Sapele is a ‘Red’ Hardwood from West Africa in the same family (Meliaceae) as Mahogany and Utile, and is reddish brown in colour with a fine even texture and grain that is usually interlocked. Sapele is noted for the ’ribbon stripe’ figure on radial faces, but being heavily interlocked, it does need care when machining. A good general purpose joinery hardwood, Sapele is slightly less stable than the closely related Utile.