Sapele Wood Lumber – Sapele heartwood is a golden to dark reddish brown and tends to darken with age. A ribbon pattern is seen on quartersawn boards, and Sapele is also known for a wide variety of other figured grain patterns, such as pommele, quilted, mottled, wavy, beeswing, and fiddleback. Sapele is used in the construction of fine furniture and cabinetwork, decorative veneers, plywood, joinery, flooring and paneling.  Sapele wood is popular for flooring and stock with a ribbon grain is typically pulled at a premium for decorative finishes. Sapele ranges from moderately to very durable in decay resistance and has a moderate insect resistance.

Workability: Sapele Wood Lumber can be difficult to work in some machining operations, (planing, routing, etc.) resulting in tearout due to its interlocked grain. It reacts 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.