Home / Species / African Blackwood
Africa

African Blackwood

Dalbergia mel.

Janka Hardness
804
lbf
Janka (metric)
3576
N
Hardness Class
Medium
Density
0.98
g/cm³
Green MC
40
%
Fiber Saturation
24
%
Radial Shrink
2.9
%
Tangential Shrink
4.8
%
T/R Ratio
1.66
Stability
Excellent

About African Blackwood

African Blackwood (Dalbergia mel.) is a medium-hardness wood balancing workability and wear resistance, with a Janka hardness of 804 lbf (3576 N) and a density of about 0.98 g/cm³. It originates from africa.

With radial shrinkage of 2.9% and tangential shrinkage of 4.8% (a T/R ratio of 1.66), it is very stable in service, with low risk of cupping or distortion. Its fiber saturation point is around 24%, below which the wood begins to shrink and move as it dries.

These figures feed directly into the Vriksai calculators below — select African Blackwood in any of them to get species-specific results for weight, moisture, shrinkage and hardness.

Tools that use this species