Benge (Guibourtia)

Benge is an imported hardwood

Location

Although benge (Guibourtia arnoldiana), ehie or ovangkol (Guibourtia ehie), and bubinga (Guibourtia spp.) belong to the same West African genus, they differ rather markedly in color and somewhat in texture.

Characteristics

The heartwood of benge is pale yellowish brown to medium brown with gray to almost black stripes. Ehie heartwood tends to be more golden brown to dark brown with gray to almost black stripes. Bubinga heartwood is pink, vivid red, or red-brown with purple streaks, and it becomes yellow or medium brown with a reddish tint upon exposure to air. The texture of ehie is moderately coarse, whereas that of benge and bubinga is fine to moderately fine. All three woods are moderately hard and heavy, but they can be worked well with hand and machine tools. They are listed as moderately durable and resistant to preservative treatment. Drying may be difficult, but with care, the wood dries well.

Primary Uses

These woods are used in turnery, flooring, furniture components, cabinetwork, and decorative veneers.

*Much of the base wood information presented here is made available by the USDA FPL FS. If you are interested in a much more technical description of wood properties, I encourage you to visit the source.