Trade Names:  Macore, African Cherry, Douka

Origin:  Africa

Range:  West Africa from Liberia through the Ivory Coast to Ghana and Nigeria.

Uses:  Sliced veneer mostly used as backing and inside veneer in Central Europe. Used also in Southern Europe and North America as face veneer. Solid wood for parquet floors and stairs. Figured Macore is used for high quality architectural woodwork or musical instruments. The name Macore is often applied to Moabi.

Properties:  The heartwood is pink to red-brown and rather resistant to fungi, insect infestation and the weather. Macore is one of the most sought after redwoods from Africa. The tree is available with many different figure types including blockmottle, pomele and fiddleback.

Machining:  Straight grain wood can be worked without difficulty. Carbide-tipped saws are required to cut Macore and reduce tool wear.

Seasoning:  Drying should be carried out very carefully at average and constant temperatures. Despite the low shrinkage Macore is prone to end splitting when drying.