About Brazilian Cherry Wood

Brazilian cherry wood (also known as jatoba) is a popular flooring choice for home and business because of its hardness and resilience to weather and insects.

Region

Brazilian cherry wood is found in Mexico, Central America, the islands of South America, Peru, Bolivia and in Brazil.

Family

Brazilian cherry wood is not actual cherry wood of the species of prunus. It comes from the family of leguminosae and can grow as high as 120 feet.

Use

In the United States, most Brazilian cherry wood is used as flooring for houses and buildings. Other uses for Brazilian cherry wood are as stairs, rails, doors, tool handles, wheel rims and as a substitute for teak.

Description

Brazilian cherry wood is a dense wood that weighs 56 lbs. per cubic foot and is deep burgundy in color. But variations in color range from orange to dark brown.

Quick Hardened Fact

According to brazilianhardwood.com, Brazilian cherry wood is 228 percent as hard as red oak wood. And on the Janka Hardness Scale (an industry standard tool for measuring the hardness of wood flooring), it ranks 2820, while red oak wood ranks 1260 for hardness. Brazilian cherry wood is also hard to cut and plane because of its interlocking grain.

Useful Knowledge

Brazilian cherry wood is resistant to insects, including termites, and preservation treatments. The jatoba tree produces a rosin-like gum that is used in varnishes and cement, and is sold under the trade name "Copal."

References

• Brazilian Cherry Description
• Jatoba/Brazilian Cherry Wood
• Brazilian Cherry Information