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Discover Our African Mahogany Hardwood Flooring
African Mahogany hardwood flooring, specifically Sapele, is prized for its deep, lustrous color, ribbon-like grain, and exceptional dimensional stability. At Pennington Hardwoods, we offer 3/4″ thick solid African Mahogany (Sapele) flooring, with 1/2″ thick engineered versions available by special request—featuring a 3mm wear layer. With its rich, reddish-brown tone and dynamic chatoyance, African Mahogany brings timeless elegance and a touch of luxury to any space.
Our premium selections of Sapele come from sustainably harvested sources in Central and West Africa, milled by partners who supply the finest European markets. This ensures you receive a superior product—far above the commodity-grade exotics more commonly found in the U.S. market. We strive to stock unfinished and satin prefinished African Mahogany hardwood flooring in popular widths including 3″, 4″, and 5″.
Prefer something truly custom? We can precision mill your Sapele flooring right here in the U.S., in wider widths and longer lengths, finished with your choice of textures, colors, and sheens. Like most tropical hardwoods, African Mahogany is significantly harder and more resilient than most domestic species, making it as practical as it is beautiful.
Ready to elevate your space with the elegance of African Mahogany?
Characteristics of Our African Mahogany Hardwood Flooring
Appearance: African Mahogany (Sapele) showcases a rich reddish-brown hue with subtle copper undertones and a naturally lustrous surface. Its most distinguishing feature is the ribbon-like striping—especially prominent in quartersawn cuts—giving it a dimensional, almost iridescent appearance known as chatoyance. Over time, the color deepens gracefully, enhancing the wood’s warm, refined character.
Hardness: Sapele has a Janka hardness rating of approximately 1,410 lbs, making it considerably harder than traditional domestic mahogany and comparable to Red Oak. It offers excellent resistance to daily wear and mild impacts, making it suitable for both residential and light commercial applications.
Stability: Sapele is known for its excellent dimensional stability, particularly when properly kiln-dried and acclimated before installation. It performs well in a variety of climates and is a strong candidate for wider plank flooring when engineered. Its natural resistance to movement makes it a reliable choice for long-lasting beauty.
Versatility: African Mahogany’s elegant appearance and medium hardness make it a versatile design element. Whether oiled for a natural, matte finish or stained to complement deeper design palettes, it pairs seamlessly with metal, glass, and other wood species. Sapele’s classic look adapts equally well to traditional, transitional, and modern interiors.
Popular Applications for Our African Mahogany Hardwood Flooring
African Mahogany (Sapele) is a top choice for architects, designers, and discerning homeowners who want to infuse warmth, elegance, and timeless beauty into their interiors. Its distinctive ribbon grain and glowing color make it ideal for a wide range of elevated applications:
- Sophisticated living and dining rooms
- Upscale master bedrooms and studies
- Luxury boutique hotels and resorts
- Executive offices and meeting spaces
- Curved staircases and custom millwork
- Artistic retail and gallery floors
Sapele’s graceful movement and natural luster evoke old-world craftsmanship while remaining firmly at home in contemporary design. It’s particularly well-suited for interiors where richness of character, visual interest, and long-term performance are all top priorities.
Let’s explore how African Mahogany can bring character and luxury to your space.
BROWSE AFRICAN MAHOGANY (SAPELE) HARDWOOD FLOORING PROJECTS
Our Featured Options in African Mahogany (Sapele) Hardwood Flooring
We offer a full spectrum of custom options to ensure your African Mahogany flooring perfectly suits your design goals, lifestyle needs, and installation environment. Whether you prefer the bold elegance of wide planks or the traditional charm of narrow boards, we’ll help you create a floor that’s uniquely yours.
Structure
Our solid African Mahogany hardwood flooring and engineered African Mahogany hardwood flooring are both premium quality selections. Depending on your climate, site conditions, and width selections, either one could be strongly favored over the other. Neither is always the right answer, and we will help you make this decision based on real data, not common misconceptions.
- 3/4″ Thick Solid Hardwood Flooring
- 1/2″ Thick Engineered Hardwood Flooring with a 3mm wear layer
* please note that availability is limited in our stocked African Mahogany engineered flooring and only offered in prefinished
Grade
In our stocked African Mahogany hardwood flooring we offer as standard a true Clear grade, and occasionally a Select grade. The Clear Plus grade is only available with our made-to-order option for custom African Mahogany flooring.
- Clear Plus — flooring milled to order from FAS lumber, the best of the best
- Clear – no knots or other forms of character, and limited color variation
- Select – no knots or other forms of character, but greater color variation
Width
We offer widths from 2-1/4″ up to 5″ in our stocked African Mahogany hardwood flooring and most of our other exotic species. Availability of any specific width varies based on changing inventory levels. Wider widths up to 11-1/4″ and long lengths are available for quvvvvalifying projects with our made-to-order option for custom African Mahogany flooring.
- Commonly stocked widths: 2-1/4″, 3″, 3-1/4″, 4″, 5″
- Custom widths: Any single or multiple widths from 5-1/4″ up to 11-1/4″
Texture
While all of our stocked African Mahogany hardwood flooring has a smooth non-textured surface, the following textures are available options for qualifying projects with our made-to-order option for custom African Mahogany flooring. Our textures can also be tailored to your preference of light, medium, or heavy. To view texture examples, visit our page here:
- Hand Scraped
- Wire Brushed
- Band Sawn
- Circle Sawn
- Distressed
- Worn edges
COLOR
All of our stocked prefinished African Mahogany hardwood flooring is finished clear to enhance it’s beautiful natural color. The following color changing methods are available options for qualifying projects with our made-to-order option for custom African Mahogany flooring.
- Simple Staining – single application of a transparent stain
- Complex Staining – multiple applications or more opaque stains
- Reactive Staining – combined chemical reaction and pigment in one
- Cerused Grain – color grain pores, often combined with staining
- Bleaching – used to create lighter versions of many species
- Oxidizing – used to create an aged, weathered, or gray look
- Ebonizing – used to create Oak that is dark brown to black
Finish
The standard finish we offer in our stocked prefinished African Mahogany hardwood flooring is an industry leading enhanced urethane with a 30% satin sheen level. Our finish selections expand from there for qualifying projects with our made-to-order option for custom African Mahogany flooring to include the options below and other specialty finishing options.
- Rubio Oil – top rated UV cured penetrating oil finish with a flat to matte sheen
- Woca Oil – top rated UV cured penetrating oil finish with a matte to satin sheen
- Urethane – top rated UV cured and enhanced surface finish in a matte to gloss sheen
Get a Quote for Our African Mahogany Hardwood Flooring
With its refined grain, deep color, and timeless elegance, African Mahogany (Sapele) is more than a flooring choice—it’s a statement of craftsmanship and style. Every floor we produce is custom-built to suit your unique vision, whether you’re creating a warm and inviting home, an upscale commercial space, or a legacy project with lasting character.
We’ll help you choose the right structure, width, finish, and detail to ensure your floor performs beautifully and reflects your personal aesthetic.
Start your project today.
Compare with Our Brazilian Cherry Hardwood Flooring
Trying to decide between African Mahogany (Sapele) and Brazilian Cherry? Both are prized exotic hardwoods, but they differ significantly in tone, grain, and visual impact.
African Mahogany (Sapele) features a deep reddish-brown color with a fine, interlocked grain that often displays a shimmering ribbon figure—especially in quartersawn planks. It has a refined, warm presence that suits both traditional and contemporary interiors. With a Janka hardness around 1,410 lbs, it balances durability with elegance and is ideal for spaces where richness and subtle sophistication are key.
Brazilian Cherry (Jatoba), by contrast, is known for its intense red and orange hues that darken beautifully with age. Its grain is typically straighter and more uniform, and its extreme density—around 2,350 lbs on the Janka scale—makes it one of the hardest flooring options available. Brazilian Cherry is a bold, vivid choice, often used in high-end homes, dramatic spaces, and areas where performance is paramount.
If you’re drawn to soft luster, ribboned grain, and classic elegance, African Mahogany may be the perfect fit. If you want high contrast and rich, evolving color, Brazilian Cherry brings unmatched intensity.
Explore our Brazilian Cherry Flooring to discover which exotic hardwood best matches your style.
Ready to Build Something Timeless?
At Pennington Hardwoods, we believe that truly timeless design combines enduring beauty with lasting performance—and African Mahogany (Sapele) exemplifies that philosophy. Its rich color, graceful ribbon grain, and remarkable stability make it a stunning yet dependable choice for refined interiors.
Whether your project calls for classic elegance or understated luxury, Sapele provides a foundation of warmth, character, and craftsmanship that stands the test of time.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q: How hard is African Mahogany compared to other hardwoods?
A: African Mahogany (Sapele) has a Janka hardness rating of approximately 1,410 lbs, making it harder than domestic Red Oak and traditional American Mahogany. It’s durable enough for residential and light commercial use while offering a softer, more refined feel underfoot.
Q: What makes African Mahogany different from other types of mahogany?
A: Sapele, often referred to as African Mahogany, is denser and more stable than many other mahogany species. It also displays a distinctive ribbon grain in quartersawn cuts and has a deeper, more lustrous tone than South American or domestic mahogany varieties.
Q: Does African Mahogany change color over time?
A: Yes. Like many exotic hardwoods, Sapele will deepen in color with exposure to light, developing a richer, more uniform reddish-brown tone that enhances its natural elegance.
Q: Can African Mahogany be used over radiant heat?
A: Yes, particularly in engineered form. Engineered African Mahogany offers enhanced dimensional stability, making it an excellent choice for installations over radiant heating systems.
Q: Is African Mahogany a good fit for wide plank flooring?
A: Absolutely. Thanks to its stability and strength, Sapele performs well in wider widths—especially when engineered. It’s ideal for luxury applications where a broad, flowing grain pattern adds visual impact.
Q: Do you offer matching millwork and stair parts?
A: Yes! We provide custom stair treads, vents, moldings, and other millwork in African Mahogany to match your flooring perfectly in both species and finish.
Q: What sets your African Mahogany flooring apart from others?
A: Our custom Sapele flooring is carefully sourced, expertly milled, and customized to order. Unlike mass-produced imports, our selections are crafted to highlight the wood’s unique figure and finished to exacting standards for beauty, performance, and longevity.
Q: Still Have Questions?
We’re here to help. Contact our expert team today for answers, advice, and a personalized quote tailored to your vision.
