African Blackwood

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Common Name(s): African blackwood, Mpingo (Swahili)

Scientific Name: Dalbergia melanoxylon

Distribution: Dry savanna regions of central and southern Africa

Tree Size: 20-30 ft (6-9 m) tall,

                 2-3 ft (.6-1.0 m) trunk diameter

Average Dried Weight: 79 lbs/ft3 (1,270 kg/m3)

Specific Gravity (Basic, 12% MC): 1.08, 1.27

Janka Hardness: 3,670 lbf (16,320 N)


Comments: To be considered the original ebony, African Blackwood was imported and used in Ancient Egypt thousands of years ago. Even the name “ebony” has an Egyptian derivation as “hbny”—which has been shown to refer to primarily to Dalbergia melanoxylon, rather than the species which are considered to be ebony today: such as those in the Diospyros genus. In addition, African blackwood is technically in the Rosewood genus (Dalbergia), and is more stable and resistant to movement and warping than other types of ebony.