African Blackwood
African Blackwood is the world's instrument-making wood — the standard material for professional clarinets, oboes, and uilleann pipes, where its exceptional density and dimensional stability in the instrument bore are unmatched. Outside instrument making, it's used for high-end small turned objects and inlay. Working it is brutally difficult: it's one of the hardest woods commercially available, dulls carbide rapidly, and its natural oils make gluing unreliable. CITES II documentation required. The Mpingo Conservation Project is worth supporting if you use this wood.
- Buying without CITES documentation — all Dalbergia requires paperwork since 2017
- Expecting standard carbide to stay sharp — it dulls faster than almost any other wood
- Gluing without solvent prep — natural oils prevent adhesive from curing properly
Very dark purple-black to near-black heartwood. Distinguished from Gaboon Ebony by a slight purple-brown undertone. Sapwood is pale and strongly demarcated. The wood that defines fine woodwind instruments — clarinets, oboes, uilleann pipes.
One of the hardest and densest commercial woods. Extremely difficult to work — dulls even carbide rapidly. Natural oils make gluing challenging. Self-finishes to an exceptional surface. Used almost exclusively for woodwind instruments because its density and hardness produce superior acoustic properties and dimensional stability in instrument bores. CITES II as Dalbergia spp.
| Region | Availability |
|---|---|
| North America | Specialty importers only |
| Europe | Specialty importers only |
| South America | Rare / not commonly imported |
| Australia/NZ | Rare / not commonly imported |
| Asia | Specialty importers only |
| Africa | Specialty importers only |