8/4 Okoume Lumber WOW! 2024

Commercial Forest Products Content / By

      8/4 Okoume Lumber Wood
      Quartersawn 8/4 Okoume lumber cut for guitar bodies

      Okoume Lumber

      Okoume (Aucoumea klaineana) or Okume lumber is an African tropical hardwood with large pores & a light reddish-brown color hue.  Its trees grow fast and tall. This wood most commonly used as a plywood veneer.  However, guitar builders, furniture manufacturers , racing boat builders and woodworkers now use Okoume lumber as a low-cost mahogany substitute. 

      8/4 Okoume wood  is sometimes called Gabon because of it is harvested in the African country of Gabon. However, it is significantly different than Gabon Ebony in both appearance and cost. 

      Key Takeaways:

      • Okoume is not mahogany.  They are from different wood genuses.
      • Wood suppliers occasionally refer to okoume as  Equatorial Mahogany or Okoume Mahogany. These are proprietary names, not scientific. These names sound more familiar to woodworkers than Okoume. Accordingly, sellers of okoume lumber often market it that way. However, it is not a true mahogany wood of the Swietenia genus.
      • Okoume stains well and consistently. With a dark stain, it is difficult to distinguish okoume from African Mahogany or Genuine Mahogany.

      Okoume Technical Information

      • Scientific name: Aucoumea klaineana
      • Alternative Names:  Okume, Equatorial Mahogany, Gabon, Zouga, Acoume, Uume
      • Region of Origin: West Central Africa, Equatorial Guinea 
      • Average Dried Weight:  28 LB/cubic foot
      • Janka Hardness Rating: 405
      • Specific Gravity: .44
      • IUCN Red List: Yes
      • CITES wood: No

      Is Okoume Lumber Good For Guitar Building?

       

      Yes. Okoume is now recognized by many major guitar manufacturers as a quality body wood.  

      When I began in the hardwood lumber industry in 1995,  okoume was considered a “poor man’s mahogany” wood species. Similar to meranti and luan. Like paulownia at the time, okoume was associated with lower-end mass-produced guitars. 

       However, starting in the mid 2000’s guitar builders like Fender, Takamine and G&L and many others use and promote Okoume as a  quality tonewood.

      5 Reasons Why Guitar Makers Use Okoume lumber:

      1. Okoume wood is less dense than other mahogany substitutes like Sapele and Khaya. Thus, it makes lightweight electric guitars without chambering .
      2. Its grain is very similar to the more expensive Genuine Mahogany.
      3. Luthiers often say okoume’s tap tone is similar to traditional mahogany.
      4. It takes a finish very easily.
      5. Chatoyancy is high, Thus, figured okoume shows ribbon figure striping, especially in quarter sawn grain orientation.

      However, Equatorial Mahogany has a relatively high silica content which  blunts tools and make sanding difficult.   Generally speaking, this is outweighed by the advantages listed above.