Macro detail of hardwood grain meeting an epoxy river

Timber guide

Twelve woods,and what each one does.

Every commission starts with a species decision, and most regrets start there too. This is the honest version: colour, grain, hardness, how much the board will move, what size slab you can actually get in South Africa, and what it costs relative to the rest.

Indigenous SA

Kiaat

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Pterocarpus angolensis

The default choice for a heirloom South African dining table. Locally milled, low movement, and it photographs warm under both daylight and lamplight.

Colour: Golden honey ageing to a deep russet brown
Grain: Straight to lightly interlocked, open pore, occasional ribbon figure
Hardness: Medium-hard, very stable, easy to work · 5 300 N Janka

SA plantation

Imbuia

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Ocotea porosa (SA-grown plantation stock)

The classic Cape furniture timber. Best used where people will stand close to it — a hall console or a bar top rather than a 3.5 m dining slab.

Colour: Chocolate brown with olive and copper undertones
Grain: Wavy and often figured, fine even texture, high natural lustre
Hardness: Medium, cuts cleanly, holds crisp detail · 4 700 N Janka

Indigenous SA

Black Stinkwood

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Ocotea bullata

Protected. We only use reclaimed or certified salvage stock, and we will tell you honestly when a piece cannot be sourced responsibly.

Colour: Dark walnut brown shot through with gold shimmer
Grain: Fine ripple and fiddleback figure, very high lustre
Hardness: Hard and dense · 5 900 N Janka

Indigenous SA

Wild Olive

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Olea europaea subsp. cuspidata

The most spectacular grain available locally, and the most temperamental. We use it where the piece is small enough to control.

Colour: Pale honey ground with dramatic dark chocolate veining
Grain: Wild, swirling, unrepeatable; extremely dense and lustrous
Hardness: Very hard · 12 800 N Janka

Indigenous SA

Tamboti

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Spirostachys africana

Beautiful and rare. Sourced from permitted dead-standing stock only.

Colour: Deep red-brown with near-black streaking
Grain: Very fine and dense, oily to the touch, faintly aromatic
Hardness: Extremely hard and naturally durable · 11 700 N Janka

Indigenous SA

Cape Yellowwood

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Podocarpus / Afrocarpus falcatus

South Africa's national tree and the timber of Cape heritage interiors. The right answer when the room needs to feel light rather than heavy.

Colour: Creamy pale yellow, ambering gently with age
Grain: Fine, even, straight; quiet and architectural
Hardness: Soft to medium — mark it and it shows · 2 900 N Janka

Indigenous SA

Rhodesian Teak

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Baikiaea plurijuga

Our workhorse for hospitality specification: it takes abuse without looking abused.

Colour: Dark reddish brown, uniform and serious
Grain: Fine, even, tight; understated figure
Hardness: Very hard and abrasion resistant · 10 800 N Janka

SA plantation

Blackwood

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Acacia melanoxylon

The best value figured timber in the country. Plantation grown, so we can source matched sets for a full dining suite.

Colour: Golden brown to dark reddish brown
Grain: Frequently fiddleback rippled with intense chatoyance
Hardness: Medium-hard, machines superbly · 5 400 N Janka

SA plantation

Saligna Gum

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Eucalyptus grandis

The value option. Certified, abundant and locally milled — the sensible specification when the budget must stretch across 200 covers.

Colour: Pale pink-salmon to light tan
Grain: Straight, even, occasionally with fine gum vein
Hardness: Medium · 4 600 N Janka

Imported

American White Oak

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Quercus alba

Imported, but so consistently available that lead times are the shortest of any timber on this page.

Colour: Pale biscuit tan; fumes to grey-brown, stains to anything
Grain: Open straight grain; quarter-sawn shows silver medullary ray fleck
Hardness: Hard and durable · 6 000 N Janka

Imported

American Black Walnut

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Juglans nigra

The international luxury default. Expensive here, but nothing else reads quite as expensive.

Colour: Cool chocolate brown with a violet cast, lightening slightly with age
Grain: Gently wavy, fine, with crotch and burl figure available
Hardness: Medium-hard · 4 500 N Janka

Imported

Sapele

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Entandrophragma cylindricum

When a client wants a mahogany read at a realistic price and a long, unbroken top, this is the specification.

Colour: Medium reddish brown, deepening with light
Grain: Interlocked with a regular ribbon stripe that shimmers as you move
Hardness: Hard, stable, excellent for large joinery · 6 300 N Janka

Choosing well

The five questions clients actually ask

Which timber for a long dining table?: Kiaat, Blackwood, Sapele or White Oak. All four move very little and are available in lengths beyond 3 m, so the top will not cup a year after delivery.
Which timber for a resin river table?: White Oak or Kiaat for reliability, Walnut for drama. The timber must be dried below 10% moisture before the pour, or the epoxy bond will fail.
Which timber for a hotel or restaurant?: Rhodesian Teak, Sapele or Saligna, finished in two-pack matt lacquer. Choose for wear ratings and replaceability, not for figure.
Which timber for a light, coastal interior?: Cape Yellowwood or limed White Oak. Both stay pale and both take a matt finish that hides salt-air dulling.
What is the most spectacular grain available in South Africa?: Wild Olive, then figured Blackwood, then Black Stinkwood. All three are limited in size — we design the piece around the board rather than the other way around.

Sourcing and sustainability

Plantation and imported stock is FSC-certified where certification exists. Indigenous species — Stinkwood, Tamboti, Wild Olive — are used only as reclaimed, salvaged or permitted dead-standing timber, and we will say so on your quotation. If a species cannot be sourced responsibly for your piece, we will tell you and propose the closest honest alternative rather than substitute it quietly.

Start a commission Materials & craft

Grain plates on this page are colour-accurate studio references for each species. Physical samples of any timber shown here can be couriered before you commit.