African mahogany

open main page for all woods open page 2 for articles

NOTE: there is rarely any "standard" or "typical" look for a wood so take what's in this table with a grain of salt
the REST of the pictures on this page will give you a better overall feel for this wood

African mahogany / Khaya spp.
see fact sheet for full list of species
5" x 5" flat cut, 5" x 5" quartersawn, 1" wide end grain, and a 1/4" x 1/4" end grain closeup.

Diffuse porous with medium pores, fairly sparse, randomly spaced and with obvious vasicentric parenchyma. Growth ring boundaries are are frequently only clear at 10X because they are defined only by marginal parenchyma lines and these fade out but come back and generally can only be seen with a loupe. Frequent radial pore multiples. Rays are moderately thick and fairly closely spaced but result in only small ray flakes on quartersawn surfaces. Graininess varies considerably, probably because there are several species included as "African mahogany"

THE MAHOGANY FAMILY

a brief history of the mahoganies in the Americas plus a
discussion of the whole family and the various names used

my samples:
NOTE: these pics were all taken in very bright incandescent lighting ("soft white" at 2700K)
colors will vary under other lighting conditions

I am starting off my own samples on this page with a piece that was sent to me for identification, because it's a good case study in how you can usually distinguish between African mahogany and the American mahoganies. A fairly reliable characteristic difference between the American mahoganies (genus Swetenia) and the African mahoganies (genus Khaya) is that in the American mahoganies, the marginal parenchyma is solid lines, usually sharp but sometime fuzzy but in either case always solid continuous lines whereas in the African mahoganies the marginal parenchyma lines tend to fade or even disappear over just a few inches and you can even find some pieces that show no marginal parenchyma over fairly large areas.

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this is the piece, a nice chunk about 12" square by 1 3/4" thick.

This shows all three faces, with one corner sanded to 400 grit and shown in closeup

face grain and face grain closeup of the piece directly above

HIGH GRIT END GRAIN CLOSEUP and the analysis pic I sent to the owner to show him how I had done the ID

side grain and side grain closeup of the piece directly above

both sides of a sample plank of African mahogany / Khaya nyasica --- HUGE enlargements are present. This sample was loaned to me by David Clark whom I thank for this and other contributions to the site. NOTE: I have put this sample at the top of this page because it is a "formal" sample, but I consider it to be poorly representative of African mahogany in that it is much lighter than than what one normally finds and a bit more boring.

end grain and end grain closeup of the piece directly above

END GRAIN UPDATE from directly above

end grain and end grain closeup of the piece directly above

END GRAIN UPDATE from directly above

both sides of a sample plank of African mahogany / Khaya anthotheca --- HUGE enlargements are present. This sample was loaned to me by Mark Peet whom I thank for this and other contributions to the site.

end grain and end grain closeup of the piece directly above

END GRAIN UPDATE from directly above

both sides of a sample plank of East African mahogany / Khaya anthotheca --- HUGE enlargements are present. This sample was loaned to me by David Clark whom I thank for this and other contributions to the site.

end grain and end grain closeup of the piece directly above

END GRAIN UPDATE from directly above

both sides of a sample plank of East African mahogany / Khaya anthotheca --- HUGE enlargements are present.

end grain and HIGH GRIT END GRAIN CLOSEUP of the piece directly above

both sides of a sample plank of African mahogany / Khaya senegalensis --- HUGE enlargements are present. This sample was loaned to me by Mark Peet whom I thank for this and other contributions to the site.

end grain and end grain closeup of the piece directly above

END GRAIN UPDATE from directly above

both sides of a sample plank of ropey African mahogany / Khaya ivorensis --- HUGE enlargements are present. This sample was loaned to me by David Clark whom I thank for this and other contributions to the site. The wood is actually more of a brown than I was able to show correctly.

end grain and end grain closeup of the piece directly above

END GRAIN UPDATE from directly above. There is too much red in this pic. The consistent strength of the marginal parenchyma lines that define the growth ring boundaries is unusual for African mahogany and more characteristic of Honduran mahogany but I would need to see a larger area to say that this is not African. Just as and additional comment, I have not found this vendor to be as reliable as others.

both sides of a sample plank of African mahogany / Khaya grandifoliola --- HUGE enlargements are present. This sample was loaned to me by Mark Peet whom I thank for this and other contributions to the site. The vendor of this sample (not Mark) had it as 33 lbs/cuft / Khaya ivorensis but Mark and I both measured it at 54 lbs/cuft which is just about impossible for K. ivorensis but only slightly heavy for K. grandifoliola so Mark relabeled it (correctly, I believe) as K. grandifoliola.

end grain and end grain closeup of the piece directly above

END GRAIN UPDATE from directly above

end grain and HIGH GRIT END GRAIN CLOSEUP of the piece directly above

both sides of a sample plank of African mahogany / Khaya spp. --- HUGE enlargements are present. This sample was loaned to me by David Clark whom I thank for this and other contributions to the site.

end grain and end grain closeup of the piece directly above

END GRAIN UPDATE from directly above

both sides of a plank of ribbon stripe African mahogany / Khaya spp. --- HUGE enlargements are present. This sample was loaned to me by David Clark whom I thank for this and other contributions to the site. For more detail on this plank see the sample directly below.

both sides of a sample plank of ribbon stripe African mahogany / Khaya spp. --- HUGE enlargements are present. This sample was loaned to me by David Clark whom I thank for this and other contributions to the site. This plank was cut from the one directly above.

end grain and end grain closeup of the piece directly above

first face and the end grain of a sample of African mahogany / Khaya spp. This part of a collection which is discussed here: COLLECTION B

the second face, before and after slicing off 1/8" showing how the patina from aging is only surface deep.

end grain closeup and END GRAIN UPDATE from directly above.

planks

plank and end grain --- color is slightly too red; this piece was cut from one of the ones above and the color is correct in the pics above

end grain closeup of the piece directly above

The second pic is from the same plank as the first but has been fine-sanded and oiled and actually looks much better than is shown. The picture is accurate in color but doesn't show how the wood shimmers and shines as it moves in the light. With some polyurethane, this piece would look almost as good as the top of the dulcimer case shown at the bottom of this page.

both sides and end grain of a nicely figured small piece

end grain closeup and END GRAIN UPDATE of the pieced directly above. The color in the closeup is too washed out but the update is correct.

a piece sent to me for identification --- the similarity of face grain to the sample directly above said to me right away that this was probably African mahogany, and a comparison of the end grain confirmed it.

a small piece of flooring that was sent to me for identification. I was able to ID it as definitely being African mahogany based on the details in the end grain update

end grain and end grain closeup of the piece directly above

END GRAIN UPDATE of the piece directly above. If you look at the 2nd enlargement you can see clearly that the marginal parenchyma line that starts in the far middle left and arches over to the right pretty much peters out well before getting all the way over. Having used the pore distribution, size, and shape, along with the rays, to identifiy this as mahogany, the disappearing marginal parenchyma nails it down as African, not American.

two sides and end grain of a small piece cut-off of an african mahogany plank

pics of the same piece after it was moistened with water to better show the grain

planks --- the relatively dull color of these planks is accurately depicted here

plank and closeup --- the color on this looks to me to be closer to Honduras mahogany than what I normally think of as African mahogany color.

crotch plank and closeup --- the brown color is accurately represented here and is somewhat more brown than what I normally think of as African mahogany, which usually tends to verge a little more to the red.

pics of the same plank from two different angles, taken in an only slightly successful attempt to show the fairly extreme way in which the wood changes color depending on which way you hold it in the light.

small plank (and an end grain pic) cut from the larger one directly above and moderately-fine sanded

end grain closeup of the piece directly above

NOT A RAW WOOD COLOR
a plank --- pic submitted by Dan Dill who asked me to help identify it. It's been moistened for the pics.

two closeups of the piece directly above (remember, this is moistened, not raw)

face grain closeup of the piece directly above

plank and closeup --- this plank and the one directly below are grainier and more of a chocolate color than most of the African mahogany that I have encountered so I assume that they are one of the less common species that are sold as African mahogany.

plank and closeup

plank and end grain --- this was cut from one of the larger planks above and sanded down

end grain closeup and END GRAIN UPDATE of the piece directly above

face grain closeup of the piece directly above

plank photographed at a lumber yard --- the light color is correct

pics of an African mahogany log being slabbed. These pics were contributed to the site by Pat Dean, whom I thank for these and other contributions to the site. The lovely fresh-cut reddish color on these will oxidize to a more reddish-brown with time.

veneer

labled as "benin" veneer when sold to me, this is African mahogany under the common name "benin" which is sometimes used to designate the kind of ribbon strip African mahogany shown here (looks somewhat like sapele). "Benin" also sometimes designates curly African mahogany, and also sometimes designates an African mahogany that is pure chocolate brown (as these pieces) with no hint of red. The ribbon strip African mahogany, when not called "benin" is sometime also called "tigerwood" which has got to be one of the most overused common names of all woods.

ribbon stripe African mahogany veneer without the chocolate color of benin (and with a weak ribbon stripe)

flat cut veneer --- these two pics came out just a shade darker than the actual wood

veneer

veneer sheet and closeup

veneer samples of African mahogany / Khaya spp. --- HUGE enlargements are present. This part of a collection which is discussed here: COLLECTION D

curly veneer sheet and closeup

curly veneer

mottled african veneer, sold to me as razor mottle but I don't think the mottle is strong enough or sharp enough to warrent that designation and I knew that when I bought it.

some curly african mahogany thins and the edge grain of a 3" long laminated block made from the same set (with an added piece of regular mahogany in the middle). Some of the thins from this set were hardly curly at all. The dark colored one in the middle shows the maximum curl that any of them had. Although these are thin, the comulative edge grain in the laminate is what a plank edge looks like. As you'll see better in an enlargement, the top and bottom thins, and the two in the middle next to the regular mahogany, are still curly but are a much lighter color.

a curly african mahogany turning stick with newly exposed surface and end grain

the same turning stick on a side where the surface has been left exposed to the air for some time (I don't know how long, but certainly many months) and now has a patina

crotch veneer which I believe to be African mahogany, although with crotches and burls it's hard to tell sometimes. The actual piece has just a little more red than is shown here.

a couple of examples of insect damage in sapwood

large veneer sheet and a bunch of closeups of various areas --- this one was put here because of the wide variety of grain pattern that exists in the one sheet. Although this is a particularly nice example, this amount of grain variety in one piece is not especially unusual for this species. The large sheet pic has both levels of enlargement and just a shade too much red in the color.

web pics:

NOTE: Most of these pics were gathered early in the life of this site and many of them were labeled khaya, which I just translated to "African mahogany" but I was ignorant of the fact that there is a species that is CALLED khaya but which is NOT actually of the genus Khaya, so it's possible that some of the pics on this page do not belong here.

plank with wet and dry sections

African mahogany is one of those woods that have some name problems. One of the common names is "benin mahogany" (aka "benin wood" and just "benin"), BUT sometimes the name "benin" is used, as in the case of the lable on this picture, to designate what is properly called CURLY African mahogany. So, this is a picure of curly African mahogany, with a degree of orange that is actually possible, although somewhat unlikely, but the picture was labeled "benin", which is not all that unusual albeit confusing.

benin plank

veneers labeled "benin"

planks showing the sometimes nifty wavy face grain you can get in this wood (NOTE: this is NOT the same as "wavy grain" which is a tighter and more continuous wave than just the single shallow wave on this face grain).

a plank that has been moistened to emphasize the grain pattern

flat cut planks

quartersawn planks

misc planks

ribbon stipe planks

both sides and a closeup of a plank

both sides of a plank

curly plank

turning stock

figured African mahogany / Khaya ivorensis, all from the same vendor, all with both levels of enlargement

plank listed as bee's wing figure, but I don't believe this piece deserves that designation

turning blank

OK, so really LARGE planks are available.

veneer --- not listed as figured or fiddleback, but clearly should have been

veneer

quartersawn ribbon stripe veneer

quartersawn veneer

listed as quartersawn figured veneer; some vendors would list this a curly --- just another example of how loosely such designations are used

veneer, all from the same vendor --- most of this is what most vendors sell as "ribbon stripe" African mahogany

veneer sheet closeups with both levels of enlargement available --- these are from the same vendor as the set directly above

mottled veneer

listed as quartersawn razor mottle veneer, but it's a very weak razor mottle

veneer listed as "chamoire" figured African veneer. I cannot find a translation for this word, nor do I find other references to it, so I take it as a made-up name that has no significance for the American craftsperson

quartersawn figured veneer

crotch planks

several samples of crotch veneer --- the ones that show up as a sort of faded brown color very likely actually have some red tint to them.

crotch veneers all from the same vendor and with probably a little TOO much red in the color

bookmatched crotch veneer and a closeup of the piece on the right

flame crotch veneer --- african mahogany is one of those woods where the crotches are frequently labled as "flame" or "feathered" whether that appelation has merit or not. In these cases, I do not see that it has any merit. Also, if you look closely, you'll see what I realized after a while which is that these two pictures are of the exact same piece of veneer and, I believe, actually the same picture but processed differently, showing the kind of color variation you can get even when there is no intent to deceive. (It is conceivable, but I think unlikely, that these are actually consecutive sheets from the same flitch; I don't keep track of where I get all my pictures, so I can't even say if these were from the same web site)

an interesting double-crotch veneer

crotch veneer listed as African mahogany / Khaya ivorensis, all from the same vendor

guitar backs made from ribbon strip african mahogany.

guitar back

two views of a solid guitar body

shakers

two views of a miniature (2" high) vase

bowl

pen turned from African mahogany / Khaya spp. Photograph contributed to the site by the pen turner, Bruce Selyem, whom I thank for this and other contributions to the site. The enlargement shows chatoyancy particularly well.

3 views of a gorgeous African mahogany table made by John Henderson from the Nothern Territory in Australia. John tells me that while African mahogany is not native to Australia, it has been imported and grows well there due to climate conditions.

African mahogany dulcimer case made for my wife. I saw the rough, unfinished board at a lumber yard and just knew that it was going to be an incredibly beautiful piece when planed and sanded and finished, and I believe I was right. The dulcimer (not of my making) top is maple and the fret and sides are black cherry. I did not add any coloring agent to the wood, just several coats of clear polyurethane. This was my first large project with exotic woods, done about 1988, and I just couldn't have been more pleased with the results. It is 38"x9"x5". Although the plank had several obvious gum inclusions, I felt that they just added character in this case and I deliberately put them on the top of the case rather than the bottom or back.

the inside shot shows the wood with just the polyurethane but the outside has been exposed to the light for 15 years so even though protected by the poly, it has acquired a reddish patina (polyurethane is not a UV blocker).

closeups of each side, both inside and outside, again showing the richer red patina of the outside, and the wonderful swirly grain pattern of this plank. The color in these pics is more accurate than the distance shots above, both of which are just a little too dark.

both sides of the bottom of the case, shown here for two reasons; first to show the cathedral grain of this section of the plank and second to show that even though this is the outside it has not acquired the reddish patina of the top of the case because for most of its life, the case rested on its bottom (hey, that's what bottoms are FOR, after all) and thus was not exposed to the light.