African Blackwood
African blackwood is a timber name associated with Dalbergia melanoxylon. In these EDC pieces, maker-labelled wood forms specific components beside metal or shell; dark colour alone does not authenticate the finished wood's species.
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From wooden exteriors to lower shells, rear inserts and frames around mother-of-pearl
EDC announcements use names including Dongfei heihuangtan, Heihuangtan and Ziguangtan. The current GB/T 18107-2017 standard identifies Dongfei heihuangtan as Dalbergia melanoxylon and lists African blackwood as an overseas trade name.
The product sources below do not provide wood-identification certificates for each piece, so their makers’ names are retained. Photographs establish the version and component relationships; colour and grain do not independently identify the wood.
GD EDC’s Year of the Horse Tiaoweiqian combines a brass upper shell and a lower shell described as Dongfei heihuangtan.
Names: a standard is not a specimen identification
GB/T 18107-2017 identifies Dongfei heihuangtan as Dalbergia melanoxylon and lists African blackwood among its overseas trade names. It describes dark brown to yellowish purple-brown heartwood, often with black streaks, a very fine texture and usually straight grain.
The product sources use Dongfei heihuangtan, Heihuangtan and Ziguangtan. Each name is retained here; the national standard does not identify the wood in an individual EDC piece.
Fafashe: a predominantly wooden exterior
Liaoliao EDC’s Ziguangtan version: listed at 54.8 g and 55 × 30 × 14 mm as a finished piece.
Liaoliao EDC names one Fafashe version Ziguangtan and explicitly relates that name to Dongfei heihuangtan. It lists this configuration at 54.8 g, measuring 55 × 30 × 14 mm.
These figures belong to the pictured version. They cannot establish wood density or be transferred to the Lutan or Indian small-leaf red-sandalwood versions in the same series.
Year of the Horse Tiaoweiqian: wood in the lower shell
Brass is used for the upper shell and striker block, Dongfei heihuangtan for the lower shell, and black PEI for the carved plate.
GD EDC specifies a matte brass upper shell, a lower shell described as Dongfei heihuangtan, a brass striker block and a finely carved black PEI plate.
This is a combination of materials, not a piece made entirely from that wood. Variable grain, visible pores and natural growth features are also part of this product’s buying notes.
Jishixing Le: a wooden insert in a metal body
The early Jishixing Le release: a rear Heihuangtan insert within a zirconium-alloy body.
The early GD EDC × YOLO Jishixing Le release uses a zirconium-alloy body, a gold-plated brass front plate and a rear insert described as Heihuangtan.
The brand says the wooden rear insert reduces weight and brings the front and back closer in weight. This is its design rationale; the article provides no independent weighing data.
Yunxi: Ziguangtan beside white mother-of-pearl
RUMU EDC’s source-listed Ziguangtan and white mother-of-pearl configuration.
RUMU EDC lists a Ziguangtan and white mother-of-pearl configuration for its Yunxi slider. The matching photograph follows that entry directly.
Grain and care: follow the specific product
GD EDC’s Ping’an Fu announcement asks owners to disassemble and maintain the version it calls all-wood periodically during initial use, and to avoid water, alcohol and other liquids. A separate programme-edition announcement warns of slight warping and cracking in cold, dry regions.
These notes apply to particular wooden sliders. The sources provide no universal humidity threshold, maintenance interval or repair method.
IN THESE FAMILIES
Swipe to exploreA wood name can describe the main exterior, a lower shell, a rear insert or a frame around mother-of-pearl. These examples follow the component assignments in their original announcements.
PIECES IN AFRICAN BLACKWOOD
Read the product name alongside the component it describes, so a local wooden part does not become a claim about the whole piece.
ALL MATERIALS
Keep exploring the TRB material guides.
African BlackwoodYou are hereVIEW →Materials indexAlloys, polymers and finishesVIEW →
ZircutiZircuti material guideVIEW →
SuperconductorSuperconductor material guideVIEW →Material background
National Standards Public Information System: GB/T 18107-2017 · Standard status, recognized name and trade name; not identification of finished products.
Examples in detail
GD EDC · Year of the Horse Tiaoweiqian
Brass upper shell and Dongfei heihuangtan lower shell
Variable grain, visible pores and growth features are part of this model’s buying notes.
Liaoliao EDC · Fafashe
The version named Ziguangtan by its maker
The finished version is listed at 54.8 g and 55 × 30 × 14 mm.
These figures apply only to the pictured configuration. Mother-of-pearl inlay, silver wire and the tin-phosphor-bronze detent plate remain separate components.
GD EDC × YOLO · Jishixing Le
Zirconium-alloy body with a Heihuangtan rear insert
The front plate is gold-plated brass; the rear insert is described as Heihuangtan wood.
Reducing weight and bringing front and back weights closer are the brand’s design aims, without independent weighing data.
RUMU EDC · Yunxi
Ziguangtan and white mother-of-pearl
The wooden frame and white mother-of-pearl cloud plates have separate material roles.
Ziguangtan is the source name, not an independent wood identification.
Common confusions
From Yunxi: Ziguangtan beside white mother-of-pearl
Wood forms the outline and boundaries, while white mother-of-pearl forms the local cloud-patterned plates. Ziguangtan is retained as the source name, not converted into a claim of independently identified African blackwood.
