Home / Species / Wenge

By Deepak Kumar · Founder, Vriksai

Africa

Wenge

Millettia laurentii

Also known as dikela, awong, African rosewood · Botanical Millettia laurentii

Last updated: 15 July 2026Reviewed by: Vriksai editorial team — timber trade professionalsEditorial policy

Revision history

17 July 2026 — Data re-verified in site-wide audit (formulas, sources, durability classes)
15 July 2026 — Working properties and comparable-species data cross-checked against listed sources

🪵Hardwood🌧Outdoor💧Moisture Stable

Janka Hardness

1930WD

lbf

Janka (metric)

8585calc

Hardness Class

Hardcalc

Density

0.80wd

g/cm³

MOE

17.6wd

GPa

MOR

151.7WD

MPa

Durability

Class 1

Very Durable

Fire (E84)

Class B

indicative

Thermal k

0.213

W/m·K

Green MC

55—

Fiber Saturation

26—

Radial Shrink

4.8WD

Tangential Shrink

8.1WD

T/R Ratio

1.69derived

Stability

Excellentcalc

About the fire rating. Indicative only, derived from density and published data — not a certified rating. Real performance depends on product, thickness, coating and installation. What our ratings do and do not certify.

Compare this wood:⚖ vs Ebony ⚖ vs Jarrah All comparisons →

About Wenge

Wenge (Millettia laurentii) is a hard, wear-resistant timber that is heavy going on tools, with a Janka hardness of 1,630 lbf (7,250 N) and a density of about 0.8 g/cm³. It grows in Africa.

At 4.8% radial and 8.1% tangential the T/R ratio is 1.69 — typical, and manageable in exterior joinery and cladding provided the gaps are designed rather than assumed. Its fibre saturation point is near 26%. Below it, movement is the governing constraint on this species: 8.1% tangential against 4.8% radial, a T/R ratio of 1.69. Flatsawn boards will cup; quartersawn stock is worth the premium here. — wide boards need real expansion room, not a token gap.

At 800 kg/m³ a cubic metre of Wenge weighs about 800 kg air-dry — that figure, the 8.1% tangential and 4.8% radial movement and the 1,930 lbf hardness are the three inputs the calculators below actually consume. Select Wenge in any of them to get species-specific results for weight, moisture, shrinkage and hardness.

Working properties

How Wenge behaves at the bench and on the machine, drawn from the ITTO tropical-timber service and African hardwood technical sheets.

MachiningHard going. It saws and machines with force, and the heat its density generates blunts cutting edges rapidly — keep tools as sharp as possible. It turns well, but sands unevenly because the light and dark bands differ in density.

FasteningPre-drill for nails and screws, especially in thicker sections; the wood is hard and elastic but tends to split.

GluingDemanding — wenge is often resinous, and those resin cells interfere with bonding. Prepare surfaces freshly and wipe them with solvent moments before glue-up, much as you would with teak.

FinishingIts very large pores need substantial filling for a level surface, and the resin can fight varnish. Once filled and finished, the near-black heartwood with its pale striping is the whole point of the wood.

Steam bendingNot a bending timber.

DryingAir-dries slowly with a risk of checking, and shrinkage rates are fairly high. Once dry it is notably stable, but that comes from an unusually even T/R ratio of about 1.7, not from low total movement: it shrinks about as much overall as red oak, just far more uniformly, so it cups and distorts very little.

Durability & use classification

Wenge heartwood is rated very durable (EN 350 Class 1) and resistant to termites and Lyctus attack, making it suited even to persistently damp conditions; it is nearly impossible to treat with preservative. Two genuine safety cautions: its splinters are notoriously slow to heal and prone to going septic, so handle unfinished stock with gloves; and the dust is a documented sensitiser that can cause abdominal cramps plus eye, skin and respiratory irritation — use extraction and a respirator.

Typical applications & suitability

Indoor Outdoor — Primarily a premium decorative and flooring timber where its dark colour and hardness earn their keep, though its durability also permits exterior use.

Documented end-uses: strip and parquet flooring (often as a dark accent against lighter timber), high-end furniture and cabinetry, decorative veneer and panelling, joinery and general construction, musical instruments (guitar necks, fingerboards, bodies), turned objects, and sporting goods where its impact resistance substitutes for hickory.

Comparable species

Species closest to Wenge by density, hardness, stiffness and bending strength, computed directly from the Vriksai species dataset rather than hand-picked.

Balau780 kg/m³ · 1700 lbf Bangkirai850 kg/m³ · 1798 lbf Garapa720 kg/m³ · 1650 lbf Merbau740 kg/m³ · 1712 lbf

Trade alternatives. For a comparably dark, dense hardwood consider African Blackwood or Ebony at the premium end, or Indian Rosewood for warmer tones. Panga panga (Millettia stuhlmannii) is wenge's close relative and direct substitute. Wenge is IUCN-listed as endangered, so source it certified.

Alternatives to Wenge

Wenge measures 1,930 lbf Janka at 0.80 g/cm³, EN 350 durability Class 1, movement rated Excellent. Anything replacing Wenge outdoors has to hold Class 1 durability and carry the load — so nothing below that class appears here, however well it matches on hardness. Read the numbers against the Janka scale and EN 350 durability classes.

Step up — harder than Wenge

For decking, marine work and structural exposure where the surface takes impact as well as weather. Expect slower machining, faster tool wear and more weight to handle on site.

Ebony2,430 lbf · 0.90 g/cm³ · Class 1+26% Janka · 0.90 g/cm³ Indian Rosewood2,440 lbf · 0.75 g/cm³ · Class 1+26% Janka Spotted Gum2,473 lbf · 0.85 g/cm³ · Class 2+28% Janka

Step down — softer than Wenge

Lighter sections, easier fixing and lower freight per m³ — while holding the exterior durability class. Useful where the spec is over-engineered for the actual load.

Balau1,700 lbf · 0.78 g/cm³ · Class 2-12% Janka Merbau1,712 lbf · 0.74 g/cm³ · Class 1-11% Janka · 0.74 g/cm³ Shisham Sissoo1,660 lbf · 0.75 g/cm³ · Class 2-14% Janka

Similar, but more dimensionally stable

Exterior sections move most, and a dense timber that moves takes fixings and joints with it. These hold their dimension better in the same durability class. Size the gaps with the shrinkage predictor and EMC calculator.

Iroko1,260 lbf · 0.55 g/cm³ · Class 1T/R ratio 1.36 vs 1.69 — less cupping tendency · 3.8% tangential movement vs 8.1%Spotted Gum2,473 lbf · 0.85 g/cm³ · Class 2T/R ratio 1.50 vs 1.69 — less cupping tendency · 6.0% tangential movement vs 8.1%Ebony2,430 lbf · 0.90 g/cm³ · Class 1T/R ratio 1.18 vs 1.69 — less cupping tendency · 6.5% tangential movement vs 8.1%

Closest overall match

If Wenge is unavailable and the specification cannot change, these are the nearest substitutes across hardness, density, movement, stiffness, bending strength and durability class together — not on any single property. Lower distance means a closer match.

Ebonymatch 1.432,430 lbf · 0.90 g/cm³ · Class 12,430 lbf vs 1,930 · 0.90 vs 0.80 g/cm³ Jarrahmatch 1.751,910 lbf · 0.82 g/cm³ · Class 11,910 lbf vs 1,930 · 0.82 vs 0.80 g/cm³ Cumarumatch 2.493,330 lbf · 0.87 g/cm³ · Class 13,330 lbf vs 1,930 · 0.87 vs 0.80 g/cm³

Computed from measured properties only — hardness, density, movement, stiffness, bending strength and EN 350 class. Price, availability and appearance are never inputs. Figures are representative values, not consignment absolutes: two species within a few percent are equivalent until verified on the material. Full method and the rules the engine cannot break.

Substituting outdoors is a match on durability class and movement first. Colour and grain can be matched later; a wrong durability class shows up as a callback in three monsoons. Where two candidates are close, compare them directly before specifying.

Compare Wenge side by side

The pairings below are the ones that actually come up in exterior and structural tendering. Every pairing shows the measured figures side by side; full matrix in the comparison index.

Wenge vs JarrahSide-by-side data · 1,910 lbf Wenge vs EbonySide-by-side data · 2,430 lbf

Calculators relevant to Wenge

Sized for exterior and load-bearing work in Wenge — spans, fixings, weathering gaps and freight weight. Full set in the tool index.

Timber Post & Column Load CalculatorConstruction Cladding Coverage CalculatorThermoWood Fiber Saturation Point Calculator for WoodWood Science Wood Shrinkage CalculatorWood Science Shelf Sag CalculatorJoinery Timber Screw Spacing Calculator (EC5 & IS 883)Joinery Veneer Matching GuideManufacturing Bark Deduction CalculatorMeasurement

Understand the figures

Janka hardness scale — how the lbf figure is measured · Wood density reference — oven-dry vs air-dry basis · Moisture content — EMC, FSP and service conditions · Strength properties — MOR, MOE and what they govern.

Further reading. Wood moisture content explained · How to calculate board feet.

Common questions about Wenge

How hard is Wenge, and what does that mean in practice?

At 1,630 lbf (7,250 N) it sits in the hard range — it shrugs off dents and heavy traffic, which is why it suits busy floors, stair treads and worktops. The trade-off shows at the bench: keep cutters sharp, pre-drill every fixing, and work it more slowly than a medium hardwood.

Can Wenge be used outdoors without treatment?

Largely yes. It's rated Very Durable (Class 1) under EN 350, meaning the heartwood naturally resists decay and can handle exterior exposure — decking, cladding, garden furniture — without chemical preservatives. Two caveats worth knowing: the pale sapwood isn't durable, so it should be cut away for outdoor work, and 'durable' isn't 'immortal' — it'll still silver and weather, so a UV oil keeps the colour if you care about looks.

Does Wenge move much once it's installed?

It's one of the more stable timbers, which is part of its appeal. At 4.8% radial and 8.1% tangential the T/R ratio is 1.69 — typical, and manageable in exterior joinery and cladding provided the gaps are designed rather than assumed. You'll still want it dried to the right moisture content for your climate, but cupping and gaps are less of a worry than with a less stable wood.

unverified no published source for this figure · WD The Wood Database (Eric Meier) · calc derived from the figures above · — no published source found

Tools that use this species

Janka Database ToolHardness for 60 species Green Weight CalculatorWeight of green timber Shrinkage PredictorDimensional movement EMC CalculatorEquilibrium moisture content Fiber Saturation CalculatorFSP by species Volume Converterm3, CFT, board feet

Sources & references

The Wood Database (Eric Meier) — compiled species data, one of the references behind the panel above. Which figure comes from which reference is not recorded field by field. Spot checks show the numbers do trace to published sources, but not all to the same one: strength values for US species follow the USDA FPL Wood Handbook exactly, while European species draw on European references instead. So a figure that disagrees with any single reference here is not necessarily wrong — different bodies measure specific gravity and shrinkage on different bases. If a number matters to your work, check it against the reference you intend to rely on.
ITTO — International Tropical Timber Organization species database (Millettia laurentii) · durability, drying, silica, treatability
African hardwood technical sheets — wenge working-property and parquet-trade data · machining, gluing, uses
Wood-safety references — documented dust and splinter hazards for wenge · health cautions
EN 350 — European standard for natural durability of wood · durability class

Updated 15 Jul 2026 Values are representative; wood varies with provenance, age and grade. Confirm critical structural or fire figures against a test report for your actual product.