Brazilian Mahogany — wood grain image
Brazilian Mahogany wood grain image from The Wood Explorer legacy species collection.
face grainAt a glance
Scientific nameSwietenia macrophylla
Trade / common nameHonduras mahogany
FamilyMeliaceae
RegionCentral America; Latin America; Oceania; South-East Asia
Common names
Acajou; Acajou Amerique; Acajou d’Amerique; Acajou du Honduras; Aguano; American mahogany; Brazilian mahogany; Big-leafed mahogany; Broad-leaved mahogany; Caoba; Caoba Americana; Caoba de Honduras; Central American mahogany; Costa Rica mahogany; Cuban mahogany; Honduras mahogany; Mexican mahogany; Peruvian mahogany; Red cedar; Tabasco mahogany; Venezuela mahogany; Zopilote
Distribution
Perhaps the most valuable timber tree in the whole of tropical Latin America, Honduras mahogany has an extensive tropical distribution, from the north of the State of Veracruz to Yucatan in Mexico, and along the north Atlantic slope of Central America to Venezuela and Brazil. It also occurs in Colombia, Peru, and Bolivia at elevations of up to 4900 feet (1500 m), and on Cape Verde Islands. It is usually found in dry forests but it also occurs in moist and gallery forests. S. macrophylla is now widely planted throughout the whole of the tropics as a forest crop and currently provides almost all mahogany on the commercial market.
Uses
Bedroom suites, Boat building (general), Boat building, Boat building: decking, Boat building: planking, Boxes and crates, Building materials, Cabinetmaking, Canoes, Carvings, Chairs, Chests, Coffins, Concealed parts (Furniture), Cooperages, Decorative veneer, Desks, Dining-room furniture, Dowell pins, Dowells, Drawer sides, Drawing boards, Drum sticks, Figured veneer, Fine furniture, Floor lamps, Flooring, Fuelwood, Furniture , Furniture components, Furniture squares or stock, Furniture, Handles: general, Hatracks, Heavy construction, Interior construction, Interior trim, Joinery (external): ground contact, Joinery, Kitchen cabinets, Lifeboats, Light construction, Living-room suites, Mathematical instruments, Millwork, Model airplanes, Moldings, Musical instruments , Musical instruments, Musical instruments: piano, Office furniture, Organ pipes, Paneling , Paneling, Particleboard, Piano keys, Pianos , Plywood corestock, Plywood, Radio - stereo - TV cabinets, Rustic furniture, Scientific instruments, Sculpture, Shipbuilding, Tables, Turnery, Veneer, Veneer: decorative
Countries & Distribution
These country connections come directly from the same SQL country–species bridge used by Country Detail and the Global Navigator.
Wood images
Linked historical images associated with this species record.
Honduras mahogany
Captured from current WPhistorical species datasheet.
Honduras mahogany
Captured from current WPhistorical species datasheet.
Honduras mahogany
Captured from current WPhistorical species datasheet.
Honduras mahogany
Captured from current WPhistorical species datasheet.
Honduras mahogany
Captured from current WPhistorical species datasheet.
Honduras mahogany
Captured from current WPhistorical species datasheet.
Honduras mahogany
Captured from current WPhistorical species datasheet.
Honduras mahogany
Captured from current WPhistorical species datasheet.
Projects & Inspiration
Explore possible applications, then tell Woodley what you are interested in making.
Project images are illustrative inspiration, not species-identification photographs. Suitability should be checked against the species data and project requirements.
Dining Furniture
Fine furniture and dining-room furniture are documented uses.
Musical Instrument
Musical instruments are among the documented traditional uses.
Cabinetry
Cabinetmaking and kitchen cabinets are documented applications.
Classic Boat
Boat building and shipbuilding are documented uses.
What would you like to make?
Tell Woodley what you have in mind. Woodley can help explore whether Honduras mahogany is suitable and guide the next steps.
Project guidance can build on this species record, its properties and documented uses.
Appearance
Heartwood color
Red
Brown
Purple
Reddish brown
Yellow to golden-yellow to orange
Pale brown
Pale red to pink
Brown
Dark brown
Red
Dark brown
Yellow
White to cream
Salmon pink to light pinkish brown, or reddish brown
Pink
Matures into deep reddish brown
Exposure to sunlight may fade color
Color varies considerably
The wide variability in color has enabled many look-alike species to be marketed as mahogany.
Heartwood color
Reddish brown; yellow to golden-yellow or orange; pale brown; pale red to pink; brown; dark brown; red; yellow; white to cream; salmon pink to light pinkish brown; color darkens and may fade with sunlight; considerable variability
Sapwood Color
Brown
Red
Pink
White to yellow
Well defined
Pinkish
Whitish
Paler than heartwood
Different than heartwood
Sapwood Color
White to yellow; well defined; pinkish; whitish; paler than heartwood; different from heartwood
Grain
Usually straight to interlocked; may be wavy, striped, irregular, mottled, rippled or figured. Grain irregularities can produce fiddleback, blister, stripe, roe and mottle figure.
Texture
Fine to medium, often medium; sometimes medium to coarse; generally uniform
Luster
Medium
High
Pronounced
Lustrous
Slightly lustrous
High
Golden luster
Luster
Medium to pronounced; may be lustrous, slightly lustrous, high or golden
Uses & Applications
Common Uses
Bedroom suites, Boat building (general), Boat building, Boat building: decking, Boat building: planking, Boxes and crates, Building materials, Cabinetmaking, Canoes, Carvings, Chairs, Chests, Coffins, Concealed parts (Furniture), Cooperages, Decorative veneer, Desks, Dining-room furniture, Dowell pins, Dowells, Drawer sides, Drawing boards, Drum sticks, Figured veneer, Fine furniture, Floor lamps, Flooring, Fuelwood, Furniture , Furniture components, Furniture squares or stock, Furniture, Handles: general, Hatracks, Heavy construction, Interior construction, Interior trim, Joinery (external): ground contact, Joinery, Kitchen cabinets, Lifeboats, Light construction, Living-room suites, Mathematical instruments, Millwork, Model airplanes, Moldings, Musical instruments , Musical instruments, Musical instruments: piano, Office furniture, Organ pipes, Paneling , Paneling, Particleboard, Piano keys, Pianos , Plywood corestock, Plywood, Radio - stereo - TV cabinets, Rustic furniture, Scientific instruments, Sculpture, Shipbuilding, Tables, Turnery, Veneer, Veneer: decorative
Common Uses
Bedroom suites; boat building; decking; planking; boxes and crates; building materials; cabinetmaking; canoes; carvings; chairs; chests; coffins; cooperage; decorative veneer; desks; dining-room furniture; doors; dowels; drawer sides; drum sticks; figured veneer; fine furniture; flooring; furniture components; handles; hatracks; heavy construction; interior construction; interior trim; joinery; kitchen cabinets; lifeboats; light construction; living-room suites; mathematical instruments; millwork; model airplanes; moldings; musical instruments; office furniture; organ pipes; paneling; particleboard; piano keys; plywood; radio and television cabinets; scientific instruments; sculpture; shipbuilding; tables; turnery; veneer
Product Sources
The ITTO reports that the species is an important source of timber for export. It is exported in the form of square-edged timber, veneers, and plywood.
Honduras mahogany is readily available at moderate prices at present, but its continued availability is of some concern because of high demand. Current supplies of the standing trees are also becoming more inaccessible and scarce due to exploitation.
Full Technical Species Profile
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