Okoume

Overview

Okoume (Aucoumea klaineana) is a pale pink to light brown, lightweight wood that looks like mahogany and is used almost exclusively as veneer and plywood in North America. It is the principal timber of Gabon. For plywood see Okoume plywood.

Pros

• Mahogany-like grain at a moderate price.
• Light (Janka 400 lbf, about 430 kg/m3).
• Glues and finishes well.
• Moderate shrinkage (4.6% radial, 7.1% tangential).
• Common as plywood and veneer.

Cons

• Non-durable with poor insect resistance, so not for exterior use unaltered.
• High silica content has a pronounced blunting effect on cutters.
• Tear-out and fuzzy surfaces in planing and shaping.
• Reported to cause skin, eye and respiratory irritation, and asthma-like effects.
• IUCN Vulnerable.

Variants and subspecies

• Aucoumea klaineana: the only species. 'Gaboon' is a trade name, not to be confused with Gaboon ebony (Gaboon ebony (African ebony)).
• Okoume plywood: see Okoume plywood.

Working and finishing

Use carbide tools; light cuts. It glues and finishes well.

Staining and finishing colour

Colour darkens with age. Usually finished clear or lightly toned.

Sustainability and handling

CITES: not listed (Wood Database; APHIS CITES Timber Species Manual, checked 2026-09-30). IUCN: Vulnerable, from a population reduction of over 20% in three generations. FSC availability is not verified here. The US Lacey Act makes it unlawful to trade wood taken or exported in breach of the source country's laws (fws.gov/law/lacey-act), so buy from dealers who can name the country and species. If a piece will be exported to or sold in the EU, Regulation (EU) 2023/1115 (the EUDR) requires due-diligence evidence that wood products are deforestation-free and legally produced; check its current application date with your buyer.

Ethical call: reasonable if the supplier documents origin. Health: irritation reported. The US National Cancer Institute reports strong, consistent associations between wood-dust exposure and cancers of the nasal cavity and sinuses, so use extraction and a respirator when sanding.

Popular projects

Plywood, veneer, boat building and interior panels.

Buying notes

Mostly plywood and veneer; solid lumber is rare at US retail, so the front-matter price is an estimate.