Black Limba — Dark Streaks, Grain and Uses

Black Limba — Dark Streaks, Grain and Uses

Black Limba is figured or dark-streaked wood from Terminalia superba, the same species traded as limba, afara, ofram or fraké. The “black” name describes dramatic coloration within the wood rather than a separate botanical species.

Species profile

Botanical name Terminalia superba.

Range & habitat Native across tropical West and Central Africa, where it occurs in rainforest and related forest formations.

Colour & appearance Base colour can range from pale yellow or greyish tones to light brown, while selected boards may carry dark brown, grey or nearly black streaks. Grain is usually straight to slightly interlocked and the texture is moderately coarse.

Density Reported density is broad—roughly 430–730 kg/m³ at 12% moisture content—so individual boards can vary substantially in weight and feel.

Drying & stability Limba generally air dries rapidly with relatively little degrade, and properly dried stock is considered stable in service.

Working character The wood is usually easy to saw and machine with only mild blunting of cutting edges. Interlocked or figured areas can still benefit from sharp tools and light finishing cuts.

Typical uses Furniture, interior joinery, veneer, plywood, turnery, musical instruments, mouldings and decorative work.

Identification note Dark streaking is highly recognizable in black limba, but the amount and pattern vary from board to board. A pale limba board and a strongly black-streaked board can still come from the same species.

Visual reference

Terminalia superba Limba tree

Grain variations

Quartersawn Black Limba board with flame figure
Black Limba wood grain from Exotica Wood
Black Limba grain variation from Exotica Wood

Exotica Wood example

Exotica Wood mixed hardwood set including Black Limba

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.