Species data
Pau Ferro
Machaerium scleroxylon - a hardwood from tropical South America (mainly Brazil and Bolivia). Also sold as morado, bolivian rosewood, santos rosewood, caviuna.
Properties at a glance
| Janka hardness | 1,960 lbf |
| Stiffness (MOE) | 1,574,000 psi |
| Specific gravity | 0.87 |
| Density | 54.3 lb/ft3 (870 kg/m3) |
| Weight per board foot | 4.52 lb |
| Shrinkage, green to oven-dry | 6.7% tangential / 2.8% radial |
| Indicative price | $18.00 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 Pau Ferro compares
Measured against the 113 solid woods in this database: it is harder than 81% of them, heavier than 85%, and stiffer than 41%. 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 Pau Ferro it weighs about 24.1 lb. A stack of ten is 241 lb - worth knowing before you load a rack or a car.
Against red oak, the trade's usual yardstick at 1,220 lbf, Pau Ferro is about 1.6x as hard and 1.24x as heavy.
Its shrinkage is 6.7% tangential against 2.8% radial, a ratio of 2.4 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 sits in that range.
Woods of similar hardness
Closest to Pau Ferro on hardness in this database: Ziricote (1,970 lbf), Wenge (1,930 lbf), Bocote (2,010 lbf), Shagbark Hickory (1,880 lbf). Similar hardness does not mean similar behaviour - check density and movement before substituting one for another.
Working with it
Workability. Workability is fair; it dulls edges, and irregular grain tends to tear during machining
Durability. Very durable against decay but easily attacked by insects and unsuited to ground contact
Typical uses. veneer, musical instruments, cabinetry, flooring, interior trim, turning.
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.