| |
|
 |
African Ebony (Scientific Name: Diospyros spp.)
Origin: Equatorial West Africa
Appearance: When freshly cut, the sapwood of African ebony is pink-colored, but darkens to a pale red brown; whereas the heartwood shows a uniform jet-black or black-brown color, sometimes with streaks. Ebony has a very fine texture, with the grain ranging from straight to slightly interlocked, or even moderately curly. The luster of this wood may have an almost metallic appearance.
Properties: An attractive and popular wood with many decorative uses, ebony is notably hard, heavy, and strong. It is over two thirds harder than merbau, is roughly one hundred and twenty-two percent harder than hard maple, over ninety-seven percent harder than wenge, and just over forty-six percent harder than santos mahogany's ranking of 2200.
Janka Hardness: 3220 |
 |
 |
African Padauk (Scientific Name: Pterocarpus soyauxii)
Origin: Central and tropical West Africa, especially in dense equatorial rain forest regions.
Appearance: Although the sapwood of padauk tends to be a very uniform cream or pale beige color, the heartwood is prized for its rich reddish orange tone which over time seasons nicely to a dark reddish- or purple-brown color, or even black. Padauk has a moderately coarse texture, with large pores and a grain that can be straight or interlocked.
Properties: Harder and more stable than northern red oak, padauk is heavy and strong and has an average to high durability. It is over one third harder than red oak, is just over eighteen percent harder than hard maple, about five percent harder than wenge, and approaches seventy-eight percent of santos mahogany's ranking of 2200.
Janka Hardness: 1725 |
|
 |
Bloodwood (Scientific Name: Brosimum rubescens)
Origin: South America (Brazil, French Guiana, Suriname)
Appearance: The heartwood of this species varies from a grayish red to a deep, rich crimson. The texture of bloodwood is exceedingly fine and smooth, almost silky, and the grain can range from straight to variable. This wood is quite lustrous and may have variegated red and yellow stripes. Untreated, bloodwood ages to a deep brown color, unless lacquer is applied to extend aging in order to help preserve the distinctive red color of the wood.
Properties: Bloodwood is durable and has high crushing and bending strength. While it possesses characteristics of medium stiffness and resistence to shock, it does tend to splinter. This wood is very resistant to decay and insects; these resistant properties may contribute to a possible allergic response to the dust. It is just over one hundred and twenty-four percent harder than red oak, twice as hard as hard maple, slightly over fifty-nine percent harder than hickory or pecan, nearly fifty-one percent harder than jarrah, and just under one third harder than santos mahogany's ranking of 2200.
Janka Hardness: 2900 |
|
 |
Bolivian Rosewood (Scientific Name: Machaerium schleroxylon)
Origin: Bolivia and Brazil in South America, and also Central America.
Appearance: Bolivian rosewood is distinctive for its dark brown to violet color with black streaks or striping. Over time, the wood may lighten considerably from darker brown tones to lighter golden tan colors. In addition, the broad color variation exhibited in freshly cut wood can undergo substantial muting over time. It has a uniform and moderately coarse texture.
Properties: Brazilian rosewood is notably hard and dense, with a dimensional stability similar to that of red oak. Brazilian rosewood is nearly ninety-seven percent as hard as pecan or hickory, is roughly twenty-two percent harder than hard maple, about eight percent harder than wenge, almost exactly thirty-eight percent harder than red oak, and is roughly eighty percent as hard as santos mahogany's ranking of 2200.
Janka Hardness: 1780 |
|
|
Bubinga, aka African Rosewood (Scientific Name: Guibourtia demeusei)
Origin: Central Africa
Appearance: A beautiful, dense hardwood with a lustrous appearance, bubinga has a rose-colored background with darker purple striping. This wood is usually very uniform in graining and color, and the texture is fine and even. When quarter-sawn, the figure of bubinga shows considerable "flame," while it exhibits attractive rosewood graining when flat-sawn. When fully aged, bubinga has a rich burgundy red color.
Properties: Bubinga is a moderatly durable wood. The sapwood is more permeable than the heartwood and so is less resistant to preservative treatment. It is ninety-eight percent harder than teak, about fifty-three percent harder than hard maple, roughly fourteen percent harder than African padauk, a little over eight percent harder than hickory or pecan, almost identical in hardness to jarrah (under one percent), and ninety percent as hard as santos mahogany's ranking of 2200.
Janka Hardness: 1980 |
|
 |
Cabreuva aka Santos Mahogany (Scientific Name: Myroxylon peruiferum)
Origin: Central and South America
Appearance: The sapwood of cabreuva is pale brown while the heartwood is purplish-red in color. The species has an interlocked grain and possesses a medium grade texture.
Properties: Cabreuva wood is one of the most hard and durable woods. It is identical in hardness to santos mahogany (which it is sometimes referred to as), over sixty percent harder than white oak, about seventy percent harder than red oak, and is over.
Janka Hardness: 2200 |
|
|
Cocobolo (Scientific Name: Dalbergia retusa)
Origin: Grows along Pacific seaboard of Mexico and Central America.
Appearance: Fairly straight to interwoven grain with medium to fine texture and low luster. Variable-hued heartwood, maturing to a deep orange-red with darker stripes and mottling. Narrow, whitish sapwood.
Properties: Cocobolo is very hard and heavy with high strength, stiffness, shock resistance, decay resistance, and stability in use (heartwood).
Janka Hardness: 1136 |
|
 |
Ipe (Scientific Name: Tabebuia)
Origin: Brazil and throughout continental tropical America as well as in parts of the Lesser Antilles.
Appearance: The heartwood of ipe ranges from olive brown to blackish, though it can have lighter or darker striping that is sharply demarcated from the whitish or yellowish sapwood. Ipe is a low-luster wood with an oily appearance, a fine-to-medium texture, and a grain that ranges from straight to very irregular.
Properties: Ipe is an incredibly hard and durable wood species. It is over ninety-one percent harder than merbau, is roughly one hundred and twenty-six percent harder than wenge, and over two thirds harder than santos mahogany's ranking of 2200. Along with its extreme hardness, strength, weight, density, and durability, ipe is also one of the most stable woods available.
Janka Hardness: 3684 |
|
 |
Jatoba aka Brazilian Cherry (Scientific Name: Hymenaea courbaril)
Origin: From southern Mexico, throughout Central America and the West Indies, to northern Brazil, Bolivia, and Peru.
Appearance: While the sapwood of jatoba is gray-white, the heartwood tends to a salmon-red to orange-brown color when fresh, becoming russet or reddish brown with dark streaks when seasoned. With its inherent beauty, rich coloring, and extreme hardness, this species is understandably one of the most popular exotic woods.
Properties: In addition to its warm reddish tint, this moderately lustrous wood is notable for its hardness and durability — jatoba is extremely dense wood and very strong. It is roughly eighty-one percent harder than red oak, seventy-eight percent harder than ash, about sixty-two percent harder than hard maple, close to twenty-three percent harder than jarrah, and is just over six percent harder than santos mahogany's ranking of 2200.
Janka Hardness: 2350 |
|
|
Locust (Scientific Name: Robinia pseudoacadia)
Origin: United States and Canada
Appearance: The sapwood of black locust is yellowish while the heartwood ranges from greenish-yellow to golden brown, changing to russet brown after exposure. The species has a prominent, straight grain. Locust has a coarse and uneven texture.
Properties: It is nearly identical in hardness to African padauk, close to seventy percent harder than black walnut, is roughly one third harder than red oak, and about seventy-seven percent as hard as santos mahogany's ranking of 2200. Locust's heartwood has a natural resistance to decay. The wood remains smooth under friction and is reported to have no odor.
Janka Hardness: 1700 |
|
 |
Lyptus
Origin: Brazil.
Appearance: N/A (see image)
Properties: N/A
Janka Hardness: 2228 |
|
 |
Pink Ivory (Scientific name: Rhamnus Zeyheri)
Origin: Mozambique, South Africa, Souteast Africa, Zimbabwe
Appearance: The wood is extremely heavy and of very fine texture and rich color, though with little figure. Heartwood varies from light pink to dark pink and red, with lighter and darker shades of yellow and red, sometime gray. Sapwood is cream to off-white and wide in comparison to the tree. Straight to irregular grain.
Properties: N/A.
Janka Hardness: 1320 |
|
 |
Purpleheart (Scientific Name: Peltogyne spp.)
Origin: North-middle part of the Brazilian Amazon region of South America, as well as in tropical regions of Central America.
Appearance: The off-white or lighter cream color of the sapwood of purpleheart contrasts sharply with the heartwood, which is brown when freshly cut, changing to a deep, vibrant purple or purplish brown over time. The texture of this wood is medium to fine, with a medium-to-high luster and a grain that is usually straight, or sometimes wavy, roey, or irregular.
Properties: Purpleheart is a very hard, dense, strong wood, with excellent dimensional stability. It is nearly identical in hardness to pecan or hickory (just over two percent), is roughly thirty-six percent harder than white oak, about fourteen percent harder than wenge, and approaches eighty-four percent of santos mahogany's ranking of 2200.
Janka Hardness: 1860 |
|
 |
Tigerwood (Scientific Name: Goncalo Alves)
Origin: Latin America, mainly Brazil, Paraguay, and Uruguay.
Appearance: The sapwood of tigerwood is brownish-white to dirty gray, while the heartwood is reddish-brown to light golden-brown in color. The species has a mottled, wavy or interlocked, irregular grain. Tigerwood has a medium to dull luster and is fine in texture.
Properties: Tigerwood is one of the harder and more durable woods. It falls between hickory or pecan and purpleheart in hardness, is nearly ninety-six percent as hard as merbau, is a little over twenty-seven percent harder than hard maple, and is about eighty-four percent as hard as santos mahogany's ranking of 2200. Tigerwood is time consuming to dry properly while preventing degrade.
Janka Hardness: 1850 |
|
 |
Wenge (Scientific Name: Millettia laurentii)
Origin: Found in Central Africa, especially throughout the Congo and southern regions of Tanzania and Mozambique.
Appearance: When freshly cut, the heartwood of wenge (millettia laurentii) is a yellow-brown color, but then in a few months it darkens to a deep, uniform brown, almost black, with alternate layers of light and dark tissue, forming a decorative figure. Clearly demarcated from the heartwood is the yellowish-white sapwood. This coarse-textured wood has a straight grain. A related species from East Africa, panga-panga (millettia stuhlmannii) has similar graining but does not darken as much as wenge. One of the best known of the exotic dark woods, wenge is used primarily where a bold dark color or contrasting light and dark accent strips are desired.
Properties: Wenge is very hard, heavy, and durable, with an excellent dimensional stability. It is nearly twenty-six percent harder than red oak, is just under twenty percent harder than white oak, about twelve percent harder than hard maple, and is roughly eighty-nine percent the hardness of either hickory or pecan.
Janka Hardness: 1630 |
|
|
|
