Is Zebrawood a Hardwood? Yes, and Harder Than Oak

Yes, zebrawood is a hardwood. It comes from a broadleaf flowering tree, and at 1,830 lbf on the Janka scale it is also physically harder than hard maple or white oak.

Most pages stop at “hardwood because it is strong,” which is only half right. Hardwood is a botanical label, not a hardness rating, and the gap between the label and the actual density is where the useful facts sit. This guide covers what the label means, where zebrawood really lands on the Janka scale next to common woods, what the small-board price works out to per board foot, and the working and dust issues to plan for.

Species facts here come from the Wood Database zebrawood profile. The board-foot prices come from live Amazon listings checked on September 30, 2026, and prices change.

Is Zebrawood a Hardwood? What the Label Means

Woodworkers call timber “hardwood” when it comes from a broadleaf, flowering tree, and “softwood” when it comes from a conifer such as pine, spruce or fir. Zebrawood (Microberlinia brazzavillensis, also sold as zebrano or zingana) is a broadleaf tree from West Africa, so it is a hardwood by definition. The Wood Database places it in the legume family, tribe Amherstieae.

That definition has nothing to do with how hard the wood is. The Wood Database makes the point with balsa: despite being the lightest and softest of all commercial woods, balsa is technically a hardwood because it has broad leaves and is not a conifer. Balsa rates just 67 lbf on the Janka scale. The reverse also exists: European yew is a softwood, yet the same source lists it at 1,520 lbf, harder than hard maple.

Zebrawood is the lucky case where the label and the reality agree. It is a hardwood by botany and it is dense: the Wood Database gives an average dried weight of 50 lbs per cubic foot (805 kg per cubic meter).

How Hard Is Zebrawood? A Janka Comparison

The Janka test measures the force needed to push a steel ball into the wood, so a higher number means a harder surface. Here is zebrawood next to woods you probably already know, all from Wood Database species profiles.

Wood	Type	Janka hardness (lbf)
Ipe	Hardwood	3,490
Gaboon ebony	Hardwood	3,080
Zebrawood	Hardwood	1,830
European yew	Softwood	1,520
Hard maple	Hardwood	1,450
White oak	Hardwood	1,350
Red oak	Hardwood	1,220
Black walnut	Hardwood	1,010
Douglas fir	Softwood	620
Eastern white pine	Softwood	380
Balsa	Hardwood	67

Two things stand out. Zebrawood is roughly 35 percent harder than white oak (1,830 versus 1,350), so a tabletop or handle in zebrawood resists dents better than oak. And the list shows why the hardwood label can mislead: the hardest softwood in the table beats several hardwoods, and the softest wood in the table is a hardwood. For a wider list, see our wood hardness scale with Janka ratings for 75+ woods.

Zebrawood Properties at a Glance

Property	Zebrawood (M. brazzavillensis)
Color	Light brown or cream heartwood with dark blackish brown streaks
Grain and texture	Interlocked and/or wavy; medium to coarse with good natural luster
Specific gravity (basic, 12% MC)	0.67, 0.81
Modulus of rupture	17,800 lbf/in2 (122.8 MPa)
Crushing strength	9,210 lbf/in2 (63.5 MPa)
Shrinkage	Radial 7.6%, tangential 10.8%, volumetric 17.8%, T/R ratio 1.4
Rot resistance	Heartwood rated durable and resistant to insect damage
Tree size	65 to 130 ft tall, trunk 4 to 5 ft in diameter

The stripe look depends on how the board is cut. According to the Wood Database, flatsawn boards show wide, erratic stripes, while quartersawn boards show narrower, more uniform ones. Zebrawood is frequently quartersawn and used as veneer. Other common uses are tool handles, furniture, musical instruments, boatbuilding, carvings, turned objects and skis. If you are weighing it for a kitchen project, read our verdict on zebrawood for cutting boards first.

What Zebrawood Costs in Small Boards

The Wood Database says only that zebrawood prices are high, even for an imported hardwood, though not necessarily as prohibitive as scarcer African woods such as Gaboon ebony. It gives no dollar figure, and most competitor pages do not either. So I worked it out from three Barrington Hardwoods listings on Amazon (kiln-dried, surfaced boards), using board feet calculated as thickness times width times length in inches, divided by 144.

Pack (listed size)	Board feet	Price	Cost per board foot
2 pieces, 3/4″ x 6″ x 24″	1.50	$70.72	about $47
4 pieces, 3/4″ x 2″ x 18″	0.75	$37.90	about $51
2 pieces, 3/4″ x 4″ x 24″	1.00	$59.99	about $60

These are retail hobby packs in nominal sizes, so the math is approximate, and prices were checked on September 30, 2026. Expect lumber-yard board-foot pricing to differ. The takeaway is that even the cheapest pack runs about $47 per board foot, which is why a full tabletop in zebrawood is a real budget decision while a knife handle or box lid is not. Our guide to how much ebony costs gives you a sense of the pricier end of African exotics.

Working Zebrawood: Tearout, Odor and Dust

The Wood Database summarizes the workability as follows: the wood saws well, but it can be very difficult to plane or surface because of the prevalence of interlocking grain, and tearout is common. It glues and finishes well, though the large open pores that show up on both dark and light surfaces may need a transparent pore filler.

• Cut freely, plane carefully. Sawing is the easy part. Expect the trouble at the jointer and planer, where the grain direction changes along the board. Our comparison of spiral vs straight planer knives covers the cutterhead choice that matters most for interlocked grain.
• Take light passes and keep edges sharp. This is general tearout practice rather than a zebrawood-specific test result. Dull knives and deep cuts are what lift interlocked fibers.
• Fill the pores before finishing. If you want a glass-smooth film, plan on a pore filler, since the pores are large and open.
• Expect an odor. The Wood Database notes a characteristic, unpleasant smell when the wood is being worked.

Dust safety

Severe reactions are quite uncommon, but the Wood Database reports zebrawood as a sensitizer, and the most common reactions are simply eye and skin irritation. A sensitizer can trigger a stronger reaction the more you are exposed, so treat the dust with care: wear a properly fitted respirator when sanding, keep a dust collector or shop vacuum running, and wash exposed skin afterward. See our roundup of home dust collectors if your shop has none, and our separate page on whether zebra wood is toxic for the dust and skin details.

Is Zebrawood Sustainable?

It is not listed in the CITES Appendices, but the Wood Database says it is on the IUCN Red List as vulnerable, with a population reduction of over 20 percent in the past three generations caused by a decline in its natural range. There is also a wrinkle in the name: Microberlinia bisulcata, a closely related but lesser-used species endemic to Cameroon, is sold interchangeably as zebrawood and is listed as endangered. Ask your supplier which species you are buying and where it came from. Our page on where zebrawood comes from covers the source countries.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is zebrawood a hardwood or a softwood?

Zebrawood is a hardwood. It comes from Microberlinia trees, which are broadleaf flowering trees in the legume family, and hardwood is defined by that kind of tree rather than by how hard the timber feels.

How hard is zebrawood?

The Wood Database lists zebrawood at 1,830 pounds-force on the Janka hardness scale. That is harder than hard maple at 1,450 and white oak at 1,350, but well short of ipe at 3,490 or Gaboon ebony at 3,080.

Is zebrawood hard to work with?

Yes, mainly at the planer. The interlocked or wavy grain makes it very difficult to plane or surface, and tearout is common. It saws well, and it glues and finishes well, though large open pores may need a transparent pore filler.

Is zebrawood expensive?

Prices are high, even for an imported hardwood, though not necessarily as high as scarcer African woods such as Gaboon ebony. In the small hobby packs we checked in September 2026, the cost worked out to roughly $47 to $60 per board foot.

Is zebrawood endangered?

It is not listed in the CITES Appendices, but the Wood Database notes that Microberlinia brazzavillensis is on the IUCN Red List as vulnerable. A related species, Microberlinia bisulcata, is sometimes sold as zebrawood and is listed as endangered.

Is zebrawood dust dangerous?

Severe reactions are uncommon, but zebrawood has been reported as a sensitizer, and the usual reactions are eye and skin irritation. Wear a dust mask or respirator, use dust collection and wash up after sanding.

Conclusion

Zebrawood is a hardwood in the botanical sense and a hard wood in the physical sense, at 1,830 lbf. Buy it for the stripes, plan for tearout at the planer, protect your lungs and skin from the dust, and remember that small packs run roughly $47 to $60 per board foot. Start with a small pack, make your test cuts, and only then price out the big project.