For years, this wood has been difficult
to get and has now become almost impossible to acquire in the USA.
Part of the reason is that it is almost all being sold to veneer and other
manufacturers in China, who pay more and have thus cornered the market.
The wood is worth more as veneer and the lumber prices for the small remaining
stocks of highly figured solid wood are now very high. Wood with
medium or low or no figure is still easy to get and much less expensive.
The figure may look like the pictures above or others below (more quilted/curly
or intensely quilted, or a combination of the two). The color can
also be lighter or darker as well. Most people are very happy with
our gallery grade (gg) material, and even gallery grade minus (gg-) material
is very nice compared to most figured woods. Grading system:
gallery grade plus (gg+)=outstanding
highest figure
with distinct figure over 90% of the piece on FOUR faces. gallery grade (gg) = Very high
figure with distinct figure over at least 90% of the piece on two faces.
Sometimes there is four face figure, but not enough to be GG+ gallery grade minus (gg-): A very nice figured piece, no specific rules about where the figure is but any reasonable person would call it a piece of "figured" wood.
Click photo for another view These are dried figured sapele with nice figure (they aren't graded, see
photos for two best sides). All pieces added
here are from the same board and we are passing on a
saving of close to 50%
that we got on this board.
Click photo for another view These are dried figured sapele with nice figure (they aren't graded, see
photos for two best sides). All pieces added
here are from the same board and we are passing on a
saving of close to 50%
that we got on this board.
Click photo for another view These are dried figured sapele with nice figure (they aren't graded, see
photos for two best sides). All pieces added
here are from the same board and we are passing on a
saving of close to 50%
that we got on this board.
Click photo for side 2 These are dried figured sapele. Figure is higher in some areas then others.
Click photo for side 2 These are dried figured sapele with great quality figure. NOTES: color
is consistent in pieces, lighter areas are affects from camera/lighting. If you
move the pieces around those areas also move. Piece A is
graded incorrectly in the picture, it should say:
gg/gg+
No surprises: ALL four sides visible in photos:
Pieces not listed below, or that give an out of stock
notice in the shopping cart are sold.
Order online, or call us
Monday through Friday: 1-970-241-2827 International callers and all Questions:
Email us
Note that everything on this page (photos too!)
are copyrighted and may not be used without written permission. Copyright
2006, 2022 by James Griffin. If you are a customer and desire to use some of our photos on your
website, email us with your request.