Species data
Bubinga
Guibourtia spp. - a hardwood from equatorial Africa. Also sold as kevazingo, african rosewood.
Properties at a glance
| Janka hardness | 2,410 lbf |
| Stiffness (MOE) | 2,670,000 psi |
| Specific gravity | 0.89 |
| Density | 55.5 lb/ft3 (890 kg/m3) |
| Weight per board foot | 4.63 lb |
| Shrinkage, green to oven-dry | 8.2% tangential / 6% radial |
| Indicative price | $18.00 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 Bubinga compares
Measured against the 113 solid woods in this database: it is harder than 88% of them, heavier than 87%, and stiffer than 93%. Hard enough to be tough on edges and on machinery. At this density a full sheet or a long board gets heavy fast; check the shelf-sag and weight tools before you size anything.
What that means in the shop
A 4/4 board 8 inches wide and 8 feet long is 5.33 board feet, so in Bubinga it weighs about 24.7 lb. A stack of ten is 247 lb - worth knowing before you load a rack or a car.
Against red oak, the trade's usual yardstick at 1,220 lbf, Bubinga is about 2.0x as hard and 1.27x as heavy.
Its shrinkage is 8.2% tangential against 6% radial, a ratio of 1.4 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 Bubinga on hardness in this database: Santos Mahogany (2,400 lbf), East Indian Rosewood (2,350 lbf), Persimmon (2,300 lbf), Purpleheart (2,520 lbf). Similar hardness does not mean similar behaviour - check density and movement before substituting one for another.
Working with it
Workability. Mostly easy, but silica blunts cutters, density and oils hamper gluing, and figured grain may tear out
Durability. Ranges from moderately to very durable by species; fends off termites and marine borers
Typical uses. veneer, inlay, fine furniture, cabinetry, turned objects.
Related calculators
Sources
MOE, SG (12% MC), Janka and shrinkage from The Wood Database (cites USDA FPL Wood Handbook). SG is the 12% MC value from the source's "Basic, 12% MC" pair (0.72, 0.89). Not in the FPL/Hoadley dimensional-change table, so movement coefficients are omitted. Uses, region, durability, workability summarized from The Wood Database. 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.