Species data
African Padauk
Pterocarpus soyauxii - a hardwood from central and tropical west Africa. Also sold as vermillion.
Properties at a glance
| Janka hardness | 1,710 lbf |
| Stiffness (MOE) | 1,895,000 psi |
| Specific gravity | 0.75 |
| Density | 46.8 lb/ft3 (750 kg/m3) |
| Weight per board foot | 3.90 lb |
| Shrinkage, green to oven-dry | 5% tangential / 3.1% radial |
| Indicative price | $12.00 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 African Padauk compares
Measured against the 113 solid woods in this database: it is harder than 74% of them, heavier than 70%, and stiffer than 74%.
What that means in the shop
A 4/4 board 8 inches wide and 8 feet long is 5.33 board feet, so in African Padauk it weighs about 20.8 lb. A stack of ten is 208 lb - worth knowing before you load a rack or a car.
Against red oak, the trade's usual yardstick at 1,220 lbf, African Padauk is about 1.4x as hard and 1.07x as heavy.
Its shrinkage is 5% tangential against 3.1% radial, a ratio of 1.6 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 African Padauk on hardness in this database: Black Locust (1,700 lbf), Garapa (1,650 lbf), American Hornbeam (1,780 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. Usually easy, though quartersawn or interlocked grain may tear; turns and glues well, with large pores needing filling
Durability. Durable to very durable, with strong decay resistance and good defense against termites and other insects
Typical uses. veneer, flooring, turned objects, musical instruments, furniture, tool handles.
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 (0.63, 0.75). 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.