Ovangkol
Scientific name: Guibourtia ehie
Overview
Ovangkol is an African hardwood valued for its attractive grain variation, warm brown coloration, and balanced working properties. It is sometimes compared to walnut or rosewood due to its appearance, but it offers its own distinctive character with subtle striping and color variation.
Widely used in furniture, cabinetry, and musical instruments, Ovangkol is appreciated for combining visual interest with relatively manageable workability compared to many dense exotic hardwoods.
Quick Facts
- Common Name: Ovangkol
- Scientific Name: Guibourtia ehie
- Region: African Hardwoods (West Africa – Ghana, Ivory Coast, and surrounding regions)
- Tree Size: 100–130 ft tall, 3–4 ft trunk diameter
- Average Dried Weight: 49 lbs/ft³ (785 kg/m³)
- Janka Hardness: 1,330 lbf
- Color: Yellowish brown to dark brown with gray or black streaks
- Grain: Interlocked
- Texture: Medium to coarse
Identification Characteristics
Ovangkol is most easily identified by its striped or mottled grain pattern and warm brown base color accented with darker brown or black streaks. The appearance can range from fairly uniform to highly figured depending on the board.
The grain pattern often becomes more pronounced after finishing.
Key identification traits include:
- Brown to golden-brown heartwood
- Dark streaking or ribbon-like figure
- Medium to coarse texture
- Noticeable color variation between boards
Working Properties
Ovangkol is considered moderately easy to work compared to many African hardwoods.
- Machines and hand-tools well
- Interlocked grain may cause minor tear-out
- Sands and finishes reliably
- Glues well with standard woodworking adhesives
- Generally stable when properly dried
Its predictable behavior makes it suitable for both furniture making and detailed work.
Safety Note
Dust from Ovangkol may cause skin, eye, or respiratory irritation in some individuals. Proper dust collection, eye protection, and respiratory protection are recommended during machining and sanding.
Common Uses
Ovangkol is used in a wide range of applications, including:
- Furniture and cabinetry
- Decorative veneers
- Flooring
- Musical instruments (especially guitars)
- Turned objects and specialty items
It is often chosen when a wood with visual interest similar to rosewood is desired without the same level of workability challenges.
Sustainability & Notes
Ovangkol is not currently listed under CITES restrictions, but responsible sourcing remains important due to regional harvesting pressures.
Buyers should seek reputable suppliers that follow sustainable and legal harvesting practices.
Comparative Notes & Related Species
Bubinga – A closely related species in the Guibourtia genus known for its rich reddish tones and frequent use in furniture and veneers.
African Rosewood – Another Guibourtia species valued for its strength and attractive grain, often used in cabinetry and decorative woodworking.
Wenge – A dense African hardwood with darker coloration and bold grain contrast, commonly used in furniture and flooring.
Related Guides
Understanding Interlocked vs Straight Grain
Explains how grain structure affects appearance and workability, which is important for Ovangkol’s varied and sometimes interlocked grain patterns
How to Identify Wood by End Grain Patterns
Learn how to identify wood species by examining pores, rays, and growth rings through the end grain—the most accurate method for wood identification.
Identifying Unknown Wood Samples
Provides practical methods for identifying wood by grain, color, and texture, which is useful when distinguishing Ovangkol from similar tropical hardwoods.
Zebrawood vs. Goncalo Alves
Explore Zebrawood vs. Goncalo Alves to compare two boldly figured exotic hardwoods and see how their appearance, density, workability, and applications differ.
Bubinga vs. Rosewood
Explore Bubinga vs. Rosewood to compare these premium hardwoods in color, figure, density, workability, and use in furniture and musical instruments.
Compare Wood Properties
See how this species ranks in density and hardness using our Wood Density & Janka Hardness Chart. You can also explore Hardest Woods, Softest Woods, and Most Dense Woods for quick comparisons.
Collector Notes
Ovangkol is valued by collectors for its dramatic color contrast and naturally expressive grain. Well-seasoned material commonly exhibits a yellow-brown to olive base color accented by darker brown or nearly black streaking, giving each board a distinctive, often bold appearance that becomes more defined with age and finishing.
Boards showing strong striping, flowing grain, or high contrast are especially sought after for decorative furniture, panels, and instrument-related applications, while more uniform material is typically reserved for structural or secondary use. Because Ovangkol can vary widely from board to board, collectors often favor pieces that clearly showcase the species’ natural visual character.
Properly dried and older stock is particularly desirable, as Ovangkol benefits from extended seasoning to improve stability and reduce movement. Collectors often prefer material that has already completed its initial color settling, making it more predictable for long-term storage, display, or curated wood sample collections.
Share Your Photos of This Species
Do you have lumber, wood samples, tree photographs, woodworking projects, furniture, carvings, turnings, musical instruments, or other items made from this species?
Exotic Woods of the World welcomes photographs from woodworkers, collectors, sawyers, researchers, and wood enthusiasts around the world. Selected submissions may be featured on this page and throughout our website to help document and showcase real-world examples of this species.
When submitting photos, please include the common name, scientific name (if known), a brief description, and any information you would like us to share with the image.
Wood Sample Collection
This species is part of an ongoing effort to document and preserve wood samples from around the world.
Learn more about contributing to the collection:
Resources
Authoritative botanical and forestry references used in compiling information about this species include:
• USDA Forest Service – Wood Handbook: Wood as an Engineering Material
https://www.fpl.fs.usda.gov/products/publications/
• The Wood Database – Global reference for wood identification, physical properties, and woodworking characteristics
https://www.wood-database.com/
• Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew – Plants of the World Online – Botanical taxonomy and species distribution database
https://powo.science.kew.org/
• International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN Red List) – Global conservation status assessments
https://www.iucnredlist.org/
• Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES) – International trade regulations for protected plant species
https://cites.org/
Additional forestry publications, academic research papers, and regional timber studies may also be referenced where available.
Love This Species?
Enjoy learning about this wood species?
Help support the continued growth of Exotic Woods of the World by participating in our Adopt a Species program. Your support helps fund species research, educational content, photography, videos, and future conservation awareness initiatives.
Support Forest Conservation
This species is part of the growing Exotic Woods of the World reference archive, dedicated to documenting and preserving knowledge of the world’s wood species.
Through the Adopt a Species program, visitors can help support ongoing species research, educational content, photography, video production, and future conservation awareness initiatives.
Contributions help fund the continued expansion of this archive while promoting sustainable forestry education and the long-term appreciation of the world’s forests.
Interested in supporting this species? Visit our Adopt a Species and Conservation Partners pages to learn more.
Availability & Where to Buy
Exotic hardwood availability can vary significantly depending on region, sustainability regulations, and supplier inventory.
As this archive grows, recommended suppliers and specialty wood retailers will be listed here to help woodworkers locate responsibly sourced material.
Lumber Suppliers:
Availability varies — see the Where to Buy Exotic Woods page for current sources.
Related Tools & Products:
Availability varies — see the Where to Buy Exotic Woods page for current sources.
Share This Wood Species
Stay Connected
Follow the latest species additions, educational resources, videos, conservation initiatives, and major project milestones through our Site Updates archive.
The Site Updates archive provides a permanent record of new content, library growth, and future developments across Exotic Woods of the World.