Khaya / African Mahogany — Colour, Grain and Uses

Khaya / African Mahogany — Colour, Grain and Uses

Khaya is the African mahogany genus, a group of tropical African hardwoods valued for warm colour, ribbon figure and good finishing properties. Material sold as “African mahogany” can include several Khaya species, so the trade name alone does not establish an exact species.

Species profile

Botanical identity Khaya ivorensis is one of the principal species in the African mahogany trade, alongside related Khaya species.

Range & habitat K. ivorensis is native to West and west-central tropical Africa and occurs primarily in wet tropical forest.

Colour & appearance Heartwood ranges from pale pinkish brown to red-brown and typically deepens with exposure. Grain may be straight or interlocked, with medium-to-coarse texture and a natural golden lustre.

Figure Interlocked grain can produce ribbon stripe on quartersawn surfaces, while some boards show pronounced shimmer or chatoyance.

Density Reference data for K. ivorensis places typical density around 460–570 kg/m³ at 12% moisture content, making it a medium-weight hardwood.

Working character Khaya generally dries well and can machine and finish beautifully, although interlocked grain can tear during planing. Sharp cutters and controlled cutting angles improve difficult figured surfaces.

Durability African mahogany is generally considered moderately durable rather than a severe-service exterior timber.

Typical uses Furniture, cabinetry, veneer, plywood, interior joinery, boatbuilding, architectural trim and turned work.

Identification note Colour and ribbon figure are useful clues but overlap with other mahogany-like timbers. Without provenance or anatomical confirmation, genus-level identification is more defensible than assigning an exact Khaya species from appearance alone.

Visual reference

Khaya ivorensis African mahogany tree

Grain variations

Khaya African mahogany grain, Exotica Wood
Khaya African mahogany grain variation, Exotica Wood
Pink African mahogany Khaya grain, Exotica Wood

Exotica Wood example

Real African mahogany Khaya blanks 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.