Tropical Hardwood Timbers

Its heartwood is highly resistant to attack by fungi, marine borers and dry-wood termites, and that makes the wood popular for marine and ship construction. The wood's exceptional density and strength, with high bending and crushing strengths, makes it ideal for heavy work. It is suitable for bridge work and commercial flooring. Greenheart's heartwood varies in color. It ranges from yellowish green to light olive to dark green, and orange green to orange brown to dark brown. Sometimes it has black streaks. The color is not supposed to change the wood's properties. Greenheart has a fine texture and lustrous grain. The wood is rated moderately hard to work with both hand and machine tools, due in part to the density of the wood. It will dull cutting edges quicker than other woods, but it can be finished to a lustrous sheen.

An extremely dense, tight grained wood. Generally a deep rich brown with some pieces displaying red and amber hues. Highest rating for insect (termite) and decay resistance. Offers up to 100 year lifespan. Ipe is an exotic hardwood that is naturally resistant to rot and decay and is 8 times harder than California Redwood.

Jatoba, also widely known as Brazillian Cherry, is one of the world’s most sought tropical hardwoods due to its exceptional hardness and striking appearance. Its colors can range from orange and red to darker shades of purple and brown, depending on exposure to light. Jatoba’s textured grain is typically interlocked. On the Janka Hardness scale, Brazilian Cherry ranks 2820 vs. 1260 for Red Oak. Because of its exceptional durability, Brazillian Cherry is used extensively as flooring and decking throughout Europe and the United States. It is rated very high in resistance to wood borers and insects. Jatoba is also very resistant to rot and fungal attack when used for exterior purposes.

Wallaba is a hard, heavy wood with a density of 928 kg/m3 (58 lb/ft3). Its strength is higher than that of shagbark hickory (Carya ovata). Although the wood has high density, it is easy to work with hand and machine tools. The heartwood is very durable and resistant to subterranean termites and resistant to dry-wood termites. This especially durable wood is used mainly for telegraph poles and for shingles with a life expectancy of more than 50 years in the tropics. Wallaba shingles are also the highest fire-rated wood shingles on the market.

Nancitón is generally a very large, straight tropical hardwood that ranges from southern Mexico to Brazil. It is highly valued for uses in home construction to furniture making. The color of the heartwood ranges in color from light brown to purple when fresh cut, darkening with exposure and drying to chocolate brown. Nancitón grain can be interlocked or straight, resembling that of American Black Walnut, with fewer defects. Nancitón durability is rated very high owing to its natural resistance to decay and insect attack in tropical conditions.