Panga Machete: The African Pattern, Forged in Damascus
The panga is the machete of East and Southern Africa, and its silhouette is unmistakable: a blade that deepens along its length into a broad belly, then rises to an upswept, squared tip. That deep belly puts steel and weight behind the middle of the edge, where a chopping cut actually lands, and the upswept tip concentrates force for piercing and hooking work. From sugarcane fields to bush clearing, the panga earned its place as the everyday working blade of an entire continent.
This panga reproduces the classic profile in hand-forged Damascus steel. The 16" blade is the broadest in our machete line, and the extra width does double duty: it powers through thick vegetation and pulps, and it makes the pattern-welded steel a canvas. On a blade this wide, the Damascus figuring shows like nowhere else.
Blade Craftsmanship
The blade is pattern-welded Damascus steel, forged from 11 pieces of steel folded five times into 352 layers. High carbon 1095 layers carry the edge; the layered body shrugs off the impact a working panga absorbs. Finished hardness is 55-56 HRC on the Rockwell scale, sharp enough to hold an edge, tough enough to keep working.
Handle
Full tang with riveted micarta or hardwood scales, shaped for a secure grip when the broad blade is swung with intent. Handle finishes are shown in the photos.
Specifications
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Overall Length: 23"
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Blade Length: 16"
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Blade Material: Pattern-welded Damascus steel with 1095 high carbon layers
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Layers: 352 (five-fold forging process)
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Rockwell Hardness: 55-56 HRC
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Tang: Full
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Handle: Riveted micarta or hardwood scales
Bold, broad and built to work, the panga rounds out the four great machete patterns of the world, all of them now forged in Battling Blades Damascus steel.
