Views: 213 Author: SENHEDA WOOD Publish Time: 2026-08-11 Origin: Site
Commonly named Umbila, scientifically marked as Pterocarpus angolensis, this precious hardwood belongs to Pterocarpus genus under Fabaceae family, locally called Mukwa, Muninga or Kiaat across Southern Africa. It mainly grows in natural savanna woodlands of Angola, Mozambique, Tanzania, Zimbabwe and Zambia, a classic commercial timber originating from south-central Africa. Mature Umbila tree grows up to 12–18m tall with straight trunk diameter ranging from 0.4m to 0.8m, providing long, defect-free timber logs for global furniture and decoration industries. Nicknamed “Blood Wood” by local African loggers, its bark will bleed unique red gummy sap once cut open, one iconic feature to identify genuine Umbila raw timber .
Umbila owns outstanding visual texture: heartwood varies from warm brick red to deep reddish-brown, gradually turning into elegant purplish red after long-term air oxidation, decorated with fine dark brown natural stripes inside grain. Its grain runs straight or slightly interlocked with fine uniform internal structure, mild natural aromatic scent and soft silk luster after fine sanding.
Key physical index: average air-dry density 0.51~0.72g/cm³, medium hardness and stable mechanical strength; ultra-low shrinkage rate after full drying, barely warp or crack under changing temperature & humidity, one core advantage compared with most ordinary African timbers. Heartwood gains natural anti-termite & rot-resistant property without chemical antiseptic treatment, greatly extending finished product service life.
Umbila has excellent machinability for both handcraft and CNC processing: easy cutting, planing, polishing, bending and tenon making; perfect glue adhesion, painting and nail-gripping performance, ideal for slicing decorative veneer and complex wood carving works. It needs slow natural or kiln drying to lock stable wood property; once fully dried, dimensional stability ranks top among mid-range African hardwoods, widely accepted by furniture factories, flooring manufacturers and veneer processing plants worldwide. Many furniture factories take Umbila as cost-effective substitution of Burmese rosewood and Teak to control production cost while keeping premium appearance.
Thanks to balanced beauty and practicality, Umbila covers multi-industry usages globally:
1. High-end solid wood furniture: classical & modern dining sets, solid wood chairs, wardrobes and antique home furnishing；
2. Interior decoration: solid wood flooring, parquet, wall paneling, stair treads, customized cabinetry & kitchen joinery；
3. Handicraft field: wood carving, turned crafts, musical instruments like African traditional Mbira, art ornaments ；
4. Special usage: yacht interior trim, small boat hull timber, premium decorative sliced veneer for plywood surface.
As professional African hardwood supplier based in China, we stock abundant A/B grade Umbila logs & kiln-dried sawn timber with customizable size (thickness 18mm~300mm, length 2.4m~8m) for global buyers from furniture factories, veneer mills and wood traders. All our Umbila lumber comes from legal African forest resource with complete import customs documents.
If you need free sample, detailed quotation or bulk cargo inspection, welcome to contact our sales team directly via email or online message, we support FOB & CIF international delivery for worldwide orders.
WeChat/WhatsApp: +86 13534205619
Email: annaliu1@shdwood.com
Website: https://www.shdtimber.com
