Wood Species

Name	Wood	Janka Rating
Cumaru (Brazilian Teak)		3540

Cumaru
Dipteryx odorata

Also known as: Almendrillo, Amburana, Brazilian Teak, Imburana de Cheiro, Tonka, Tonka Bean, Tonquin Bean

Origin: Central and South America

Appearance:

The sapwood of cumaru is very similar to the heartwood, which ranges from tannish to deep brown in color. Over time the color of Brazilian Teak (as it is sometimes referred to) will "flatten out" slightly. The species has an irregular, slightly interlocked grain and is coarse and wavy in texture.

Resistance, Durability:

Cumaru is resistant to insect attack and decay. Cumaru can take some time to dry properly due to its propensity to shrink when freshly cut, but does have good stability characteristics once dry.

Janka Hardness: 3540

Cumaru is only two and a half percent softer than ipe (Brazilin walnut), is over one hundred and sixty percent harder than white oak, almost eighty-five percent harder than jarrah, and is roughly sixty percent harder than santos mahogany's ranking of 2200.

Workability:

As Cumaru is such an impressively dense wood, it can provide a level of resistance to cutting blades. Predrilling is suggested as splitting can occur with the dried form of this species. Cumaru sands well but can take some effort to finish as it resists treatment. The dust arising from working cumaru wood flooring has been known to cause a slight allergic reaction on contact with skin, and as such some care should be taken in installing and preparing this product.

Main Uses:

Cumaru's uses include flooring, decking, cabinetry, canoes, pianos, and general construction.

What is a Janka Rating?

"It is one of the best measures of the ability of a wood species to withstand denting and wear. It is also a good indicator of how hard a species is to saw or nail.

The hardness of wood usually varies with the direction of the wood grain.

A common use of Janka hardness ratings is to determine whether a species is suitable for use as flooring."

Colored Bamboo

Some species have different janka ratings depending on how they have been treated.

Bamboo is one example of this. If left with a natural finish, Bamboo falls at 1380 on the hardness scale. If you carbonize it to get a darker color, the rank falls to 1180.