Tropical wood · Africa
Moabi wood
Moabi (Baillonella toxisperma, family Sapotaceae) is a tropical timber from Africa. Air-dry, it weighs about 50–60 lb/ft³ (801–961 kg/m³). The figures are from the USDA Forest Products Laboratory's Tropical Timbers of the World, pp. 341–342.
Other names, by country: Njabi (Nigeria, Cameroon), Adza (Gabon), African Pearwood (U.K.), Dimpampi (Congo).
Key numbers
- Janka hardness, dry
- Not printed
- Air-dry density
- 50–60 lb/ft³ (801–961 kg/m³)
- Basic specific gravity
- 0.65–0.77 oven-dry weight, green volume
- As printed: “Basic specific gravity (ovendry weight/green volume) 0.65-0.77; air-dry density 50-60 pcf.”
- Shrinkage, green to oven-dry
- 7.5% tangential
- Radial 5.9%, volumetric 12.6%
One source: USDA Forest Products Laboratory, Tropical Timbers of the World (Chudnoff, 1979 edition), the only published source read for this wood
Strength
Bending strength is the modulus of rupture (MOR); stiffness is the modulus of elasticity (MOE); crushing strength is compression parallel to the grain. The sheet collects these from published tests: it prints 2 data sets, from different tests and sources, so they can differ widely; all are shown, in the sheet's order, each at the moisture content printed beside it, never restated as 12%.
| Moisture | Bending strength (MOR) | Stiffness (MOE) | Crushing strength |
|---|---|---|---|
| 12% MC | 21,500 psi (148 MPa) | — | 9,600 psi (66 MPa) |
| 12% MC | 25,300 psi (174 MPa) | 2.2 million psi (15.2 GPa) | 12,200 psi (84 MPa) |
A dash means the sheet prints no value; none is filled in.
What the data sheet says
- Color, grain and texture
- Heartwood pinkish-brown, red-brown, or a rich red; sapwood pinkish-white or gray-brown, rather well demarcated. Texture is fine and even; grain straight, sometimes wavy; has an attractive figure; dust may affect mucous membranes.
- Working properties
- Because of silica content there is a rapid dulling of cutters, otherwise works easily; glues and finishes well; has good steam bending properties.
- Durability
- Heartwood is rated as very durable, resistant to termite attack; and is reported to be rarely attacked by marine borers.
- Uses
- Furniture, cabinetwork, decorative flooring, turnery and carving, decorative veneers, joinery, store fittings.
- Where it grows
- Found in the dense forests of Equatorial Africa, often in small patches on dry or moist soils.
Quoted from Tropical Timbers of the World, pp. 341–342, a USDA Forest Products Laboratory work in the public domain.
Work it out for your project
- Rank woods for furniture with the species picker
Weigh moabi against other woods on hardness, weight, movement and color, every figure from the Wood Handbook.