 Zebrawood (Microberlinia brazzavillensis)
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Common Name(s): Zebrawood, Zebrano Scientific Name: Microberlinia brazzavillensis Distribution: West Africa Tree Size: 150 ft (46 m) tall, 4-5 ft (1.2-1.5 m) trunk diameter Average Dried Weight: 54 lbs/ft3 (860 kg/m3) Hardness: 2,097 lbf (9.330 N) Rupture Strength: 20,000 lbf/in2 (137,900 kPa) Elastic Strength: 2,340,000 lbf/in2 (16,100 MPa) Crushing Strength: 9,600 lbf/in2 (66.2 MPa) Shrinkage: Radial: 6.8%, Tangential: 11.5%, Volumetric: 16.5%, T/R Ratio: 1.7 |
Color/Appearance: Heartwood is a light brown or cream color with dark blackish brown streaks vaguely resembling a zebra’s stripes. Depending on whether the wood is flatsawn or quartersawn, the stripes can be either chaotic and wavy (flatsawn), or somewhat uniform (quartersawn).
Grain/Pore: Has a fairly coarse texture and open pores. Grain is usually wavy or interlocked.
Endgrain: Diffuse-porous; medium pores in no specific arrangement; solitary and radial multiples of 2-3; deposits (brown) occasionally present; growth rings distinct due to marginal parenchyma; rays not visible without lens; parenchyma banded (marginal), apotracheal parenchyma diffuse-in-aggregates, paratracheal parenchyma vasicentric, aliform (winged or lozenge), and confluent.
Durability: Heartwood is rated as durable and is also resistant to insect damage.
Workability: The wood saws well, but can be very difficult to plane or surface due to the prevalence of interlocking grain. Tearout is common. Zebrawood glues and finishes well, though a pore filler may be desired for the large open pores of the wood’s grain.
Scent: Has a characteristic, unpleasant smell when being worked.
Safety: Although severe reactions are quite uncommon, Zebrawood has been reported as a sensitizer. Usually most common reactions simply include eye and skin irritation. See the articles Wood Allergies and Toxicity and Wood Dust Safety for more information.
Price/Availability: Zebrawood tends to be fairly expensive, though usually not as prohibitively expensive as other exotics such as Ebony or Rosewood.
Comments: Zebrawood is strong and stiff, with a fairly high density. Stability is below average for a tropical exotic wood.
Zebrawood is frequently quartersawn and used as veneer. Other uses include: tool handles, furniture, boatbuilding, and skis.
None available.
Scans/Pictures: A special thanks to Steve Earis for providing the turned photo of this wood species.
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Zebrawood (sanded) |
 Zebrawood (sealed) |
 Zebrawood (endgrain 10x) |
 Zebrawood (turned) |
 Zebrawood and Chechen (book) |
January 25th, 2010 at 6:24 am
Hi sir ,
i wish just to know if the wood zebrano is found in cameroon . if possible where in cameroon in which part o the country.
thanks
January 25th, 2010 at 10:32 pm
Well, I am certainly no expert of African geography, but according to most sources I’ve read it appears that Zebrawood (aka Zebrano) is indeed found in Cameroon, and is called there by the name: “Allen ele”.
The only other information I could gather about its whereabouts is this: “gregarious, sometimes in pure stands along riverbanks” according to Martin Chudnoff’s book, “Tropical Timbers of the World.”