A selection of woods available for your custom project
Quantities and prices vary according to availability (price range indicated by $ - $$$)
African Blackwood (Dalbergia melanoxylon)
a.k.a. Mpingo, Granadilla
Wood color: black
Native to: Central and Southern Africa
$$
African Padauk (Pterocarpus soyauxii)
a.k.a. Vermillion
African Padauk is valued for musical instruments such as drums and stringed instruments because of its tonal qualities.
Wood color: vibrant reddish orange
Native to: Central and tropical west Africa
$
Amazon Rosewood (Dalbergia spruceana)
Often used as a substitute for the endangered Brazilian Rosewood.
Wood color: medium brown
Native to: Brazil, Venezuela, and Bolivia
$$$
Ancient Bog Oak (Quercus spp.)
Not a specific species. Ancient Bog Oak is Oak that has been buried in peat bog for hundreds or thousands of years. Low oxygen in the bog prevents decay, while the peat reacts with the tannins in the wood, imparting a dark color. Ancient Bog Oak is essentially in the very early stages of fossilization.
Wood color: black
Native to: The UK
$$$
Banksia Pod (Banksia grandis)
Banksia Pods originate from the Bull Banksia tree. The Banksia seeds are feasted on by nectarivorous birds such as the Red Capped Parrot.
Wood color: medium brown with dark hollow seed holes
Native to: southwestern Australia
$$$
Black and White Ebony (Diospyros malabarica)
a.k.a. Pale Moon Ebony
Ebony woods are so dense they will sink in water.
Wood color: black with sharply contrasting light streaks
Native to: Laos and southeast Asia
$$$
Black Cherry (Prunus serotina)
a.k.a. American Cherry
Black Cherry deepens to a red brown with age, bringing out more detail in the grain.
Wood color: light reddish brown and light yellow brown
Native to: Eastern North America
$
Black Locust (Robinia pseudoacacia)
a.k.a. Robinia, False Acacia
The name 'locust' is said to have been given to this tree by vegetarian Jesuits who supposed that John the Baptist ate the fruit of this tree instead of grasshoppers. However, the Black Locust is native to North America, and is considered an invasive species in some areas.
Wood color: light yellow brown
Native to: Central-eastern US
$
Black Palm (Borassus flabellifer)
a.k.a. Palmyra Palm
Neither a hardwood nor a softwood, Black Palm is a Monocot. It has no growth rings; the black and yellow pattern is a result of the contrasting hard black fiber and soft yellow cellulose.
Wood color: black and light yellow patterned
Native to: Tropical Asia and Africa
$$
Black Walnut (Juglans nigra)
Under forest competition, Black Walnut reaches heights of 40 meters, producing long straight grain. The fruit of the Black Walnut was used by early American settlers as a hair dye.
Wood color: medium brown
Native to: Eastern US
$
Bloodwood (Brosimum rubescens)
a.k.a. Satine
Bloodwood is extremely dense and retains its color over time.
Wood color: vivid red
Native to: Tropical South America
$
Blue Mahoe (Talipariti elatum)
Blue Mahoe has a musical quality, and is traditionally used in the crafting of guitars and lutes. The color of the wood is unique and may be gray, green, black, blue, olive brown, and purple all in one small piece.
Wood color: gray purple
Native to: Cuba and Jamaica
$$$
Brown Mallee (Eucalyptus spp.)
Nearly always burled, Brown Mallee doesn't refer to a specific tree. The term mallee refers to tree's general growth form. Usually smaller and shorter than standard trees, mallees produce burl growths that are harvested for specialty woodworking.
Wood color: medium brown
Native to: Southeastern Australia
$$$
Bocote (Cordia spp.)
Bocote smells like dill when worked.
Wood color: yellow brown with dark whorls and grain
Native to: Mexico, Central America, and South America
$$
Bubinga (Guibourtia spp.)
a.k.a. Kevazingo
Bubinga trees are evergreens. They can reach heights of 50 meters and diameters of 2 meters. The wood is often used in harps and bass guitars for its mellow sound.
Wood color: medium red brown with dark streaks
Native to: Equatorial Africa
$
Bulletwood (Manilkara bidentata)
a.k.a. Massaranduba
Bulletwood is incredibly strong. Historically, the latex - called Balatá - from the Bulletwood tree was used to cover golf balls.
Wood color: medium to dark red brown
Native to: Caribbean, Central America, and South America
$
Canarywood (Centrolobium)
Canarywood comes from a plant in the legume family. It is reputed to have good acoustic qualities. The fruits of the Canarywood are winged samaras (like maple seeds) which can reach up to 12 inches long.
Wood color: light rose brown
Native to: South America
$
Castelo Boxwood (Calycophyllum multiflorum)
a.k.a. Ivorywood, Palo Blanco
Not related to the European Boxwood, Castelo Boxwood grows mostly in Paraguay. It is extremely fine grained providing a smooth lustrous finish.
Wood color: light yellow brown with darker yellow-gray grain
Native to: South America
$
Chakte Viga (Coulteria platyloba)
a.k.a. Paela, Aripin
Chakte Viga has excellent acoustic properties, and an iridescent finish. It is so insect and rot resistant that some posts made from Chakte Viga in remote Mexico are over 100 years old.
Wood color: medium slightly orange brown
Native to: Tropical Mexico, Central America
$$
Chechen (Metopium brownei)
a.k.a. Black Poisonwood, Caribbean Rosewood
Related to Poison Ivy, Chechen's bark produces a severe skin reaction. The wood itself is safe to handle. Although referred to as Caribbean Rosewood, it is not a true Rosewood.
Wood color: medium dark brown with darker streaks
Native to: Caribbean, Central America
$
Cocobolo (Dalbergia retusa)
Cocobolo is in the Rosewood family. It is stronger and denser than the more prized Brazilian Rosewood. It is denser than water and will produce a clear musical tone if struck.
Wood color: generally orange brown with darker streaks, can carry tones of yellow, red, black, or purple
Native to: Central America
$$
Ebiara (Berlinia spp.)
a.k.a. Berlinia, Poculi, Red Zebrawood
Often called Red Zebrawood, Ebiara displays the same pattern as its close relative Zebrawood, but with a reddish hue. Trees growing in West Africa may reach heights of 130 feet.
Wood color: medium red-brown with darker streaks
Native to: West Africa
$
Gaboon Ebony (Diospyros crassiflora)
a.k.a. African Ebony, Nigerian Ebony, Cameroon Ebony
Gaboon Ebony is used to make the black keys on pianos, and has a mild hickory bacon-like odor when being worked.
Wood color: dark black
Native to: Equatorial West Africa
$$$
Goncalo Alves (Astronium spp.)
a.k.a. Tigerwood, Jobillo
Goncalo Alves is in the cashew family.
Wood color: medium reddish brown with streaks of dark brown to black
Native to: Mexico to Brazil
$
Hard Maple (Acer saccharum) - burl
a.k.a. Sugar Maple, Rock Maple
In tree form, Hard Maple is commonly referred to as Sugar Maple and is tapped for maple syrup. Hard Maples perform hydraulic redistribution of water, benefiting the tree itself and other nearby flora.
Wood color: light to medium brown
Native to: Northeastern North America
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Hard Maple (Acer spp.) - curly
Curly Maple describes the grain figure of the wood. Often used for violins, it is also known as Fiddleback Maple.
Wood color: light yellow
Native to: Northeastern North America
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Hard Maple (Acer spp.) - spalted
Spalted Maple has partially decayed and fungus has begun to attack the wood. Once dark lines appear along the grain, it is rescued and is sound and usable.
Wood color: light with dark grain lines
Native to: Northeastern North America
$
Holly (Ilex opaca)
a.k.a. American Holly
Hollys provide an important resource for birds. They provide a survival food source when other food sources are exhausted, and a thick canopy shelter from predators and storms. Only the female Holly berries are red.
Wood color: almost white
Native to: Eastern US
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Honduran Mahogany (Swietenia macrophylla)
a.k.a. Big-Leaf Mahogany, West Indian Mahogany, American Mahogany, Genuine Mahogany, Brazilian Mahogany
Although native to South America and Mexico, it is cultivated in plantations in India and South East Asia. Native Mahogany is restricted in trade, whereas cultivated Mahogany is not. Finished Honduran Mahogany displays an optical phenomenon known as chatoyancy, seen in Tiger's Eye Quartz.
Wood color: medium orange brown
Native to: Southern Mexico to Central South America
$
Ipe (Handroanthus spp.)
a.k.a. Brazilian Walnut, Lapacho, Poui, Pau D'Arco, Epay
Ipe is not a true Walnut. The trees are very durable and some remain standing where they were killed by flooding during the construction of the Panama Canal. They are widely used as an ornamental tree for their colorful flowering.
Wood color: green-brown with yellow powdery deposits
Native to: Tropical Americas
$
Katalox (Swartzia cubensis)
a.k.a. Mexican Royal Ebony
Katalox is one of the strongest woods available. It is not a true Ebony.
Wood color: dark red-purple brown heartwood, light yellow sapwood
Native to: Southern Mexico to northern South America
$$$
Kauri (Agathis spp.)
a.k.a. Ancient Kauri
Kauri are among the most massive trees in the world. Ancient Kauri trees have been excavated from salt marshes where they were buried underground for thousands of years by a sudden violent force such as a flood.
Wood color: medium reddish brown
Native to: New Zealand, Australia, Oceania
$$
Kentucky Coffeetree (Gymnocladus dioicus)
When Kentucky was first settled by adventurous pioneers, they drank the roasted ground seeds of the Kentucky Coffeetree in a hot drink similar to coffee. Desperate times, desperate measures.
Wood color: light yellow brown
Native to: Eastern North America
$
Kingwood (Dalbergia cearensis)
Kingwood was the most expensive wood used for furniture during the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries. During that period, it was known as Prince's Wood, and was prized by King Louis XIV of France and King Louis XV of France. Kingwood is among the densest and strongest of the Rosewoods.
Wood color: dark violet brown with darker streaks
Native to: Brazil and Mexico
$$$
Lati (Amphimas pterocarpoides)
a.k.a. White Wenge, Yaya
Though not related to Wenge, this African wood displays a similar grain. Over time the wood darkens from a pale yellow to a deep gold.
Wood color: pale yellow to golden yellow
Native to: Western and central Africa
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Lemon (Citrus lemon)
Wood color: orange
Native to: Earth
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Leopardwood (Roupala montana)
Frequently confused with Lacewood, Leopardwood is darker and denser with wider spaced 'spots'.
Wood color: reddish brown with light colored leopard pattern
Native to: Central and South America
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Lignum Vitae (Guaiacum officinale)
The name Lignum Vitae is Latin for 'wood of life', so named because of its traditional medicinal uses. Due to its density and natural oils, Lignum Vitae was used to make clocks for oceangoing vessels, as the wood resists severe marine weather and is self-lubricating. Lignum Vitae is the densest commercially traded wood, and can withstand high stress at high temperature.
Wood color: dark brown with darker streaks, may have olive green highlights
Native to: Central America and northern South America
$$$
Limba (Terminalia superba)
a.k.a. Black Limba, White Limba, Korina, Afara
Possibly named after the Limba people and language native to Sierra Leone.
Wood color: golden brown with dark, sometimes black streaks
Native to: Tropical western Africa
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Macacauba (Platymiscium spp.)
a.k.a. Macawood, Hormigo, Orange Agate
Versatile and durable, Macacauba can be used for musical instruments and flooring.
Wood color: highly variable, may be red, purble, brown, or black
Native to: Central & South America
$$
Macassar Ebony (Diospyros celebica)
a.k.a. Striped Ebony, Amara Ebony
Named for the Indonesian port city of Makassar, one of the primary points of exportation. It takes a long time to dry properly. Macassar Ebony posts are highly sought after in Japan for use in traditional houses.
Wood color: dark slightly reddish brown with darker streaks
Native to: Southeast Asia
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Madrone (Arbutus meziesii)
a.k.a. Pacific Madrone
Wood color: cream or pinkish brown wiht dark patches
Native to: West Coast of North America
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Narra (Pterocarpus indicus) - Amboyna burl grained
Straight grained Narra is used for cartwheels and musical instruments. When in burl form, it is called Amboyna. It emits a rose & vanilla scent when being worked.
Wood color: varies from yellow to reddish brown to dark brown
Native to: Southeast Asia
$$$
Olive (Olea europaea)
a.k.a. Bethlehem Olive
Olive wood comes from trees in Bethlehem that have been bearing fruit for millennia. This wood was produced from the pruning of Olive trees, an essential process for healthy growth of Olive trees. No trees were damaged or destroyed in the process of harvesting this wood.
Wood color: cream with dark streaks
Native to: Middle East
$$$
Osage Orange (Maclura pomifera)
a.k.a. Horse Apple, Hedge Apple, Bois d’arc
Strong, flexible, and durable, Osage Orange was highly valuable to Native Americans for making bows. The name Osage derives from the Osage Native Americans who provided the plant to Meriwether Lewis. Not a true Citrus plant, the fruit secretes latex when cut.
Wood color: bright orange brown
Native to: Tropical Americas
$
Ovangkol (Guibourtia ehie)
a.k.a. Amazique, Amazoué, Mozambique, Shedua, Black Hyedua
Ovangkol is an evergreen that can reach heights of 150 feet. Prized as a tonal wood in guitar and bass manufacturing.
Wood color: medium orange brown
Native to: Tropical West Africa
$
Pau Ferro (Machaerium scleroxylon)
a.k.a. Morado, Bolivian Rosewood, Santos Rosewood (not a true Rosewood)
Pau Ferro is a popular replacement for Rosewood. It is commonly used in fingerboards and guitar bodies.
Wood color: medium brown
Native to: Tropical South America, mainly Brazil and Bolivia
$$
Pink Ivory (Berchemia zeyheri)
a.k.a. Red Ivorywood
Pink Ivory wood is said to be rarer than diamonds. Until 1879 in Southern Africa, it was reserved for royalty; non-royals who possessed the wood would be put to death.
Wood color: ranges from pale brownish pink to vivid neon pink-red
Native to: Southern Africa
$$$
Plum (Prunus domestica)
a.k.a. European Plum
Wood color: variable, containing pink, orange, red, purple, olive or gray
Native to: Earth
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Purlpleheart (Peltogyne)
a.k.a. Amaranth
Purpleheart may deepen over time to a purple chocolate color.
Wood color: violet
Native to: Central Russia, Central & South America.
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Redheart (Erythroxylum)
a.k.a. Chakte Kok
Redheart is similar to Bloodwood, but exhibits a more visible and figured grain pattern.
Wood color: red
Native to: Central & South America
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Redwood (Sequoia sempervirens)
a.k.a. Sequoia, Coast Redwood, California Redwood, Vavona
Redwood is the world's tallest tree species, capable of reaching heights of over 300 feet.
Wood color: red brown
Native to: Western Coastal North America
$$
Santos Mahogany (Myroxylon balsamum)
a.k.a. Cabreuva
Not a true Mahogany, Santos Mahogany has a spicy smell when worked.
Wood color: medium red brown
Native to: Central & South America
$
Sapele (Entandrophragma cylindricum)
a.k.a. Sapelli, Sapeli, Aboudikro
Sapele is known for having a wide variety of grain patterns. Prized for its use in musical instruments, such as guitars, ukuleles, mbira, and txalaparta.
Wood color: medium brown
Native to: Tropical Africa
$
Sheoak (Allocasuarina spp.)
Not a true Oak, the Sheoak is an evergreen.
Wood color: medium brown
Native to: Australia
$$
Sumac (Rhus typhina)
a.k.a. Staghorn Sumac
The name Sumac comes from ancient Assyrian and means 'red shift'. Large pieces are rare since trees are narrow and twisting. The dried and powdered red fruits of one species are used as a spice in Middle Eastern cuisine.
Wood color: green-yellow heartwood, light yellow sapwood
Native to: Northeastern North America
$$
Sycamore (Platanus occidentalis)
a.k.a. American Plane, Buttonwood
Sycamore trees can grow to be massive. In 1770, George Washington wrote about a Sycamore tree that was over 44 feet in circumference.
Wood color: light to medium brown with occasional leopard-like patterns
Native to: Eastern North America
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Tambootie (Spirostachys africana)
a.k.a. Sandalo
Tambootie prefers single species copses. When worked, the wood emits a fragrant sweet-spicy smell. The tree produces 'jumping beans' when Emporia melanobasis moth larvae grow inside the fruit.
Wood color: dark reddish brown
Native to: Southern Africa
$$
Teak (Tectona grandis) - plantation sourced
a.k.a. Burmese Teak
Teak has long been the gold standard for decay resistance. Burmese Teak is the naturally grown Teak tree, found in Myanmar. Over-harvesting has caused old growth natural Teak to become rare. Plantation grown Teak - the same species of tree - is sustainably cultivated in Indonesia. Teak emits a leather scent while being worked.
Wood color: light brown with dark grain
Native to: Southeastern Asia
$$
Verawood (Bulnesia arborea)
One of the rarest woods, Verawood exhibits a green color which can range from blue-green to olive-green. Heavy and dense, it extremely decay-resistant.
Wood color: various shades of green
Native to: Central America, northern South America
$$$
Wenge (Millettia laurentii)
Wenge can be pronounced either 'when-ghee' or 'when-ghay'. Wenge paneling was used on the Chrysler Town & Country.
Wood color: dark brown
Native to Central Africa.
$
White Ash (Fraxinus americana)
a.k.a. American White Ash
The Ash tree has experienced recent devastation. The Emerald Ash Borer insect (Agrilus planipennis) has killed hundreds of millions of Ash trees. White Ash is very hard and is the wood of choice for baseball bats and ax handles.
Wood color: light yellow brown
Native to: Eastern North America
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Yellowheart (Euxylophora paraensis)
a.k.a. Pau Amarello
Yellowheart retains its brilliant color with age.
Wood color: yellow
Native to: Brazil
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Zebrawood (Microberlinia brazzavillensis)
a.k.a. Zebrano
Other striped woods are often mislabeled as Zebrawood. It has been used in Cadillac and Mercedes-Benz automobiles.
Wood color: yellow-brown with distinctive dark brown streaks
Native to: Central Africa
$$
Ziricote (Cordia dodecandra)
Related to Bocote, Ziricote exhibits a spider-webbed grain figure.
Wood color: medium-dark brown with greenish hues
Native to: Central America
$$$