hardwood · Cordia spp.

Bocote wood properties

Also known as: bocote.

Type hardwood
Botanical name Cordia spp.
Modulus of elasticity (MOE) 1,767,000 psi
Specific gravity 0.85
Density (approx) 53 lb/ft³ (4.4 lb per board foot)
Janka hardness 2,010 lbf
Shrinkage (tangential / radial) 7.4% / 4%
Region Mexico and Central and South America

A 1 in x 6 in x 8 ft board of Bocote weighs about 17.7 lb (roughly 53 lb per cubic foot). Its Janka hardness of 2,010 lbf is harder than about 82% of the woods in our database.

Uses and working notes

Common uses: fine furniture, cabinetry, flooring, veneer, boatbuilding, musical instruments, gunstocks, turned objects.

Durability: Rated moderately to very durable by species; insects can still attack it.

Workability: Machines and works smoothly with fine results; bonds well despite its oils, and figure poses no machining trouble.

Use this data

Similar woods

Woods with comparable hardness and density to Bocote:

How these numbers were sourced

MOE, SG (12% MC), Janka and shrinkage from The Wood Database (cites USDA FPL Wood Handbook). Not in the FPL/Hoadley dimensional-change table, so movement coefficients are omitted. Uses, region, durability, workability summarized from The Wood Database. Price indicative.

Values shown as estimates rather than sourced constants: typicalPricePerBF_usd.

Sources

These calculators are for planning and estimation. Engineering results (shelf sag, wood movement) use published average material properties; real boards vary by grade, grain, moisture and defects. Verify load-bearing designs with a professional.