Mahogany

Mahogany wood connotes richness and luxury. It is a popular wood for furniture and flooring. Mahogany is one of the famous wood types that often people use in residential homes. It’s a beautiful reddish-brown timber that loos marvelous whenever it is placed in your home. 

Mahogany has straight grains that make it look sleek & elegant. This tropical hardwood species’ weight and hardness are rated as moderate whereas density is high. It is an exotic wood that considerably varies in colour. It may be reddish, pinkish, yellowish, salmon-coloured when it is freshly cut, and maturing into a brown or deep rich red colour with age. 

As one of the most revered furniture woods that has been extensively used to make cabinets. The texture is very fine and even that makes it a really reliable wood type for furniture, flooring, and even heavy construction. 

Genuine Mahogany

Common name : Honduran Mahogany, Honduras Mahogany, Genuine Mahogany, Big-Leaf Mahogany
Scientific name : Swietenia macrophylla
Distribution : From Southern Mexico to central South America; also commonly grown on plantations
Tree Size : 150-200 ft (46-60 m) tall, 3-6 ft (1-2 m) trunk diameter
Average Dried Weight : 37 lbs/ft3 (590 kg/m3)
Specific Gravity (Basic, 12% MC) : .52, .59
Janka Hardness : 900 lbf (4,020 N)
Modulus of Rupture : 11,710 lbf/in2 (80.8 MPa)
Elastic Modulus : 1,458,000 lbf/in2 (10.06 GPa)
Crushing Strength : 6,760 lbf/in2 (46.6 MPa)
Shrinkage : Radial : 2.9%, Tangential: 4.3%, Volumetric: 7.5%, T/R Ratio: 1.5

Color/Appearance  : Heartwood color can vary a fair amount with Honduran Mahogany, from a pale pinkish brown, to a darker reddish brown. Color tends to darken with age. Many other species sold as Mahogany has color variation but generally reddish brown.

Grain/Texture : Grain can be straight, interlocked, irregular or wavy. Texture is medium and uniform, with moderate natural luster.

Rot Resistance : Varies from moderately durable to very durable depending on density and growing conditions of the tree. (Older growth trees tend to produce darker, heavier, and more durable lumber than plantation-grown stock.) Resistant to termites, but vulnerable to other insects.

Workability : Typically very easy to work with tools: machines well. Slight dulling of cutters can occur. Sands very easily. Turns, glues, stains, and finishes well.

Odor : No characteristic odor.

Pricing/Availability : Despite export restrictions, Honduran Mahogany continues to be available in lumber or veneer form, possibly from plantations. Prices are in the mid range for an imported hardwood, though it tends to be more expensive than African Mahogany. Figured or quartersawn lumber is more expensive.

Common Uses : Furniture, cabinetry, turned objects, veneers, musical instruments, boatbuilding, and carving.