Species data
Afrormosia
Pericopsis elata - a hardwood from west Africa. Also sold as afromosia, african teak.
Properties at a glance
| Janka hardness | 1,570 lbf |
| Stiffness (MOE) | 1,715,000 psi |
| Specific gravity | 0.72 |
| Density | 44.9 lb/ft3 (720 kg/m3) |
| Weight per board foot | 3.74 lb |
| Shrinkage, green to oven-dry | 6.2% tangential / 3.2% radial |
| Indicative price | $16.00 per board foot (estimated) |
Values are at about 12% moisture content. Density is specific gravity times 62.4; a board foot is one twelfth of a cubic foot, so weight per board foot is that density divided by twelve. Anything marked estimated is our own figure, not a measured one.
How Afrormosia compares
Measured against the 113 solid woods in this database: it is harder than 69% of them, heavier than 65%, and stiffer than 58%.
What that means in the shop
A 4/4 board 8 inches wide and 8 feet long is 5.33 board feet, so in Afrormosia it weighs about 20.0 lb. A stack of ten is 200 lb - worth knowing before you load a rack or a car.
Against red oak, the trade's usual yardstick at 1,220 lbf, Afrormosia is about 1.3x as hard and 1.03x as heavy.
Its shrinkage is 6.2% tangential against 3.2% radial, a ratio of 1.9 to 1. The wider that ratio, the more unevenly a flatsawn board moves across its width as humidity changes, and the more it wants to cup; anything near or above 2 to 1 is worth quartersawing or restraining for panels and wide tops. This one moves comparatively evenly.
Woods of similar hardness
Closest to Afrormosia on hardness in this database: Honey Locust (1,580 lbf), Swamp White Oak (1,600 lbf), Canarywood (1,520 lbf), European Hornbeam (1,630 lbf). Similar hardness does not mean similar behaviour - check density and movement before substituting one for another.
Working with it
Workability. Works easily, though interlocked grain may tear; stains, finishes, glues and turns nicely
Durability. Very durable, with solid resistance to insects and borers
Typical uses. boatbuilding, flooring, furniture, veneer.
Related calculators
Sources
MOE, SG (12% MC), Janka and shrinkage from The Wood Database (cites USDA FPL Wood Handbook). CT/CR omitted: afrormosia is not listed in the FPL/Hoadley dimensional change coefficient table. Uses, region, durability and workability summarized from The Wood Database. CITES Appendix II / IUCN endangered. Price indicative.
These calculators are for planning and estimation. Engineering results (shelf sag, wood movement) use published average material properties; real boards vary by grade, grain, moisture and defects. Verify load-bearing designs with a professional.