Wenge

Botanical Name

Millettia laurentii

Other Common Names

Awoung, Dikela, Mibotu, Bokonge, Palissandre du congo

Region

Africa

Country

Cameroon, Congo, Gabon, Zaire

The Tree

The tree is described as medium sized, and attains a height of 50 to 60 foot and a trunk diameter of 30 to 36 inches.

Appearance

The heartwood is dark brown, mostly black, with fine, closely spaced, very dark veins and white lines. The combination of white bands against the dark wood with black streaks gives Wenge a very attractive appearance.

Properties

The grain is fairly straight to slightly roey. The appearance of the wood has been described as expressive. The wood is medium to coarse in texture. Luster is reported to be low.

Working Properties

Wenge is fairly easy to work with machine tools. Popular as a good turnery wood. It is rather difficult to glue because of the presence of resin cells. The wood responds well to hand tools.

Uses

Flooring, Cabinetmaking, Musical instruments , Joinery, Furniture.

Availability

Wenge is reported to be always in limited supply on the US market. Some reasons for this are low yield from logs. Prices are reported to be often in the high range.