| Sample | Species | Description |
 | Ash, American
White Ash, Green Ash, Black Ash
Fraxinus americana
Eastern USA | White Ash is considered the all-American wood. Ash is very durable, course textured, and straight grained making it both flexible and shock resistant. It is the wood of choice for various products such as pool cues, oars and garden tool handles as well, and is also well known for use in baseball bats. |
 | Bloodwood
Cardinal Wood, Satine
Brosimum paraense
South America | This distinctive deep red colored wood is found in Brazil, French Guiana, Guyana, and Surinam. The tree is of medium height with trunk diameters that average about 18 inches. Bloodwood is very resistant to insects and is a favorite with the crafter because it polishes nicely. However it is extremely hard and is rather difficult to machine without carbide tipped cutting tools. Common uses include boat building, decorative veneer, fine furniture, medicinal use, canoes, parquet flooring, and fine turnings. |
 | Bocote
Barcino, Cordiawood
Cordia elaeagnoides
Mexico, Central America | This richly grained tropical hardwood is very scarce and is classified as rare or endangered throughout its natural habitat. Bocote is native to Colombia, Cuba, Honduras, Mexico and Nicaragua. Its grain varies from straight to roey and its texture is fine to medium with an oily appearance. The tree varies in height to a maximum of 100 feet. The wood is noted to be a very heavy hard wood, resists marring and denting, and is very resistant to decay. |
 | Bubinga
African Rosewood
Guibourtia demeusei, G pellegriniana
West Africa | Also known as African rosewood, this exotic is heavy, hard and moderately course in texture. The heartwood is red-brown in color with red and purple veining. Bubinga logs can weigh more than 10 tons and can be milled to very wide planks. |
 | Butternut
White Walnut
Juglans cinera
Canada, USA | Prized for its use in church altars, Butternut is a straight grained, course-textured wood that is relatively soft and weak and is not durable. The grain resembles black walnut, its family member, except the heartwood, which tends to be lighter in color. In addition to its wood, butternut trees produce delicious nuts and a sap that makes syrup similar to that of maple syrup. |
 | Cambara
Jaboty
Erbina uncinatum
Peru | Cambará is a medium hard wood. It is valued for its deep reddish brown color, ease of drying, straight grain, decay resistance, and finishing qualities. The sapwood is lighter in color but with similar characteristics as the heartwood. |
 | Canarywood
Putumuju, Tarara
Centrolobium paraense
USA, Canada | Pale olive green to clear yellow in color, it usually has darker streaks in shades of reds, purple, dark green, blue and black. The wood is straight grained, occasionally with an attractive blister figure. Texture is typically fine and even. |
 | Cedar, Eastern Red
Aromatic Cedar, Virginia Pencil Cedar
Juniperus virginiana
Eastern USA | Common to chests and closets, aromatic red cedar has a straight grain, fine texture and contains numerous knots and bark inclusions. Although called a "cedar", it's in fact not a cedar at all. Instead, the timber comes from a juniper. The oil and familiar scent make it very attractive and is said to repel moths. |
 | Chechen
Black Poisonwood, Poisontree, Chechem
Metopium brownei
Central America | Chechen is distinctive because of its golden luster. The color of Chechen heartwood is somewhat similar to American Black Walnut, a dark reddish brown color with dark brown stripes and lighter streaks. The tree size ranges from the size of a shrub to a height of 50 ft with a trunk diameter of about 21 inches. |
 | Cherry, American
Black Cherry
Prunus serotina
Eastern USA | As one of North America's finest and highly prized woods, Cherry is known as the wood that helped to develop the cabinet industry we have today. With its straight, fine grain, smooth texture and reddish heartwood color, it's one of the most desirable of all the hardwoods. Cherry is extremely stable and very beautiful when finished. |
 | Cocobolo
Granadillo, Nambar
Dalbergia retusa
Costa Rica, El Salvador,
Honduras, and Mexico | This beautiful dark grained hardwood has a high oil content that acts as a barrier to water absorption and imparts a waxy appearance when rubbed. It is a favorite species for the manufacture of cutlery handles because of its attractive color, texture, durability, and waterproof characteristics. The tree grows to a height of 45 to 60 feet. |
 | Cypress, Taxodium distichum USA
| Cypress is found in wet regions and swamps. Very resistant to rot and decay. Docks, bridges, boats, posts, outdoor furniture. |
 | Goncalo Alves
Tigerwood, Zorrowood
Astronium fraxinifolium, A gravolens
Brazil, Paraguay, & Uruguay | Gancalo Alves is distinguished by its two-tone appearance and variations in color. It is a very durable, heavy hard, dense wood that requires machining with tools with carbide cutters. Trees grow to 120 feet high with trunk diameters to 40 inches. Although a lesser-known species, Goncalo Alves is one of the most beautiful tropical woods from Central and South America. |
 | Jarrah
Eucalyptus marginata
Australia | Jarrah can grow up to 130 feet high in favorable conditions, with a diameter up to 6 feet. Dark red to reddish brown wood. It has a coarse texture but finishes beautifully. Jarrah is one of Australia's most important commercial hardwoods that grow in the southwest of Western Australia, mainly in the forests where rainfall is in the 30-50 inch per annum range. It occurs in almost pure stands where mature trees have been known to be over 600 years old. However, in poor conditions, it may only grow to 6 feet in height. It is now being used extensively as an extremely attractive cabinet timber. |
 | Jatoba
Brazilian Cherry
Hymenaea courbaril
Brazil | Found in Central and South America, this wood is very hard and strong. Over 125% harder that red oak, Jatoba has shock resistant qualities similar to ash and hickory. Because of its hardness, Jatoba can be used for many things including furniture, tool handles and flooring. The bark of the tree is similar to paper birch and is great in canoe making. |
 | Kingwood
Bois violet, Violet Wood, Violetta
Dalbergia cearensis
Brazil | This rich dark wood has a luxurious straight grain and fine texture. Although very strong and tough in all wood strength categroies, Kingwood is mostly used for decrorative purposes since its use is restricted by the small sizes available. Today the wood is chiefly used in a veneer form for inlays and marquetry. |
Actual woods may vary widely from samples. More Samples>> |
