Samba (Wawa)
A very light, pale hardwood for interior joinery, light furniture and cores.
Overview
Samba, known as wawa in Ghana, obeche in Nigeria and ayous in Cameroon, is a very light African hardwood with a yellowish-white to light yellow wood. It dries fast without distortion and cuts easily, but it is soft: end grain tends to crumble and mortises to tear unless edges are kept sharp, and it holds nails and screws poorly. It is not durable, so it stays indoors, in light furniture, panelling, mouldings, blockboard cores and plywood, often in place of poplar. Very porous, it absorbs glue readily and needs filling before finishing.
Sizes and thicknesses
Typical applications
- Interior joinery and mouldings
- Light furniture and panelling
- Blockboard cores and plywood veneer
- Carving and sculpture
Ready to use in a BOQ
Supply and install samba (wawa) hardwood, kiln dried to 10–12% moisture content, for interior joinery and mouldings, including fabrication, fixing and finishing as per approved drawings.