Color/Appearance: Medium to dark reddish brown or purplish brown. Color tends to darken with age. Besides the common ribbon pattern seen on quartersawn boards, Sapele is also known for a wide variety of  other figured grain patterns, such as: pomelle, quilted, mottled,  wavy, beeswing, and fiddleback.

Grain/Pore: Grain is interlocked, and sometimes wavy. Sapele has a fine texure and small pores.