Hello,
Sapele smells very strongly like ceder when cut and is very ribbon striped when quarter sawn. It is less fine than the other two. If the wood is new, the mahogany is likely to be Honduran, as Cuban is virtually unobtainable, and brazil has ceased exporting mahogany from there. Honduran mahogany is pale pink and straw coloured, not at all like the mahogany colour we think of. Utilie is the most like classic mahogany and is probably the finest mahogany type available these days. It is coarser than true mahogany but finer than sapele. It doesn't have much of a smell.
If you are trying to identify older wood and you are lucky enough to find some Old Cuban mahogany, then the pores are slightly finer than the others and is a good mahogany colour. The other true mahoganies will have been stained and will be pale in the raw.
Hope this helps.
Mike.
