Product Description
LUMBER SURFACED ON 4 SIDES TO SIZES SHOWN + or - 1/4
| Common Name(s): Honduran Rosewood, Honduras Rosewood
Scientific Name: Dalbergia stevensonii Distribution: Belize (British Honduras) Tree Size: 50-100 ft (15-30 m) tall, 3 ft (1 m) trunk diameter Average Dried Weight: 64 lbs/ft3 (1,025 kg/m3) Specific Gravity (Basic, 12% MC): .82., 1.03 Janka Hardness: 2,200 lbf (9,790 N) Modulus of Rupture: No data available Elastic Modulus: 3,190,000 lbf/in2 (22.00 GPa) Crushing Strength: No data available Shrinkage: No data available |
Color/Appearance: Heartwood color can range from a deep brownish-purple to a light-brown. Most common is a brownish-mauve color. Clearly demarcated sapwood is a pale yellow.
Grain/Texture: Grain is usually straight or slightly interlocked. Fine to medium texture, with good natural luster.
Endgrain: Semi-ring-porous to diffuse-porous; medium to very large pores, very few to few; solitary and radial multiples; heartwood deposits (reddish brown and dark brown) common; parenchyma diffuse-in-aggregates, vasicentric, and banded; rays narrow, normal to fairly close spacing.
Rot Resistance: Rated as very durable, with moderate insect resistance.
Workability: Can be somewhat difficult to machine, and tends to ride over jointer blades, and has a moderate blunting effect on cutting edges. Because of its high oil content, gluing can be problematic, and the wood’s color can bleed into surrounding wood when applying a finish. Turns well.
Odor: Has a distinct smell when being worked.
Allergies/Toxicity: Reported as a sensitizer; can cause skin, eye, and respirator irritation. See the articles Wood Allergies and Toxicity and Wood Dust Safety for more information.
Pricing/Availability: Diminishing availability, though still seen in both lumber and turning blank form. Prices are in the mid to upper range for an imported hardwood.
Sustainability: Although Honduran Rosewood is not evaluated on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species, it is listed on CITES appendix II under the genus-wide restriction on all Dalbergia species—which also includes finished products made of the wood.
Common Uses: Fine furniture, musical instruments, veneer, turned and other specialty wood objects.
Comments: Honduran Rosewood is known for its acoustic properties, possessing an excellent tap-tone, making it well-suited for acoustic guitars, xylophone keys, and other acoustic musical instruments.
