Ebony is one of the premium and expensive timbers, which is primarily used for making high-quality furniture, cabinets, musical instruments, and other wood objects. black ebony wood has over 10 species, scattered around different parts of the world. One thing that is common in almost all ebony wood types is their dense structure and high durability.
Whether you are looking to buy the best quality ebony or just want to know more about one of the strongest timbers in the world, you’re at the right place.
CameroonTimberExportSarl is a premium exporter of top quality African timber species and wood logs to woodworkers all over the world. Contact us to know mor e about our wood species, availability and prices.
Ebony Timber Introduction
Ebony is a hardwood found in many parts of the world. It’s strong and has good resistance to termites and insect attacks. Ebony has a natural black or dark brown color, which looks good on any object made from it. The stripes of the wood are generally black or dark brown. The Janka score of the hardest Brazilian ebony is 3,690, which makes it one of the strongest woods on the planet.
Some of the most famous species of Ebony include Gaboon Ebony (African Ebony), Macassar Ebony, Brown Ebony, Ceylon Ebony, Mauritius Ebony, and others.
Ebony trees have an average height of 20-30 feet and a lifespan of more than 500 years. The wood is so hard and dense that it does not float on top of the water.
Ebony lumber is not always readily available and can be very expensive depending on the demand and availability in a specific region.
Ebony Wood Properties: Pros & Cons
There are some properties that almost all the ebony wood types share. These include hardness, durability, termite resistance, and appearance.
Appearance/color: Ebony can be easily distinguished based on its unique appearance and color. It has a natural dark appearance, with color ranging from jet black to dark brown, depending on the species.
Durability: Ebony timber is known for its dense structure and high durability, which make the wood quite resistant to insects, termites and moisture. Furniture and other objects made from ebony require little maintenance and would easily last a hundred or more years.
Strength and Hardness: Ebony is a really hard wood and has great strength. In fact, hardness is one of the main ways to identify ebony. The wood is ideal to be used in places with high load requirements.
Ebony grain and texture: Ebony generally has a straight grain with uniform texture, which makes it both attractive and easy to work with.
Workability: Though most species of Ebony have a straight, uniform grain pattern, some might have irregular grain, which can sometimes make it difficult to work, especially with hands and small tools. However, it works fine with electric machines and is easy to glue, paint, and polish.
The biggest disadvantage of Ebony wood is its high price because of its rare availability.
Availability: Even though Ebony has over 10 species and grows in all parts of the world, its slow growth rate (12 to 24 years) is the reason behind its scarce availability. Also, the wood is produced by limited manufacturers, it is not readily available and is very expensive.
Price: Ebony is one of the most expensive woods in the world. Since it has outstanding durability and strength properties, it is always in high demand. But, the limited supply of Ebony makes it expensive to buy.
From CameroonTimberExportSarl, you can buy top-quality African Ebony at the best price online. We provide doorstep delivery in Canada, Australia, UAE, Saudi Arabia, Malaysia, and all other countries in Europe and the Middle East.
Ebony Wood Types
Ebony has the following 10 major species:
1. Ceylon Ebony – evergreen, 60 to 85 feet tall, big leaves, jet-black heartwood, smooth texture, very durable and decay-resistant
Distribution: Indonesia, Sri Lanka and India
2. Gaboon Ebony/African ebony – evergreen, 16 to 60 feet tall, termite-proof, dark grey stripes
Distribution: African Savannah
3. Macassar Ebony – Up to 65 feet tall, wider brown streaks, easy to work with
Distribution: Sulawesi, Indonesia
4. Pale moon Ebony – Up to 115 feet tall, yellow fruits, yellow heartwood, pale white sapwood, black and white stripes, very durable, moderate insect resistance
Distribution: Indian subcontinent and Southeast Asia
5. Coromandel Ebony – jet black heartwood, light brown sapwood, leaves and bark have medicinal properties
Distribution: Sri Lanka and India
6. Mauritius Ebony – up to 65 feet tall, dark to light green leaves, black while heartwood, white sapwood, Straight grain, Moderate Rot Resistance
Distribution: Mauritius
7. Mun Ebony – black and brown stripes, medium brown heartwood, pale yellow sapwood, straight grain, uniform texture, low to medium rot resistance
Distribution: Vietnam and Laos
8. Myrtle Ebony – Up to 130 feet tall, white and red flowers
Distribution: Queensland, Australia
9. Queensland Ebony – used for cabinet making, low to medium rot-resistant
Distribution: coast of Queensland and Northern NSW
10. Brazilian ebony – 50 to 75 feet tall, very hard, heavy, straight grain, nearly black color,
Distribution: Brazil
Ebony Wood Uses
This wood is exclusively treated for making premium quality, expensive objects, including furniture items, musical instruments, turned objects, and decorative objects.
Ebony is a wood of choice for making high-quality, durable furniture items that would last very long. Since it is strong and looks really good, it is the perfect choice for making domestic use items. However, the high cost and rare availability of few types of ebony make it not so suitable for general use items.
It is extensively used for making musical instruments and parts, as it looks good, has outstanding strength and bends easily using steam bending.
However, because of the high cost of Ebony, Mahogany and Sapele are generally used as alternatives for making musical instruments.
Other than that, ebony wood type is also a great choice for building decorative objects. The wood has a fine texture and gives a great appearance and finishes well.
Looking for a reliable timber supplier to buy different types of Ebony wood from? Contact CameroonTimberExportSarl to explore and choose from our wide range of the best quality timber species offered at the lowest price with worldwide delivery.
