Ayous: A Lightweight Wood with a Pale Surface
Wood Dictionary
Ayous is an African timber with a creamy to pale yellow surface. It is also known as obeche, wawa, and samba. Consider it when you want a light-colored surface or a background that complements other materials, rather than grain that dominates a design. USDA Wood Handbook, Chapter 1 / MORI KOUGEI Ayous A4 Veneer Sheet
The photographs are examples of the color and grain associated with each wood or figure. Every piece of natural wood is different; the sheet you receive will not have exactly the same color or grain as the photographs.
Name and basic information
- Trade names and other names
- Ayous / Obeche / Wawa / Samba MORI KOUGEI Ayous A4 Veneer Sheet / Kew Triplochiton scleroxylon
- Typical scientific name and family
- Triplochiton scleroxylon / Malvaceae (formerly classified in Sterculiaceae) Kew Triplochiton scleroxylon
- Natural distribution
- West and Central Tropical Africa Kew Triplochiton scleroxylon
- A4 veneer cut
- Quarter cut MORI KOUGEI Ayous A4 Veneer Sheet
One wood, several trade names
Ayous is a timber name for Triplochiton scleroxylon. Obeche, wawa, and samba are also used in reference works and the timber trade. Older sources may place it in Sterculiaceae, while Kew's current classification includes it in Malvaceae. If you encounter different family names, it helps to know that botanical classifications can change. Kew Triplochiton scleroxylon / MORI KOUGEI Ayous A4 Veneer Sheet
From cream to pale yellow, rather than pure white
Ayous is generally described as cream to pale yellow, with little color difference between heartwood and sapwood. Its appeal lies in the wood character that remains within these pale tones, rather than the uniformity of white paint. Think about how to use that light surface, taking a different approach from a design built around bold stripes. USDA Wood Handbook, Chapter 1
It could supply the light areas of marquetry or give a small box or frame a softly colored surface. When adding a small amount of darker wood, try different proportions and compare the overall effect. Deciding whether the surface should display its own grain or support another material will make the arrangement easier to choose.
A hardwood known for its lightness
Ayous is generally known as a relatively light, soft timber and is used for furniture components and veneer. Being a hardwood does not mean that a wood must be heavy or hard. These solid-timber characteristics provide useful background, but they do not guarantee how an A4 sheet will handle or the strength of a finished object. USDA Wood Handbook, Chapter 1
Check the substrate beneath pale veneer
MORI KOUGEI's A4 product is quarter cut, measures 210 × 297 mm, and is approximately 0.25 mm thick. The natural wood veneer has an industrial washi paper backing and is a decorative material for furniture edges, repairs to flat wooden surfaces, marquetry, and similar uses. Think of it as a way to add a wood surface to a prepared substrate, rather than as a thick board to carve. MORI KOUGEI Ayous A4 Veneer Sheet
The color or pattern of a substrate may show through pale veneer. Use an offcut to compare its appearance over a white and a dark background. Testing the adhesive and how it is applied at the same time will help you judge the brightness of the finished surface. MORI KOUGEI Ayous A4 Veneer Sheet
It is also important to design for natural variation in color, rather than trying to match the whiteness of a single photograph. If you would like a little more variation in grain or color, other pale woods such as Silverheart are worth comparing.
View the Ayous A4 veneer sheet ↗
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This article draws on publicly available sources from Japan and abroad, with AI used to support research and organization.