Types of Wood from Africa: 14 Commercial Hardwood Species Explained
Africa supplies some of the world's most used commercial hardwoods — from workhorse sawn timber to exotic decorative species. This guide covers the 14 species we mill and export most, what each is used for, and which form (log, sawn timber, square timber) importers typically buy. Every species links to our stock page with photos, parameters and trade terms.
The workhorses: bulk furniture and joinery species
Sapelli (sapele) is the volume king of African sawn timber — reddish-brown, interlocked grain, stable enough for doors, furniture and flooring at industrial scale. Afrormosia (sipo) is the teak-look alternative, prized for marine and high-end joinery. Limba is the lightweight option — plywood cores, mouldings and even musical instruments.
These species ship in container volumes as kiln or air dried sawn timber; importers order them by the container, not the board.
The peeling species: plywood and veneer logs
Okoume is the standard African peeling species for plywood and veneer worldwide — buyers source it in sawn and log programmes through our team. Iroko logs and afrormosia logs move for both sawing and decorative cutting.
Logs are where the price per cubic meter is lowest — if you have your own sawmill or a partner mill at destination, logs are the margin play.
The hard ones: flooring, decking and marine
For wear and weather, density wins. Azobe (ekki) is so dense it sinks; it is the piling and heavy decking standard. Afzelia (doussie) and padouk (padauk) are classic flooring and bridge species. Wenge brings the dark, dramatic figure that flooring and feature stair buyers pay a premium for.
The exotics: figure that sells retail
Zebrano (zebra wood) stripes like nothing else — veneer, luxury furniture and interior panels. Bubinga waterfalls across live-edge slabs. African mahogany (khaya) gives you the mahogany look and workability for doors, furniture and joinery.
Small-volume buyers can mix these into a container where minimum shipping quantity allows — ask us about mixed-specification orders.
How to buy: forms, grades and minimums
Species come in three buying forms with three different price logics: round logs (mill input, lowest $/m³), sawn timber (dried lumber ready for manufacture) and square timber (beams and blanks for flooring and joinery lines).
We quote FOB or CFR, FAS or agreed commercial grades, and send cargo photos and stuffing documents before every shipment. See FAQ for MOQ and payment terms, or send your species list to get pricing.