Wenge

Appearance

Color: Heartwood is yellow-brown when freshly cut, turning dark-brown to almost black with alternate layers of light and dark. Sapwood is yellowish-white and clearly demarcated from heartwood.

Grain: Straight when quartersawn; coarse texture.
Variations Within Species And Grades: Moderate variations in color.

Properties

Hardness/Janka: Janka:1630; (26% harder than Northern red oak).

Dimensional Stability: Excellent (5.8; 33% more stable than red oak). However, actual installations have demonstrated significant movement in use.

Durability:

Workability

Sawing/Machining: Difficult due to rapid dulling of tools; carbide tooling recommended.
Sanding: Moderately difficult. Particular attention should be paid to removing the scratches from the previous sanding.
Nailing: No known problems.

Finishing: Staining may be difficult.
Comments: Dermatological and respiratory allergic potential.

Origin: Africa

Cost

Multiplier:

Availability

Limited.