Not every project needs a heavy, dense tropical hardwood. Sometimes you need the opposite: a light, clean, stable wood that cuts like butter, holds paint well and costs little. That is where obeche wood shines. Known as ayous in Central Africa, abachi in Germany and wawa in Ghana, obeche is one of the most widely used light hardwoods in the world, even if few people outside the trade know its name.
In this guide we explain what obeche is, where it performs best, how to dry and work it, what it costs and how to order it in volume. We supply obeche, sold as ayous, from Cameroon and the Congo Basin at Global Timber Trade Hub.
In short
- Obeche (ayous, abachi) is a very light, pale and easy-to-work hardwood.
- It is used for mouldings, saunas, furniture parts, models, frames and interior joinery.
- It is resin-free, mostly knot-free and stable once kiln dried.
- It is not durable outdoors and must be dried quickly to avoid staining.
- It is one of the most economical African hardwoods.
- Our ayous starts from about $420 per m³, FOB Central Africa.
What is obeche?
Obeche is the timber of Triplochiton scleroxylon, a large, fast-growing tree of West and Central Africa. The same wood is sold under many names: obeche in the UK, abachi in Germany and Northern Europe, ayous in Cameroon and France, wawa in Ghana and samba in Ivory Coast. On our site it appears as Ayous.
The wood is creamy white to pale yellow, with a medium, even texture and an interlocked grain that gives a faint stripe on quartersawn faces. It is very light, at around 380–400 kg/m³ when dry.
Obeche wood properties
| Property | Obeche | Practical effect |
|---|---|---|
| Density at 12% MC | about 380–400 kg/m³ | Light to handle and ship by volume |
| Hardness | Soft for a hardwood | Easy to cut, carve and sand |
| Resin | None | No bleeding through paint or in heat |
| Knots | Few | High yield of clear pieces |
| Stability | Good once dried | Mouldings and frames stay straight |
| Natural durability | Not durable | Indoor use only |
Why obeche is so widely used
Obeche fills a gap between softwoods and denser hardwoods. Compared with pine or spruce, it has no resin and far fewer knots, so it paints and machines more cleanly. Compared with denser hardwoods, it is lighter, cheaper and much easier on tools. That combination makes it a workhorse for industrial production where large volumes of clean, light, stable timber are needed.
Best uses for obeche wood
Saunas
Obeche is the classic sauna bench wood because it stays cool to the touch and has no resin. We cover this in depth in our guide to the best wood for sauna.
Mouldings and profiles
Skirting boards, architraves, picture frame mouldings and decorative profiles are often made in obeche. It machines cleanly into complex shapes and takes paint and foil wraps well.
Furniture components
Drawer sides, frames, rails, cores and hidden parts of furniture use obeche to save weight and cost. Veneered panels often have an obeche core or edge.
Interior joinery
Interior door frames, panelling battens, shelving and built-in cabinets use obeche, usually painted or veneered.
Model making and carving
Model aircraft, architectural models, patterns and carvings use obeche because it is light, even and easy to shape with hand tools.
Musical instruments
Some guitar makers use obeche for light bodies and internal parts. See our guide to African tonewood for guitars.
Plywood and blockboard cores
Obeche veneers and strips make light, stable cores for plywood and blockboard.
Packaging and display
High-end boxes, display stands and exhibition parts use obeche for its clean, pale look and light weight.
Obeche vs pine and spruce
| Feature | Obeche | Pine / spruce |
|---|---|---|
| Resin | None | Yes, can bleed through paint |
| Knots | Few | Many |
| Weight | Light | Light to medium |
| Machining | Clean | Knots cause tear-out |
| Price | Economical | Usually cheaper |
For painted mouldings and clean industrial parts, the higher yield of obeche often makes up for its slightly higher price per cubic metre.
Drying obeche: speed matters
Obeche dries quickly and easily, but freshly sawn boards are prone to blue stain, a fungal discolouration that appears if the wood stays wet in warm weather. Blue stain does not weaken the wood, but it spoils the pale colour. That is why obeche must be sawn, treated against sap stain where needed and kiln dried soon after felling. We kiln dry obeche to 8–12% moisture content for most uses.
Working with obeche
- Machining: very easy; use sharp tools to avoid a fuzzy surface on soft fibres.
- Sanding: sands quickly; avoid over-sanding edges.
- Gluing: excellent with all common glues.
- Nailing and screwing: holds fixings reasonably well; pre-drill near ends.
- Finishing: takes paint, stain, foil and lacquer evenly. A sanding sealer helps on end grain.
- Dust: some people find obeche dust irritating; use extraction and a mask.
Indoor use only
Obeche is not durable. It should not be used outdoors, in ground contact or in permanently damp places. For outdoor work, choose species such as Iroko, Bilinga or Tali.
Obeche wood price
Our ayous (obeche) starts from about $420 per m³ for standard sawn grade, FOB Central Africa. Kiln-dried clear grades, planed stock and custom profiles cost more. Because obeche is light, a container fills by volume, which keeps freight cost per cubic metre low. See our full African hardwood prices list.
Grades and sizes
- sawn boards 22–65 mm thick, random widths and lengths;
- clear grade for mouldings, saunas and visible parts;
- select or mixed grade for frames and hidden components;
- planed and profiled stock to your drawings;
- squares and blanks for carving and turning.
Sustainability and legality
Obeche is one of the most common trees in the forests where we work, and it grows relatively fast. It is not CITES listed. We buy only from concessions with valid harvesting permits and send legality and chain-of-custody documents with every shipment, ready for EUDR, UK Timber Regulation and Lacey Act due diligence. Read more on our sustainability page.
Obeche vs other light African woods
- Frake (limba): slightly heavier, yellowish, used for furniture and guitars. See limba wood for guitars.
- Ilomba: light, pale, mainly for plywood and veneer.
- Okoume: light, pinkish, the classic marine plywood wood. See Okoume marine plywood.
How to order obeche
- Tell us the use: mouldings, saunas, furniture parts or other.
- Give thicknesses, widths and length range, or your cutting list.
- State grade and moisture content.
- Say whether you need rough-sawn, planed or profiled stock.
- Give volume, delivery frequency and destination port.
Many of our moulding and furniture customers take a container every few weeks. Our export process page explains how regular supply works.
Storing obeche
Keep obeche dry, covered and off the ground. Because it is pale, it shows dirt and water marks easily. Keep bundles wrapped until use and let boards acclimatise before machining. If boards get wet in transit or storage, dry them quickly to avoid staining.
Common mistakes with obeche
- Using it outdoors: it is not durable and will decay.
- Leaving it wet: blue stain can appear within days in warm weather.
- Dull tools: soft fibres crush and fuzz; keep tools sharp.
- Mixing grades: separate clear stock for visible parts from select stock for hidden ones.
Obeche for moulding manufacturers
Moulding factories need long, clear, straight stock that machines cleanly at high speed and takes primer and foil without defects. Obeche ticks these boxes. Its lack of resin means no bleed-through under white paint, and its light weight makes long profiles easy to handle and ship. For finger-jointed mouldings, obeche glues reliably, so short clear pieces can be joined into long lengths, which raises yield from every log. We supply rough-sawn kiln-dried stock in the widths and thicknesses your moulders need, and we can pre-sort by length.
Obeche for furniture factories
Furniture factories use obeche for drawer boxes, frames, back rails and other parts that need to be light, stable and easy to machine. Because it takes stain evenly, it is also used for visible parts in painted or stained furniture. Combined with veneered panels in more decorative species, obeche keeps furniture light and affordable without sacrificing quality.
Is obeche right for your project?
Choose obeche when you need a light, clean, economical hardwood for indoor use, especially for painted, foiled or hidden parts and for saunas. Do not choose it for outdoor, structural or high-wear uses. If you are switching from pine or another species, order a trial bundle first so your team can test machining and finishing.
Quality checks before loading
Because obeche is pale, small defects show more than on darker woods. Before loading, we check moisture on a sample of boards, inspect faces for blue stain, splits and pin holes, and confirm dimensions against your list. Clear grade and select grade are kept in separate, labelled bundles. Each bundle is wrapped to stay clean and dry in transit, photographed and listed with its volume on the packing list.
Lead times for obeche
Standard kiln-dried obeche is often available within a few weeks. Planed and profiled stock takes longer, usually 4–6 weeks before loading. Since obeche is not CITES listed, there is no permit delay. For factories that need a steady flow, we can schedule regular containers so stock arrives just before you need it.
Sources
- Triplochiton scleroxylon on Wikipedia
- CIRAD Tropix for technical data on ayous.
Related guides
- Best wood for sauna
- Limba wood for guitars
- Okoume marine plywood
- Plywood and lightweight timber
- Kiln dried vs air dried lumber
Frequently asked questions about obeche wood
Is obeche the same as ayous and abachi?
Yes. Obeche, ayous, abachi, wawa and samba are all trade names for Triplochiton scleroxylon.
Is obeche a hardwood?
Yes, botanically it is a hardwood, even though it is soft and light.
Can obeche be used outdoors?
No. It is not durable and should be used indoors only.
How much does obeche cost?
Our ayous (obeche) starts from about $420 per m³, FOB Central Africa.
Get a quote for obeche
Send your use, sizes, grade and volume through our quote form. We will reply with a firm price, stock photos and lead time to your port.