 8,750 lbf/in2 (60.4 MPa)
- Shrinkage: - Radial: 4.8%, Tangential: 7.2%, Volumetric: 12.8%, T/R Ratio: 1.5
- Availability: - Highly Available
- Restrictions: - No
ALL ABOUT SAPELE WOOD
- Color/Appearance: - Heartwood is a golden to dark reddish brown. Color tends to darken with age. Besides the common ribbon pattern seen on quartersawn boards, Sapele is also known for a wide variety of other figured grain patterns, such as: pommele, quilted, mottled, wavy, beeswing, and fiddleback.
- Grain/Texture: - Grain is interlocked, and sometimes wavy. Fine uniform texture and good natural luster.
- Endgrain: - Diffuse-porous; large pores in no specific arrangement, few; solitary and radial multiples of 2-3; reddish brown deposits occasionally present; parenchyma diffuse-in-aggregates, unilateral, and marginal; rays narrow to medium, spacing normal; ripple marks present.
- Rot Resistance: - Heartwood ranges from moderately durable to very durable in regard to decay resistance. Moderate insect/borer resistance.
- Workability: - Sapele can be troublesome to work in some machining operations, (i.e., planing, routing, etc.), resulting in tearout due to its interlocked grain. It will also react when put into direct contact with iron, becoming discolored and stained. Sapele has a slight blunting effect on cutters, but it turns, glues, and finishes well.
- Odor: - Sapele has a distinct, cedar-like scent while being worked.
- Allergies/Toxicity: - Although severe reactions are quite uncommon, Sapele has been reported as a skin and respiratory irritant. See the articles Wood Allergies and Toxicity and Wood Safety for more information.
- Pricing/Availability: - Should be moderately priced for regular plainsawn or quartersawn lumber, though figured lumber and veneer can be extremely expensive, particularly pommele or quilted Sapele.
- Sustainability: - This wood species is not listed in the CITES Appendices, but is on the IUCN Red List. It is listed as vulnerable due to a population reduction of over 20% in the past three generations, caused by a decline in its natural range, and exploitation.
- Common Uses: - Veneer, plywood, furniture, cabinetry, flooring, boatbuilding, musical instruments, turned objects, and other small wooden specialty items.
- Comments: - Sapele is a commonly exported and economically important African wood species. It’s sold both in lumber and veneer form. It is occasionally used as a substitute for Genuine Mahogany, and is sometimes referred to as “Sapele Mahogany.” Technically, the two genera that are commonly associated with mahogany are Swietenia and Khaya, while Sapele is in the Entandrophragma genus, but all three are included in the broader Meliaceae family, so comparisons to true mahogany may not be too far fetched. Usually pronounced (sah-PELL-ey) or (sah-PEEL-ey).
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Sapele DataSheet
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