Is Sapele A Hardwood Or Softwood

Sapele originates from west africa and it can be most easily found in countries such as tanzania nigeria and ghana where the individual trees can grow up to impressive height of 45 meters in the air with some rare examples going up to 60 meters with the trunk diameter that can almost reach 2 meters 6 feet it is a deciduous tree only during a dry season in west africa with leaves that.

Is sapele a hardwood or softwood.

Iroko is a tropical hardwood suitable for exterior joinery is a cheaper alternative to european oak and is often used as a substitute for oak because. We use utile or sapele for door and window cills when the rest of the joinery is manufactured in softwood as the cill requires more durability than the vertical components in a window or door. Oak has traditionally been a popular choice for bespoke doors and windows as it is a strong durable and. Softwood we explore the differences between the two woods and alternatives allowing you to understand the differences and choose the right timber.

While reminiscent of mahogany indeed it s part of the same family it s much harder than both its african or american counterparts and with respect to resistance to indentation bending strength stiffness and resistance to shock loads is practically equal with english oak. This happens to be generally true but there are exceptions such as in the cases of wood from yew trees a softwood that is relatively hard and wood from balsa trees a. Same as mahogany exploitation of sapele forests are regulated by several countries across africa. Although some parts of the sapele logs will produce straight grain or quartered effect generally it has a more random grain appearance thus meaning it is liable to interlocked grain.

Sapele has a distinct cedar like scent while being worked. At rural timber we combine traditional craftmanship with modern technology to create timber doors window frames conservatories and other items that are designed to last. Usually this is because sapele is known as an exterior wood and so many good exterior woods are also softwoods. Rich heartwood colored in golden and dark reddish brown is perfect for use in creating expensive furniture musical and specialty objects.

But rather it denotes the structure of the tree and in general whether or not it loses its leaves. Sapele predominantly from west africa is a reddish brown hardwood. Sapele is a hardwood from tropical africa that successfully emulates the characteristics that have made mahogany so popular. Sapele iroko and meranti which grow at a much slower rate and require longer drying times both of which are factors that drive up the cost of the wood.

The funny thing is that the botanical definition of hardwood and softwood has nothing to do with how hard the wood actually is. Sapele has a slight blunting effect on cutters but it turns glues and finishes well. Sapele is an excellent grade quality hardwood.