Sapele and Sipo/Utile

Sapele is similar to mahogany, with a deep, rich finish suited to furniture projects, conservatories and much more.

It is much harder than African or American mahogany. Bending strength, stiffness, resistance to indentation and shock loads are practically equal to English Oak.

Sipo/Utile or Posh Sapele: The heartwood is a uniform medium reddish brown. Well-defined sapwood is a paler yellow. Generally lacks any dramatic figuring of grain that is common in the closely related Sapele. Grain is interlocked, with a medium uniform texture. Moderate natural luster. Utile can be troublesome to work in some machining operations, (i.e., planing, routing, etc.), resulting in tearout due to its interlocked grain. It will also react when put into direct contact with iron, becoming discolored and stained. Turns, glues, and finishes well. Utile has a mild, cedar-like scent while being worked. Sometimes called Sipo Mahogany, or simply Sipo, Utile is in the Meliaceae family, and is somewhat related to the true mahoganies found in the Swietenia genus.Common Uses: Furniture, cabinetry, veneer, boatbuilding, flooring, and turned objects.

Sapele PAR finished sizes.
We can machine to any other size from stock, please enquire.

Typical applications

Exterior and interior joinery, furniture, flooring

Durability

Moderately durable

Working qualities

It works fairly well with hand and machine tools, but the grain is often troublesome in planing and moulding, and a reduction of cutting angle is needed to obtain a good finish. It takes screws and nails well, glues satisfactorily, stains readily, and takes an excellent polish.

Botanical name

Entandrophragma cylindricum

Origin

West and Central Africa