The smell of zebra wood is another reason it’s not ideal for use as a cutting board.

As mentioned earlier, zebra wood has large pores that trap moisture and bacteria, making it difficult to sanitize and keep clean. However, while the appearance of zebrawood may be visually striking, it’s essential to consider the practicality of using it as a cutting board. For this reason, you may want to use this for a cutting board. Zebra wood’s distinctive stripes make it popular for decorative applications like veneers or accent walls. However, the texture can also add a rustic or natural feel to the wood that some people find appealing. The coarse texture of zebrawood also affects its finish, as it can be challenging to achieve a smooth surface without careful sanding and polishing. However, it can also make the wood more difficult to work with, as it may require special tools or techniques to cut or sand without causing tear-out or splintering. The wavy or interlocked grain of zebrawood can create a visually interesting and dynamic pattern in the wood that can add a unique character to furniture or other woodworking projects. Zebra wood has a reasonably coarse texture that gives it a tactile and natural feel, and the grain can be wavy or interlocked in some specimens. Some of the reasons why zebra wood is highly rot-resistant include the high content of natural oils that help repel moisture, and its high density, which makes the wood resistant to moisture absorption. Zebra wood is known for its natural resistance to decay and insect attack, a valuable property for wood used in outdoor applications. As such, you’ll be required to sharpen your blade more often. That means zebra wood is slightly above the scale and won’t offer kitchen knives the desired give to keep them sharp for longer. In the context of cutting boards, the ideal Janka hardness rating of cutting boards is between 900 lbf and 1,500 lbf. However, the hardness of zebra wood can also make it more challenging to work with, as it can be tough to cut and shape with hand or power tools.

The high Janka hardness rating of zebrawood means that it can withstand a lot of wear and tear and is suitable for high-traffic areas like floors or outdoor decking. It is comparable in hardness to other exotic hardwoods like Brazilian cherry and Santos mahogany. To put this into perspective, some other common wood species and their Janka hardness ratings include:Īs you can see, zebrawood is significantly harder than some popular hardwoods like red oak and hard maple. Zebrawood has a Janka hardness rating of 1,810 lbf, which makes it a very hard and durable wood. In most cases, the grain is wavy but can also be interlocked. Zebra wood is fairly coarse and features open pores. Both patterns have unique appeal and are often used for different applications based on aesthetic and functional qualities. The flatsawn pattern produces an irregular and dramatic zebra-stripe appearance, while the quartersawn pattern displays a more subtle and uniform effect. The orientation of the wood’s growth rings affects the appearance of the stripes, which can be either chaotic and wavy when the wood is flatsawn or somewhat uniform when it is quartersawn. The heartwood can be light brown or cream, and the stripes can be dark brownish or black. The stripes come about because of the natural growth patterns of the tree and vary in color. The tree’s name is from the distinctive zebra-like stripes that run through its grain patterns. The scientific name for zebrawood is Microberlinia brazzavillensis or Astronium spp. Zebrawood is a hardwood primarily found in West Africa, specifically Cameroon, Gabon, and Congo.