Species data
Cumaru
Dipteryx odorata - a hardwood from northern South America. Also sold as brazilian teak.
Properties at a glance
| Janka hardness | 3,330 lbf |
| Stiffness (MOE) | 3,237,000 psi |
| Specific gravity | 1.09 |
| Density | 68.0 lb/ft3 (1,090 kg/m3) |
| Weight per board foot | 5.67 lb |
| Shrinkage, green to oven-dry | 7.7% tangential / 5.3% radial |
| Indicative price | $9.00 per board foot (estimated) |
Values are at about 12% moisture content. Density is specific gravity times 62.4; a board foot is one twelfth of a cubic foot, so weight per board foot is that density divided by twelve. Anything marked estimated is our own figure, not a measured one.
How Cumaru compares
Measured against the 113 solid woods in this database: it is harder than 97% of them, heavier than 97%, and stiffer than 99%. Hard enough to be tough on edges and on machinery. At this density a full sheet or a long board gets heavy fast; check the shelf-sag and weight tools before you size anything.
What that means in the shop
A 4/4 board 8 inches wide and 8 feet long is 5.33 board feet, so in Cumaru it weighs about 30.2 lb. A stack of ten is 302 lb - worth knowing before you load a rack or a car.
Against red oak, the trade's usual yardstick at 1,220 lbf, Cumaru is about 2.7x as hard and 1.56x as heavy.
Its shrinkage is 7.7% tangential against 5.3% radial, a ratio of 1.5 to 1. The wider that ratio, the more unevenly a flatsawn board moves across its width as humidity changes, and the more it wants to cup; anything near or above 2 to 1 is worth quartersawing or restraining for panels and wide tops. This one moves comparatively evenly.
Woods of similar hardness
Closest to Cumaru on hardness in this database: Pink Ivory (3,230 lbf), Ipe (3,490 lbf), Massaranduba (3,130 lbf), Gaboon Ebony (3,080 lbf). Similar hardness does not mean similar behaviour - check density and movement before substituting one for another.
Working with it
Workability. Its high density and interlocked grain make working hard and dull cutters moderately
Durability. Very durable; weathers superbly and stands up to termites
Typical uses. flooring, decking, heavy construction, furniture, cabinetry, turned objects.
Related calculators
Sources
MOE, SG (12% MC), Janka and shrinkage from The Wood Database (cites USDA FPL Wood Handbook). Cumaru is not listed in the FPL/Hoadley dimensional change coefficient table, so CT/CR are omitted. Uses, region, durability and workability summarized from The Wood Database. Price indicative.
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.