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Blunting Effect
Boring
Comments
Common Names
Common Uses
Countries of Distribution
Cutting Resistance
Distribution Overview
Drying Defects
Ease of Drying
Environmental Profile
Family Name
Gluing
Grain
Heartwood Color
Kiln Drying Rate
Kiln Schedules
Luster
Movement in Service
Nailing
Natural Durability
Numerical Data
Odor
Planing
Polishing
Product Sources
References
Regions of Distribution
Resistance to Impregnation
Response to Hand Tools
Sapwood Color
Scientific Name
Screwing
Staining
Steam Bending
Strength Properties
Texture
Toxicity
Trade Name
Tree Identification
Tree Size
Turning
Varnishing
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Common Names
African blackwood, African ebony, African grenadillo, African grenadilo, Babanus, Banbanus, Begboio, Black botany bay wood, Blackwood, Bokango, Cape damson, Chella, Chiku, Did, Driedoring, East African blackwood, Ebene, Funiti, Grenadilla, Grenadilla d'Afrique, Grenadille d'Afrique, Lurr, Motangu, Mozambique ebony, Mpingo, Mufulamamba, Mufunjo, Mugembe, Mugweze, Mugwiti, Muhati, Mukelete, Mukudziti, Mumhingwe, Mungara, Munhowe, Murgwiti, Murwiti, Opo, Pau preto, Pau-preto, Pingo, Poyi, Red, Rit, Rugbe, Samachi, Senegal ebony, Shami, Tareh, Umbambangwe, Zebra wood
Regions of Distribution
Africa, Oceania and S.E. Asia
Countries of Distribution
[VIEW MAP]
Angola, Central African Republic, India, Kenya, Mozambique, Nigeria, Senegal, South Africa, Sudan, Tanzania, Uganda, Zimbabwe
Common Uses
Agricultural implements, Beams, Bearings & bushings, Boxes and crates, Brush backs & handles, Building construction, Cabin construction, Carvings, Charcoal, Chemical derivatives, Concrete formwork, Construction, Decks, Drum sticks, Factory construction, Flooring, Food containers, Form work, Foundation posts, Framing, Fuelwood, Furniture, Handles, Heavy construction, Joists, Light construction, Mathematical instruments, Medicinal use, Musical instruments , Musical instruments, Organ pipes, Piano keys, Pianos , Porch columns, Rough construction, Shafts/Handles, Sounding boards, Sporting Goods, Tables, Tool handles, Turnery, Vehicle parts, Veneer: decorative, Violin bows, Violin, Walking sticks, Woodwork , Xylophones
Environmental Profile
| Status has not been officially assessed |
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Distribution Overview
Widely distributed in Africa (in dry savannah forests), from Senegal across to Sudan, Eritrea and northern Ethiopia, Uganda and Kenya. To the south, it ranges from Angola to Zambia, Tanzania and Mozambique, as far south as the Transvaal. It tolerates a wide range of sites, especially on gravelly soils. A deciduous savannah tree or shrub, it will intertwine with other trees, and has a heavily branched, many stemmed growth habit. It is found in tropical lowlands and on various sites in subhumid and semiarid areas.
In Tanzania it is found in low altitude savannah or woodlands around Morogoro and Itigi, down to the coast. Often it grows in areas where productive agriculture is impossible due to shallow, rocky soils. This is an indication of the tree's hardiness but may also indicate that it can not effectively compete when conditions are better.
Heartwood Color
| Green/grey |
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| Red |
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| Pink |
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| Purple |
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| Black |
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| Dark brown |
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| Brown |
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Sapwood Color
| White |
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| Yellow |
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| White to yellow |
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| Clearly differentiated from the heartwood |
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Grain
| Straight |
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| Generally straight, but not always |
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Texture
| Medium |
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| Coarse |
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| Fine |
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| Very fine |
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| Even textured |
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Luster
| Medium |
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| Slightly lustrous |
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| Lustrous |
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Natural Durability
| Susceptible to insect attack |
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| Perishable |
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| Non-durable |
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| Non-resistant to powder post beetles |
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| Non-resistant to termites |
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| Non-resistant to marine borers |
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| Very durable |
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| Susceptible to attack from powder post (Lyctid & Bostrychid) beetles |
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| Resistant to attack from termites (Isoptera) |
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| Moderately resistant to termite (Isoptera) attack |
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| Durable |
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| Resistant to attack from powder post (Lyctid & Bostrychid) beetles |
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The heartwood is very resistant to decay. The sapwood is susceptible to attack by powder-post beetle. The wood is reported to often contains tunnels of Cerambycid larvae.
Odor
| No specific smell or taste |
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Toxicity
Kiln Schedules
| Dry at a slow speed |
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| UK=B US=T2C2/T2C1 Fr=2 |
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| T2 - C2 (4/4); T2 - C1 (8/4) US (End-coat logs or billets.) |
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Drying Defects
| Collapse |
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| Internal Honeycombing Possible |
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| Severe surface checking |
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| Moderate surface checking |
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| Moderate end spitting |
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| Severe end splitting |
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| End splitting |
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Common drying defects are heart shake
Ease of Drying
| Rapidly |
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| Requires slow and careful seasoning to prevent degrade. |
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| Dries slowly |
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| Difficult |
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End-Coating of logs or billets is necessary to minimize degrade
Kiln Drying Rate
Tree Identification
| Bole/stem form is fluted |
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| Bole/stem form is unknown |
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| Bole/stem form is not buttressed |
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| Bole/stem form is misshapen |
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Tree Size
| Bole length is 20-30 m |
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| Tree height is 30-40 m |
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| Tree height is 40-50 m |
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| Tree height is 50-60 m |
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| Trunk diameter is 150-200 cm |
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| Trunk diameter is 200-250 cm |
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| Trunk diameter is 250-300 cm |
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Product Sources
The ITTO reports that timber from this species is produced in limited volumes and is exported in small sized cants.
The timber is exported in log form from East African ports. Log lengths are usually from 3 to 5 feet (0.9 to 1.5 m) and are often sold by importers only in log form and by the pound. Price range is in the expensive range.
Comments
African blackwood is superior to Ebony for the manufacture of woodwind instruments because of its oily nature and high tolerance to fluctuations in climatic conditions. It responds almost as well as metals to tapping for screw threads.
Tungsten/Carbide tipped saws are essential for conversion
Blunting Effect
| Blunting effect on machining is severe |
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| Blunting effect on machining is fairly severe |
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| Blunting effect on sawing dry wood is severe |
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Boring
| May Blunt cutting edges and interfere with boring operations |
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| Difficult |
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Cutting Resistance
| Easy to saw |
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| Cutting Resistance with dry wood is difficult |
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| Cutting Resistance with dry wood is easy |
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| Cutting Resistance with dry wood is moderate |
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Tends to blunt cutting edges rapidly
Gluing
| Fairly Easy to Very Easy |
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| Satisfactory gluing properties |
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| Easy to glue |
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Movement in Service
| Small |
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| Stable |
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| Stability is good |
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| Shape retention after manufacture is usually very good |
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| Medium |
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Nailing
| Fairly Easy to Very Easy |
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| Difficult to nail |
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| Pre-Boring is necessary |
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Planing
| Fairly Easy to Very Easy |
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| Very Good to Excellent Results |
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| Fair to Good Results |
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| Difficult to mould |
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| Planes well, to a good finish |
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| Difficult to use machine tools |
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| Difficult to plane |
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Resistance to Impregnation
| Resistant sapwood |
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| Resistant heartwood |
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| Resistant |
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Response to Hand Tools
| Easy to Work |
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| Easy to machine |
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| Difficult to machine |
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Screwing
African blackwood responds to tapping for screw threads almost as well as metals.
Turning
| Easy to turn |
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| Good results |
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Metal-Working tools are recommended for the manufacture of woodwind instruments.
Steam Bending
| Unsuitable |
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| Poor to Very Poor Results |
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| Very poor |
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The material is too heavy and too dense
Polishing
| Satisfactory results |
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| Good results |
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Eported to finish to produce a brilliantly polished, lustrous surface
Staining
Varnishing
Strength Properties
| Density (dry weight) = 75+ lbs/cu. ft. |
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| Max. crushing strength = high |
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| Shrinkage, Tangential = very small |
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| Shrinkage, Radial = very small |
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| Hardness (side grain) = very hard |
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| Density (dry weight) = 67-75 lbs/cu. ft. |
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| Bending strength (MOR) = very high |
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| Shrinkage, Volumetric = very small |
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| Modulus of Elasticity (stiffness) = very high |
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| Modulus of Elasticity (stiffness) = high |
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| Bending strength (MOR) = high |
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| Shrinkage, Volumetric = small |
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| Shrinkage, Tangential = small |
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| Shrinkage, Radial = small |
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| Shearing strength (parallel to grain) = high |
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| Modulus of Elasticity (stiffness) = medium |
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Numerical Data
| Item | Green | Dry | English |
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| Bending Strength | 17974 | 29057 | psi |
| Density | | 75 | lbs/ft3 |
| Hardness | | 2940 | lbs |
| Maximum Crushing Strength | 6899 | 10474 | psi |
| Shearing Strength | | 2847 | psi |
| Stiffness | 2230 | 2457 | 1000 psi |
| Specific Gravity | | 1.12 | |
| Weight | 72 | 72 | lbs/ft3 |
| Radial Shrinkage | 2 | | % |
| Tangential Shrinkage | 4 | | % |
| Volumetric Shrinkage | 7 | | % |
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| Item | Green | Dry | Metric |
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| Bending Strength | 1263 | 2042 | kg/cm2 |
| Density | | 1201 | kg/m3 |
| Hardness | | 1333 | kg |
| Maximum Crushing Strength | 485 | 736 | kg/cm2 |
| Shearing Strength | | 200 | kg/cm2 |
| Stiffness | 156 | 172 | 1000 kg/cm2 |
| Specific Gravity | | 1.12 | |
| Weight | 1153 | 1153 | kg/m3 |
| Radial Shrinkage | 2 | | % |
| Tangential Shrinkage | 4 | | % |
References
Bolza, E., Keating, W.G.,1972,African Timbers - the Properties, Uses and Characteristics of 700 Species,C.S.I.R.O. Div. of Building Research
Bolza, E.,1975,Properties and Uses of 175 Timber Species from Papua New Guinea and West,Irian,C.S.I.R.O. Div. Building Research Report,no.34
Brown, W.H.,1969,Properties and uses of Tropical hardwoods in the United Kingdom. Part 1,Nonstructural properties and uses.,Conference on Tropical hardwoods SC-5/TN-5, Syracuse University
Brown, W.H.,1978,Timbers of the World No.1 Africa,TRADA, Red Booklet Series
Bryce, J.M.,1967,Commercial Timbers of Tanzania,Tanzanian Forestry Division Util. Sec. Moshi
Chudnoff, M.,1984,Tropical Timbers of the World,U.S.A. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Forest Products,Laboratory, Madison.
Eggeling, W.J., Harris, C.M.,1939,Fifteen Uganda Timbers,Forest Trees and Timbers of the British Empire, Imperial Forestry,Institute, Oxford,Part 4
Eggeling, W.J.,1940,Indigenous Trees of Uganda,Govt. Printer Entebbe Uganda
Fanshawe, D.B.,1962,Fifty Common Trees of Northern Rhodesia,Natural Resources Board and Forestry Department, Ndola
Farmer, R.H.,1972,Handbook of Hardwoods,HMSO
Focus on Trees: Dalbergia melanoxylon. Treeroots Network Social Forestry Report, Vol. 2, No. 1, Pages 6-7, June, 1993.
Forest Products Research Laboratory, U.K.,1969,The Movement of Timbers,Forest Products Research Laboratory, Princes Risborough Technical Note,No.38
Goldsmith, B., Carter, D.T.,1981,The Indigenous Timbers of Zimbabwe,Forestry Commission, Zimbabwe Research Bulletin No.9
Grant, D.K.S.,1934,Some Local Timbers,Tanzania Forest Department
Haughton-Sheppard, P.C.,1958,A Note on African Blackwood - Dalbergia melanoxylon,Empire Forestry Review,37(3)93,pp327-30
HMSO. 1972. Handbook of Hardwoods. 2nd Edition. Revised by R.H. Farmer. Department of the Environment, Building Research Establishment, Princes Risborough Laboratory, Princes Risborough, Aylesbury, Buckinghamshire.
ITTO. 1986. Tropical Timber Atlas, Volume 1 - Africa. International Tropical Timber Organization (ITTO) and Centre Technique Forestier Tropical (CTFT, 45bis, Avenue de la Belle Gabrielle, Nogent-sur-Marne Cedex, France.
Keay, R.W.J. 1989. Trees of Nigeria. Revised Version of Nigerian Trees. Clarendon Press, Oxford.
Kline, M. 1981. Dalbergia melanoxylon - African blackwood. In A Guide to Useful Woods of the World, Flynn Jr., J.H., Editor. King Philip Publishing Co., Portland, Maine. Page 130.
Kukachka, B.F.,1970,Properties of Imported Tropical Woods,Forest Research Paper FPL 125
Lincoln, W.A. 1986. World Woods in Color. Linden Publishing Co. Inc., Fresno, California.
Normand, D.,1960,Les Ebenes dans le Monde,Bois et Forets des Tropiques,No.72,pp15-22
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