Wenge

Wenge is a tropical hardwood, typically sourced from tropical climates such as Zaire and Cameroon Republic. The clearly defined heartwood is dark brown, with very close, fine, almost black veins. The wood is laced with closely spaced whitish bands of parenchyma, giving wenge an attractive appearance. It is fairly straight grained and has a coarse texture. With a weight of 880 kg/m³ (55 lb/ft³) and a specific gravity of 0.88, wenge is a relatively hard and heavy wood.

Due to the properties of wenge timber, it is suitable for a wide range of usesWenge has a high natural resistance to abrasion making it a great choice for flooring strips or blocksThe abrasion resistance means that the wenge flooring will resist wear, even in high footfall areas. It is therefore commonly used in public spaces such as hotelsIn addition to this, wenge worktops are also relatively popular, once again their ability to resist wear makes them ideal for these high-use surfacesWenge is a hardwood that can also be used for interior and exterior joinery and general construction workIn addition to this, it is an excellent turnery woodWenge is however unsuitable for plywood manufacture because of its weight but it is often sliced for panelling and decorative veneers for cabinets, furniture and marquetry, etc

For more information on Wenge talk to Whitmore's Timber Co Ltd