The heartwood is pale brown to golden brown, occasionally dark brown, with an attractive stripe pattern on quarter-sawn surfaces, the wood has an unpleasant ammoniac smell when freshly cut. The wood is moderately heavy.
Dabema is used for truck and wagon flooring and for structural applications as a substitute for Oak. It is strongly advised to use only thick dimensions, since small dimensions are unstable and crack appearances are likely seen.
It is recorded as durable in fresh water.
Dabema is also known as African Greenheart and Redwood.