Padauk (Pterocarpus soyauxii ) comes from Africa, primarily Nigeria, Cameroon, French Equatorial Africa, and the Congo.
The heartwood of Padauk is distinctive because of its red color and grayish-white sapwood. The texture of Padauk is coarse and slightly uneven. The grain is fairly straight, but at times it is interlocked which produces a striped pattern on quartered pieces.
The wood machines, glues and finishes easily and has a low occurence of shrinkage and warpage. In the United States it is used as a veneer, and for decorative arts and crafts.
