Species data
Makore
Tieghemella heckelii - a hardwood from western and Middle Africa. Also sold as douka, cherry mahogany.
Properties at a glance
| Janka hardness | 1,200 lbf |
| Stiffness (MOE) | 1,552,000 psi |
| Specific gravity | 0.69 |
| Density | 43.1 lb/ft3 (690 kg/m3) |
| Weight per board foot | 3.59 lb |
| Shrinkage, green to oven-dry | 7.7% tangential / 5.5% radial |
| Indicative price | $10.00 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 Makore compares
Measured against the 113 solid woods in this database: it is harder than 57% of them, heavier than 58%, and stiffer than 39%.
What that means in the shop
A 4/4 board 8 inches wide and 8 feet long is 5.33 board feet, so in Makore it weighs about 19.1 lb. A stack of ten is 191 lb - worth knowing before you load a rack or a car.
Against red oak, the trade's usual yardstick at 1,220 lbf, Makore is about 98% as hard and 99% as heavy.
Its shrinkage is 7.7% tangential against 5.5% radial, a ratio of 1.4 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 Makore on hardness in this database: Iroko (1,190 lbf), Red Oak (1,220 lbf), Koa (1,170 lbf), Oregon Ash (1,160 lbf). Similar hardness does not mean similar behaviour - check density and movement before substituting one for another.
Working with it
Workability. Generally cooperative, but silica dulls cutters and interlocked grain can tear; glues and finishes easily
Durability. Heartwood is very durable and stands up well to attack by insects
Typical uses. veneer, plywood, furniture, cabinetry, flooring, boatbuilding, musical instruments, turned objects.
Related calculators
Sources
MOE, SG (12% MC), Janka and shrinkage from The Wood Database (citing USDA FPL and related sources). This imported species is not listed in the FPL/Hoadley dimensional change coefficient table, so CT/CR and movement source 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.