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Our Commonly Used Timber Species

Angelim Pedra

Color/Appearance: Heartwood is reddish brown, sometimes with colored streaks; slightly paler sapwood isn’t always clearly demarcated from the heartwood. Freshly sawn surfaces can have a lighter olive hue, with color darkening to a deeper reddish brown with age.
Grain/Texture: Grain is usually interlocked, with a uniform, medium-coarse texture. Moderate natural luster.
Rot Resistance: Rated as durable to very durable, with good resistance to insect attack.

Cumaru | Brazilian Teak

Color/Appearance: Heartwood tends to be a medium to dark brown, sometimes with a reddish or purplish hue; some pieces may have streaks of yellowish or greenish brown.
Grain/Texture: Grain is interlocked, with a medium texture and a waxy feel.
Rot Resistance: Cumaru has excellent durability and weathering properties. The wood is rated as very durable regarding decay resistance, though it may be susceptible to some insect attacks.

Fava Amargosa

Color/Appearance: The wood is bright yellow when freshly sawn, becoming yellow brown to dark brown or red brown. It has clearly demarcated sapwood.
Grain/Texture: The grain is straight or interlocked and the texture is coarse.
Rot Resistance: Fava Amargosa is moderately durable to fungi and is durable to dry wood borers.

Goncalo Alves | Tigerwood

Color/Appearance: Heartwood is typically a medium reddish brown with irregularly spaced streaks of dark brown to black. Color tends to darken with age.
Grain/Texture: Grain can be straight, but is usually wavy or interlocked. Fine, uniform texture with good natural luster.
Rot Resistance: Goncalo Alves has excellent weathering properties, and is rated as very durable regarding decay resistance.

Itauba

Color/Appearance: The wood varies from yellow brown to dark lustrous brown.
Grain/Texture: The grain is straight and the texture is fine.
Rot Resistance: Itauba is very durable to fungi and the heartwood is durable to dry wood borers, but sapwood not clearly demarcated.

Jatoba | Brazilian Cherry

Color/Appearance: Heartwood varies from a light orangish brown to a darker reddish brown, sometimes with contrasting darker grayish brown streaks. Color tends darken upon exposure to light. Sapwood is a light grayish yellow, clearly demarcated from the heartwood.
Grain/Texture: Grain is typically interlocked, with a medium to coarse texture. Good natural luster.
Rot Resistance: Jatoba is rated as being very durable in regards to rot resistance, and is also resistant to termites and most other insects. (Though it has been reported to be susceptible to attack from marine borers.)

Massaranduba

Color/Appearance: Heartwood is a medium to dark reddish brown. Color tends to darken with age. Pale yellow sapwood is clearly differentiated from the heartwood, though not always sharply demarcated.
Grain/Texture: Grain straight to interlocked or wavy. Fine uniform texture with low natural luster.
Rot Resistance: Rated as very durable, with good resistance to most insect attack. Susceptible to marine borers.

Leopardwood

Color/Appearance: Has a very conspicuous flecking that gives this wood its namesake. The wood itself is a medium to dark reddish brown with grey or light brown rays, which resemble the spots of a leopard. Leopardwood has the most pronounced figure and displays the largest flecks when perfectly quarter-sawn.
Grain/Texture: Has a fairly coarse texture and straight grain.
Rot Resistance: Most species are reported to be very durable regarding decay resistance.

Purpleheart

Color/Appearance: When freshly cut the heartwood of Purpleheart is a dull grayish/purplish brown. Upon exposure the wood becomes a deeper eggplant purple. With further age and exposure to UV light, the wood becomes a dark brown with a hint of purple.
Grain/Texture: The grain is usually straight, but can also be wavy or irregular. Has a medium texture with good natural luster.
Rot Resistance: Purpleheart is rated as being very durable, and resists both decay and most insect attacks, though it has been reported to be susceptible to attack from marine borers.

Tatajuba | Brazilian Teak

Color/Appearance: Color of freshly sawn heartwood ranges from bright yellow to golden yellow, darkening to a golden or reddish brown upon exposure to light. Pale yellow-white sapwood is sharply demarcated from heartwood.
Grain/Texture: Interlocked grain, with a medium, uniform texture. Has a good amount of natural luster.
Rot Resistance: Tatajuba has been reported to be durable to very durable regarding decay resistance, with good resistance to insect attack. However, it’s reported to have rather poor weathering characteristics.

Sapucaia Tangier

Color/Appearance: The heartwood of Sapucaia is yellowish to reddish brown, sometimes with darker stripes. The darker gum veins, appearing on the surface as dark lines, are characteristic. The sapwood has a lighter colour and can easily be distinguished.
Grain/Texture: The grain is straight, sometimes interlocked. The texture is medium coarse.
Rot Resistance: Rated as being very durable, and resists both decay and most insect attacks.
Special thanks for species information from:
Wood Database
Lesser Known Timber Species