Padauk wood will grey over time, like all exotic wood species . If you want to preserve its natural colour, regular maintenance will be needed to protect it from various forms of external attack such as pollution or the sun’s rays.

What are the advantages of padauk wood?

Padauk wood has several advantages: excellent resistance to the weather and to insects, undeniable visual appeal with a rich, warm colour, and exceptional durability that reduces maintenance needs and ensures a long service life for your various projects. What is more, it is one of the rare woods that is naturally of use class 5, able to withstand use in contact with sea water.

How do you clean a padauk deck?

To clean a padauk deck, you can opt for two approaches: simple cleaning with water if you want to let the padauk wood age naturally and take on a greyish shade, or applying a saturator to protect and keep the reddish shade of the padauk. If you have let your padauk deck take on a greyish colour and want to remedy that, however, you can use a wood brightener. Padauk is a hard-wearing and attractive wood that is frequently used in outdoor construction, because of its natural durability. You now know everything there is to know about padauk wood so you can use it in your next projects!

Padauk: complete guide to padauk wood

Padauk, known as "coral" or "sandalwood", is an exotic wood species of great splendour, native to Africa. Its presence on the market is notable thanks to its abundant availability. This precious wood appeals through its exceptional characteristics and its natural appearance, making it a first-rate choice for many construction applications.

Would you like to know everything about padauk? Characteristics, uses and maintenance: WoodPartners explains it all:

What is padauk wood?
What are the characteristics of padauk?
Padauk wood: what is it used for?
How do you maintain padauk wood?
Other questions about padauk?

What is padauk wood?

Padauk wood comes from the tree of the same name, scientifically known as Pterocarpus soyauxii and belonging to the Fabaceae family. This exotic wood takes its name from its origin and its distinctive colour. It comes mainly from tropical regions such as central and western Africa, and its dark red grained shade gives it a unique appearance.

Padauk is renowned for its durability, its density and its strength. As a durable and visually attractive material, padauk wood is often used in top-of-the-range projects, such as hotels, prestige residences and public spaces. Its natural beauty and its strength make padauk wood a favoured choice for those looking for both elegance and durability in their professional projects.

Finally, different names are used for padauk depending on the country:

Germany : Padauk;
Angola : Tacula;
Congo : Kisese;
Italy : Paduk;
United Kingdom : Camwood or African Padauk;
Belgium : Corail;
Gabon : Mbel.

What are the characteristics of padauk?

Padauk is a wood species that can reach an impressive height of 50 metres, with a trunk whose diameter varies between 60 and 100 centimetres. It has many characteristics, such as a pronounced purplish red colour and a high density.

Description of padauk wood

Colour of padauk wood: red to purplish brown in the light;
Sapwood : clearly distinct;
Grain:coarse;
Grain direction or fibre orientation:straight or interlocked;
Interlocked grain or direction contrary to the axis:slight.

Description of the log

Diameter of the padauk tree: from 60 to 100 cm;
Thickness of the sapwood:from 6 to 10 cm;
Buoyancy:does not float;
Preservation in the forest : average, treatment is recommended.

Physical properties

Density:0.79;
Monnin hardness (at 12% moisture content with 1 MPa = 1 N/mm²) :8.3;
Coefficient of volumetric shrinkage : 0.44%;
Total tangential shrinkage (TS):5.0%;
Total radial shrinkage (RS) : 3.2%;
Ratio between TS and RS:1.6;
Fibre saturation point : 21%;
Stability in service: stable.

Natural durability and treatability of the wood

Resistance to fungi:class 1 - very durable;
Resistance to dry wood insects:durable - distinct sapwood;
Resistance to termites:class D – durable;
Treatability of padauk:class 2 - moderately treatable;
Use class :class 4 – for use in contact with the ground or with fresh water;
Species covering class 5 (use in a marine environment or in brackish water, which is a mixture of fresh water and sea water): yes, but only in a temperate and cold environment.

Padauk needs no pressure treatment because of its natural durability.

Drying padauk

Drying speed:normal to slow;
Risk of distortion:absent or very low;
Risk of case-hardening (accidental hardening) :no;
Risk of checks (splits) :absent or very low;
Risk of collapse (waviness, separation of the wood) :no.

For information, padauk can be air dried but, when building a wooden deck, we advise you to use padauk in the "KD" version, meaning that the wood has been kiln dried. This reduces its moisture content while increasing its stability, so as to reach a quality result.

Sawing and machining

Blunting effect:fairly considerable;
Sawing teeth:stellite-tipped teeth;
Machining tools:tungsten carbide;
Suitability for peeling:not recommended or of no interest;
Suitability for slicing:good.

You may note that the dust produced by sawing and machining padauk can sometimes prove irritating.

Assembly

The assembly of padauk wood is carried out in two steps:

Nailing and screwing:good holding, pre-drilling required because of the risk of splitting to which padauk wood is prone;
Gluing:satisfactory, but care must be taken over this step because it is a dense wood.

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Padauk wood: what is it used for?

Padauk wood is of exceptional quality and is particularly suited to outdoor construction, like itauba, thanks to its great stability and its high density. However, padauk can also be useful for a variety of applications:

Hydraulic works:padauk wood is durable and resistant to water (fresh water and sea water), which makes it an ideal choice for dams, bridges and canal linings in hydraulic works.

Flooring: padauk is used to create indoor floors, offering a warm atmosphere thanks to its beauty and its natural durability.

Sleepers: padauk wood sleepers are prized in the railway industry for their strength and their longevity, two characteristics that are paramount for railway tracks.

Vehicle and container floors: dense and impact-resistant, it is used for vehicle floors and container floors, providing solid and lasting protection.

Boat building: padauk wood is used in boat building for decks, external coverings and internal structures thanks to its resistance to the weather and to rot.

Turned items: padauk is valued by craftspeople for its fine texture and how easily it can be turned and carved, allowing many creations such as decorative objects or detailed ornaments.

Interior joinery: this species is used in joinery for doors, windows, frames and coverings, adding a touch of visual appeal while ensuring good strength.

External cladding: padauk wood is used as external cladding for buildings because of its natural durability and its resistance to the weather, adding both visual appeal and protection.

How do you maintain padauk wood?

Maintaining padauk wood proves simple because of its natural durability. Two solutions are open to you:

Let it age naturally: it will grey little by little and you will only have to clean it once a year with a low-pressure washer.

Keep its natural shade : for this, you can use a saturator once or twice a year to nourish the padauk wood and protect it from external attack such as UV or moisture.

Bring back its natural reddish shade : if you have let the padauk age naturally but would like to bring back its original shade, you can use a wood brightener to remove the greyish shade the wood will have taken on over time.

Padauk: the complete guide to padauk wood