Wenge African Wood Veneer Information

The natural growth range of Wenge is the open forests of Zaire, Cameroon, Gabon, The Southern regions Tanzania and Mozmbique. On the other end of the spectrum, it can also be found in the swampy forests of the Congo. Wenge is more of a dark brown with black grain woven in for good measure and it does lighten up when exposed to the sun. From what I understand, importers will sometimes request that it purposely be left out in the sun to lighten up before exportation. Something I find interesting is that Wenge logs do not always have great yields primarily because of the susceptability that the species has to worm infestation. Couple this with various supply problems from sources in Africa and you have a wood that isn't always in great supply despite the level its demand may be at. In the US it's used primarily for Architectural purposes. In other parts of the world it may get used for spokes. We typically have quarters and a little flat cut in inventory. I really like to show mill samples for projects that may require a fair amount of veneer because, surprisingly enough, this wood can look very different from one flitch to the next.

Quarter Cut Wenge

Wenge Grain Close-up

Plain Sliced Wenge

Natural to Finish Wenge