The database is composed by a total of 1221 images of 77 Congolese timber species belonging to 58 genera and 25 families. Based on this list, the transverse sections of all available anatomical slides of the Tervuren Xylarium (Royal Museum for Central Africa) were inspected under the light microscope. Only sections free of cracks and artifacts (e.g., enclosed air bubbles), uniform in texture, sufficiently thin and free of staining agents were selected. Cross-sections were cut with a sliding microtome, dehydrated in a graded ethanol series (50%, 75%, 96% and 100%) and fixed with Euparal. Please cite as: Rosa da Silva, N., De Ridder, M., Baetens, J.M. et al. Automated classification of wood transverse cross-section micro-imagery from 77 commercial Central-African timber species. Annals of Forest Science 74, 30 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1007/s13595-017-0619-0