African Padouk — Vivid Red Colour and Craft Uses

African Padouk — Vivid Red Colour and Craft Uses

African Padouk is prized for vivid orange-red heartwood that deepens toward red-brown as light, oxidation and age change the surface.

Species profile

Botanical name Pterocarpus soyauxii.

Range & habitat Tropical West and Central Africa, where the species occurs in humid forest.

Colour Fresh heartwood can be bright pinkish-orange to vivid red, then darkens substantially with exposure and time.

Grain & texture Usually straight to interlocked, with a coarse, open texture and strong natural contrast.

Workability Generally workable with sharp tools, although interlocked grain can tear and the intensely coloured dust can stain surrounding surfaces.

Odour A mild characteristic scent may be noticed while cutting or sanding.

Uses Furniture, flooring, veneer, musical instruments, tool handles, decorative work and turning.

Identification note The dramatic colour change is characteristic, but colour alone is not proof of species; anatomy, grain and documented origin remain important.

Visual reference

African Padouk tree reference — Pterocarpus soyauxii

Grain variations

African Padouk grain — Exotica Wood
African Padouk grain variation — Exotica Wood
African Padouk large blank grain — Exotica Wood

Exotica Wood example

African Padouk piece from Exotica Wood

EVIDENCE TRAIL

Go deeper. Verify the material.

Exotica Woods separates trade names, visual clues and confirmed botanical identity. These specialist references let you continue the investigation beyond this article.

01
Kew — Plants of the World Online

Accepted botanical names, synonyms, native range, distribution and plant-level taxonomy.

 02
InsideWood — Wood Anatomy

Microscopic and macroscopic anatomy using IAWA wood-identification features and reference images.

 03
USDA Forest Products Laboratory

Wood structure, moisture, physical properties, mechanical behaviour, drying, durability and engineering context.

 04
CITES — Timber Identification

Identification resources and trade-regulation material for listed timber groups and species.

 05
IUCN Red List

Species-level conservation assessments, range, population trend, threats and conservation actions when assessed.
Identification rule: wood anatomy can often narrow an unknown sample to a genus or group, but species-level identification is not always possible from wood alone. When the evidence does not justify certainty, Exotica keeps the identification conservative.