Veneer Utile 0.90 mm

The heartwood of the Sipo has a reddish-brown colour with a violet-brown tinge. The pattern of this wood is more irregular and uneven than that of the very similar sapele. On the radial surfaces, there are different conspicuous glossy stripes, which give the wood an interesting depth.

Trade names and other names

German: Sipo
 English: Utile
 French: Sipo, Assié
 Italian: Sipo
 Spanish: n.a.
 Dutch: n.a.
 Portuguese: n.a.
 Arabic: n.a.
 Chinese: 西非洲楝

Available veneer thicknesses

0.9 mm, other thicknesses on request

Occurrence

Sipo mahogany is found throughout tropical Africa, both in West Africa and partly in East Africa.

Trunk and bark

Sipo-Mahagnoi is one of the most beautiful and largest trees in Africa, up to 50m high and with a diameter of up to 2m, with tall, board-like roots reaching up to 6m trunk height. The stem in Sipo-Mahogany is straight-shafted and cylindrical; knot-free lengths up to 25m and diameters up to 2m; defects in the inner core, such as transverse or short fractures, are occasionally possible in extremely strong stems. The bark of Sipo-Mahogany is up to 4cm thick, light to brown-grey, hard, heavily grooved and flaking.

Characteristics and wood colour

The grain is alternately twisted, producing a differently pronounced glossy striation on rift cuts, often more even and narrow in darker woods. Sapwood about 5 to 10 cm wide; light pinkish-grey, partly darkening to reddish towards the inside. Heartwood pinkish brown to reddish brown; the full darkening occurs after drying, with dark heartwood to purplish brown. The depth of colour is not bound to any particular area of origin; lightening may occur with very strong exposure.