Wood species

Jatoba (Brazilian Cherry)

Hymenaea courbaril · Fabaceae

Also sold as Brazilian Cherry

Not a cherry: the Brazilian Cherry of a million floors is a tropical legume about twice as hard as white oak, orange-brown going red with age, and inexpensive for an import.

Janka hardness: 2690 lbf
Density: 57.0 lb/ft³
Shrinkage T / R: 8.0 / 4.2 %
Origin: Central America, southern Mexico, northern South America and the West Indies
IUCN Red List: Least Concern

Shop Jatoba (Brazilian Cherry) in stock (8)All live edge slabs

Pictured: (Pre-Built) Brazilian Cherry Live Edge Tabletop #PB039 42" x 39" x 1.8"

About Jatoba (Brazilian Cherry)

Jatoba, sold as Brazilian Cherry, is not a cherry: the heartwood runs from light orange-brown to a deep reddish brown, often with darker gray-brown streaks, and it darkens with light and time. Grain is typically interlocked, the texture medium to coarse, with a good natural luster. It is very hard and heavy, roughly twice the Janka hardness of white oak, so it dulls cutters and tears out under the planer, but it glues, stains and finishes well. A wiped oil or hardwax brings up the red. It is rated very durable against decay and termites. It suits high-traffic dining tops, bar tops, benches and stair treads. Ours are kiln dried in Zebulon, NC.

Working & finishing

Difficult to work on account of its density and hardness, with a moderate blunting effect on cutters, and hard to plane without tearout because of the interlocked grain: carbide, shallow passes, and a sander for the final surface. Glues, stains, turns and finishes well and responds to steam bending. Pre-drill and countersink every screw. Oil or hardwax deepens the red, which keeps darkening in daylight. Reported to cause skin irritation.

Care

Wipe spills and clean with a damp cloth; at 2,690 lbf it will not dent under ordinary use. Expect the color to darken and redden in light over the first year. Very durable against decay and termites, but its shrinkage is in the oak range, so an outdoor top moves with the seasons and grays without an annual oil.

In stock now