Utile (pronounced yoo-till-ee) is a West Aftrican wood of a deep red-brown colour. The interlocking grain causes it to show broad ribbons of colour, very similar to Sapele. It is one of the main substitutes for Mahogany, and it's a pretty good substitute although it is also attractive in its own right. It's an easy wood to make tankards from, because the colours and grain patterns are very even throughout the length of every plank, making it easy to match the staves.The colour pleases lots of people, being neither too dark nor too light and it usually has an attractive grain pattern.
The third photograph above shows a large and a small Utile tankard side by side for comparison.
