Sapele Exotic Hardwood Lumber

Sapele (Entandrophragma cylindricum) is a West African hardwood closely related to African mahogany, with a richer reddish-brown colour and distinctive ribbon-like figure produced by its interlocked grain when quartersawn. It has a Janka hardness of approximately 1410, good workability, and is used for furniture, cabinetry, interior doors, flooring, and musical instrument backs and sides.

Sapele is harder, denser, and has more pronounced interlocked grain than African mahogany. The interlocked grain produces an attractive ribbon figure on quartersawn surfaces that mahogany does not typically show to the same degree. Sapele's colour is a richer, darker reddish-brown than most African mahogany. Both are excellent furniture and cabinetry hardwoods; sapele offers more visual character in quartersawn applications.

Ribbon-stripe sapele is produced by quartersawing or rift-sawing the log so the interlocked grain layers are cut perpendicular to the board face. This orientation reveals alternating light and dark reflecting bands that appear as parallel ribbons across the wood surface, the direction and intensity of which shift as the viewing angle changes. Ribbon sapele is a premium veneer and lumber product used in high-end furniture and architectural millwork.

Sapele's interlocked grain can cause tearout when hand planing or routing with the grain direction. Sharp tools, a steeper blade angle, and working carefully with the grain direction minimize tearout. For machine operations, feed rates and tool sharpness are important. It glues, finishes, and sands well when grain direction is respected.

Windsor Plywood carries sapele hardwood lumber in select grades for furniture, cabinetry, and interior millwork applications subject to current availability. Contact your local Windsor Plywood branch to confirm current sapele stock and available dimensions for your project.