The sapwood is golden light brown in color and clearly demarcated from the orange-brown heartwood. The heartwood tends to be lightly streaked and turns brownish-yellow with exposure to light and air. Streaks tend to darken with exposure and may become a deep crimson-brown with bands of lighter golden brown. In appearance, Afrormosia can resemble fine-grained Teak. It usually has a straight, slightly interlocked grain with a medium to fine texture.

Formal Name: Pericopsis elata

Other Names:

African Teak, Afromosia, Jatobahy, Obang, Ole, Tento

Leopardwood ranges from a pale pinkish-brown to medium brown with a flaky, speckled figure with dark flecks, varying from a small lace-like pattern to a larger splash-like figure. The sapwood is brownish-red while the heartwood is more chocolate-brown in color. The texture is medium to fine with a straight and slightly irregular tight grain. It is stronger, darker and denser than lacewood.

Formal Name: Panopsis rubellens

Other Names:

Snakewood, Brazilian Lacewood, Brazilian Leopardwood

Wenge sapwood is pale white to yellow in color, and clearly demarcated from the heartwood. The heartwood is dark, dark brown, bordering on black. Alternating layers of light and dark wood and white bands marked with black veins create a decorative figure. The texture is somewhat coarse with a fairly straight grain.

Formal Name: Millettia Laurentii

Other Names:

Mibotu

Aniegre is a blonde wood with sapwood that is not well demarcated. The heartwood ranges in tone from cream and yellowish-white to tan with a pinkish tinge, and generally presents an even color. Aniegre is about the same weight as African Mahogany with a medium to coarse texture. The texture is fine in higher wood grades. The wood is lustrous, yet siliceous, and usually has a straight grain, although wavy or mottle figure is sometimes present.

The sapwood is yellowish-white to pale brown, with heartwood that varies from medium to deep red-brown, and in some heavier woods, a deep, rich red. It is mostly straight-grained, and ranges from medium to coarse with a uniform texture. Honduras Mahogany occasionally is streaked with ripple marks and may also display gum deposits.

Formal Name: Swietenia Macrophylla

The wood ranges in color from a pale cream to a yellowish-brown or straw color with the sapwood and heartwood very similar. The heartwood will sometimes have nearly black markings that produced an attractive figure. The texture is moderately coarse with a grain that is usually straight, but on occasion can be irregular or interlocked.

Formal Name:Terminalia superba

Other Names:

Limba, Afara, Ofram, Akom, White Fraké, Korina

Avodire is an attractive wood with a golden yellow cast and a clear grain. The sapwood is very similar in color to the heartwood, which is creamy white to pale yellow, darkening with exposure to air and light to a deeper golden color. The moderately fine grain is sometimes straight, but more often wavy or irregularly interlocked, producing an unusual and attractive mottled figure when sliced or quartered.

Formal Name: Turraenanthus Africanus

Other Names:

African Satinwood, African White Mahogany, African Furniture Wood

The heartwood ranges in color from pale pink to deep red, or red-brown. The sapwood is white to light pink, and is clearly demarcated from the heartwood. The texture is fine to medium with a lustrous surface. The grain is generally straight, but sometimes figured with an appearance similar to decorative moiré or watered silk, with streaks of darker color. It is liable to stain if it comes in contact with iron compounds in damp conditions.

Formal Name: Tieghemella heckelii

Other Names:

African Cherry

Zebrawood is known for its highly figured heartwood. The heartwood is straw-like in color and distinctively marked with narrow veining or “streaks” of color ranging from dark brown to almost black. These streaks give the heartwood a zebra-stripe appearance. The sapwood is whitish in color, and virtually without feature. The wavy, interlocked grain produces a ribbon figure. The texture ranges from medium to coarse and has a high luster surface.

Formal Name: Microberlinia brazzavillensis

Other Names:

African Zebrawood, Zebrano

Black Limba is a close, straight-grained timber that can sometimes have interlocked or wavy grain that produces excellent figure. It has a moderately coarse texture and open pores that require filling for a smooth surface. The color has varying degrees of brown to black, with a tinge of orange streaking. The heartwood may have grey-black streaks.

Formal Name: Terminalia superba

Other Names:

Korina, Ofram, Limba, Akom, Frake and Afara