Scientific name:
Diospyros spp

Other names:
Mgiriti
Msindi
Omernowa
Kanran
Nyareti
Kukuo
Gaboon

The trees today are few and far between, and of a much smaller size then 20 year ago, found on the Asian, Indian and African continent. They can grow to 50′ in height & 1 1/2′ around, but you’re talking about a tree over 100 years old. The Gaboon Ebony wood can be also referred to as “African Ebony” and does infact come predominately from Africa. Today it is getting more difficult to get the pure black ebonies of the world, and instrument makers are sometimes resorting to dying the wood to improve colour consistency, or finding synthetic substitutes.

Weight:
Basic specific gravity (oven-dry weight/green volume) about 0.82; air-dry density 63 pcf.

Use:
Parts of musical instruments, handles for cutlery and tools, brush backs, carvings, turnery, inlaid work, pens, bottle stoppers, knife handles and jewelry boxes.

General characteristic:
Heartwood uniform jet black or black brown or streaked; sapwood pink colored when freshly cut, darkening to a pale red brown, very variable in width. Texture very fine; grain straight to slightly interlocked or somewhat curly. Sawdust may cause dermatitis.

Working properties:
Heartwood difficult to work with hand and machine tools, has a pronounced dulling effect on tool edges, may pick up in planning if grain is irregular, and takes an excellent polish. Good steam-bending properties.

Drying and shrinkage:
In small dimensions dries fairly rapidly with little tendency to check or warp, may split in log form. Kiln schedule T6-D2 is suggested for 4/4 stock and T3-D1 for 8/4. Shrinkage green to 12% moisture content: radial about 5.5%; tangential about 6.5%.

Durability:
Heartwood rated as very durable, moderately to highly resistant to termite attack.; extremely resistant; sapwood moderately resistant to permeable.