Sapeli
Sapeli wood, also known as Sapelli or Sapelle, with botanical name Entandrophragma cylindricum, belongs to the Meliaceae family and is native to various regions of West and Central Africa, including countries such as Ghana, Ivory Coast, Republic of Congo, Cameroon, Nigeria and other countries in the Gulf of Guinea region.
The availability and sustainability of Sapele timber depends on responsible forest management practices and compliance with environmental and trade regulations. Support for sustainable forest management and responsible use of forest resources are fundamental to ensuring that this timber and other species remain available for future generations.
Sapele wood is highly valued in the industry due to its physical and aesthetic properties, it has a reddish to golden brown colour with darker streaks, this colour tends to darken over time and with exposure to light, it is also a highly durable and rot resistant wood.
Among its most common uses, Sapele is a wood in demand in the construction of stringed musical instruments, due to its resonance and warm tone, in structural parts of percussion instruments, offering a good combination of resonance and strength necessary to produce rich and durable sounds, and in structural and decorative parts of keyboard instruments.
At Tonewoods, SL the Sapelli (Entandrophragma cylindricum) we sell comes from FSC® forest concessions in the Republic of Congo. These long-term concessions guarantee us a stable and constant supply for years, with full traceability and selective logging, helping to preserve the forests. Sapelli can reach a height of between 40 and 60 meters, with a diameter of between 0.6 and 1.2 meters and a density of 600 kg.
The versatility of Sapelli wood is highly appreciated by our customers, thanks to its balance between tonal quality and resistance, perfect for the manufacture of a wide range of our wooden parts for stringed musical instruments such as: guitar backs and sides, mandolins, banjos and ukuleles. As well as for percussion instruments such as drums and marimbas, and keyboard instruments.
Within Tonewoods, Sapelli is in demand for the manufacture of designer furniture, wall paneling and outdoor carpentry.