Panga Panga
- Common Name(s): Panga Panga
- Scientific Name: Millettia stuhlmannii
- Distribution: Eastern Africa
- Tree Size: 60-90 ft (18-27 m) tall, 3-4 ft (1-1.2 m) trunk diameter
- Average Dried Weight: 54 lbs/ft3 (870 kg/m3)
- Specific Gravity (Basic, 12% MC): .72, .87
- Janka Hardness: 1,640 lbf (7,310 N)
- Modulus of Rupture: 19,020 lbf/in2 (131.2 MPa)
- Elastic Modulus: 2,281,000 lbf/in2 (15.73 GPa)
- Crushing Strength: 10,890 lbf/in2 (75.1 MPa)
- Shrinkage: Radial: 3.9%, Tangential: 6.6%, Volumetric: 10.5%, T/R Ratio: 1.7
- Color/Appearance: Heartwood is a very dark brown with black streaks. Upon application of a wood finish (particularly an oil-finish) the wood can become nearly black.
- Grain/Texture: Has a straight grain and a coarse texture. Panga Panga also has very large pores that can present a challenge to fill if a perfectly smooth/leveled finish is desired.
- Endgrain: Diffuse-porous; large to very large pores in no specific arrangement, very few; solitary and radial multiples of 2-3; brown or yellow deposits occasionally present; medium rays not visible without lens, normal spacing; parenchyma winged, confluent, and banded (bands typically as wide as the pores).
- Rot Resistance: Very durable, and resistant to termite attack.
- Odor: Panga Panga has a faint, slightly bitter scent when being worked.
- Sustainability: This wood species is not listed in the CITES Appendices or on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species.
- Common Uses: Panga Panga and Wenge can both be dark enough to be used as substitutes for ebony.
- Comments: Panga Panga is very similar in working properties and appearance to Wenge, and it’s not uncommon for the two species to be used and mixed interchangeably.
