African Mahogany — Density, Movement, Workability & Cost

African mahogany isn't one species — "Khaya spp." on a lumber invoice covers several trees in the genus Khaya, native to West and Central Africa, sold interchangeably as a single commercial product the way "walnut" or "oak" sometimes get generalized across close relatives. It trades at roughly half the price of genuine Honduran mahogany, and the reason for the discount is grain structure, not lower quality.

What the interlocked grain actually costs you

At 33.9 lb/ft³ and 850 lbf, African mahogany is close in weight to genuine mahogany (36.8 lb/ft³) but noticeably softer, and its defining trait is interlocked grain — the fibre direction reverses periodically rather than running straight, which is what produces the striped, chatoyant figure prized on quartered faces. That same reversal tears under a standard hand plane every few inches; a high cutting-angle plane, a scraper, or simply sanding through the problem area is not optional on figured boards the way it would be with true Swietenia. It also fuzzes at the router more than genuine mahogany does, so a sharp bit and a climb-cut pass on the final light shaving both help.

Movement, and how it compares to the wood it's sold to replace

A tangential:radial ratio of 1.8 is worse than genuine mahogany's 1.4 but still well under the 2.0 movement-prone line — better-behaved than red oak or hard maple, just not in genuine mahogany's class. A 20"-wide flatsawn door panel moving from an 11% moisture content down to a dry 6% MC contracts about 0.150" (3.8mm) across its width, computed from this species' own 4.5% tangential shrinkage. That's meaningfully more movement than the same panel would show in genuine mahogany, though still a modest figure by hardwood standards generally. Run your own dimensions on the wood movement calculator. A 3/4"-thick, 20"-wide, 80"-tall door panel like the one above weighs about 23.5 lb — check other sizes on the wood weight calculator.

Gluing and finishing around the grain problem

Gluing is reliable, but because the interlocked grain makes truly flat surfaces harder to achieve with a hand plane, both mating faces need genuinely careful jointing rather than a quick pass — a glue joint over a subtly wavy interlocked-grain surface is weaker than the same joint on a flat one. The coarse, open pores need filling for anything approaching the smooth period look genuine mahogany achieves more easily, and it takes dye evenly, which is why guitar builders often dye rather than stain African mahogany bodies and necks.

Cost, sustainability, and a permitting detail worth knowing

At around $11 per board foot, it's genuinely the budget entry point into "mahogany-family" wood — about half of genuine mahogany's $22 and still below sapele's $14. Every population of African Khaya sits in CITES Appendix II under annotation #17, which is broader than the annotation covering genuine mahogany: it reaches past raw logs and sawn boards into transformed wood, meaning mouldings, flooring and tongue-and-groove stock all travel under permit, not just rough lumber. Finished furniture is still exempt. This was checked against the appendices in force from 5 March 2026, following CoP20. The dust is a recorded irritant — sneezing and dermatitis are commonly reported by woodworkers who mill it regularly.

Where it's used, and the trade-off against the real thing

Boatbuilding, furniture, guitar bodies and necks, interior joinery and veneer are the five uses this species shows up in most, and the guitar trade in particular treats it as a genuine tonal alternative to genuine mahogany rather than just a cheaper substitute — its slightly lower density is sometimes preferred for weight-conscious solid-body designs. Compared directly against honduran-mahogany, the choice is really about budget and tolerance for tearout: African mahogany costs half as much and looks similar from across a room, but a builder doing fine hand-tool work on show surfaces will spend real extra time managing the interlocked grain that genuine mahogany simply doesn't have.

Common questions about African mahogany

Is African mahogany actually a different tree, or just a regional name for the same species? A genuinely different genus-level relative — Khaya is related to Swietenia (genuine mahogany) within the same Meliaceae family, but they are not the same tree, and the differences in grain structure and movement described above come from that real botanical distinction.

Why does my African mahogany project have inconsistent figure from board to board? Because "Khaya spp." covers multiple species sold under one trade name, and individual log-to-log variation in how strongly the grain interlocks is normal — a board with dramatic ribbon figure and one with much subtler striping can both legitimately be sold as African mahogany.

Can it be used outdoors like teak or ipe? Its heartwood is moderately durable, respectable for exterior joinery with regular maintenance, but the sapwood has essentially no decay resistance and is prone to borer attack — sort sapwood out of any outdoor project rather than assuming the whole board is safe.

CITES status was confirmed against the appendices valid from 5 March 2026, post-CoP20 — check the appendices directly before importing, since listings can shift at each Conference of the Parties.