Sapele (Botanical: Entandrophragma cylindricum)

Sapele Characteristics

Gorgeous mahogany look-alike with a slightly finer texture than Honduras Mahogany, and a typically interlocked grain. Sapele is also a lustrous wood that works fairly well in all operations - planing, sawing, routing, sanding, etc.

Color Range

Dark red brown, very similar to mahogany

Other Names

Aboudikroe, Penkwa, Assi, Sapele, Assie sapelli, Sapele mahogany, Lifari, Sapeli

Some Typical Uses

Boat building, Decorative veneer, flooring, furniture, joinery, Canoes, Chairs, Chests, Concealed parts (Furniture), Desks, Dining-room furniture, Excelsior, Figured veneer, kitchen cabinets, musical instruments, Tables, Veneer

What's the Tree Like?

May reach a height of 150-200 feet; bole straight and cylindrical, clear to 100 feet; trunk diameters to 6' over broad, low buttresses, sometimes not buttressed.

Sapele grows in

Africa; Ivory Coast and Nigeria