Black Mesquite is a heavy hardwood that ranges from rich brown to chocolate with purple overtones in color with a grain structure resembling mahogany. Turns and polishes well. The grain structure resembles mahogany. Clear portions of the trunk tend to have straight, wavy, or interlocked grain.

In West Africa, Prosopis africana is distinguished from other woody plants by the exploitation and use of all its organs (leaves, bark, root ...) by the rural population. For example, its wood, very resistant, is used as building materials (sheds, attics, ...) and in the manufacture of household utensils (mortar, pestle, ...) and charcoal, judged good by blacksmiths.