Species data
Santos Mahogany
Myroxylon balsamum - a hardwood from southern Mexico, Central and South America. Also sold as cabreuva.
Properties at a glance
| Janka hardness | 2,400 lbf |
| Stiffness (MOE) | 2,380,000 psi |
| Specific gravity | 0.91 |
| Density | 56.8 lb/ft3 (910 kg/m3) |
| Weight per board foot | 4.73 lb |
| Shrinkage, green to oven-dry | 6.2% tangential / 3.8% radial |
| Indicative price | $8.00 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 Santos Mahogany compares
Measured against the 113 solid woods in this database: it is harder than 87% of them, heavier than 90%, and stiffer than 87%. 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 Santos Mahogany it weighs about 25.2 lb. A stack of ten is 252 lb - worth knowing before you load a rack or a car.
Against red oak, the trade's usual yardstick at 1,220 lbf, Santos Mahogany is about 2.0x as hard and 1.30x as heavy.
Its shrinkage is 6.2% tangential against 3.8% radial, a ratio of 1.6 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 Santos Mahogany on hardness in this database: Bubinga (2,410 lbf), East Indian Rosewood (2,350 lbf), Persimmon (2,300 lbf), Purpleheart (2,520 lbf). Similar hardness does not mean similar behaviour - check density and movement before substituting one for another.
Working with it
Workability. Both its density and interlocked grain leave it only fair to poor when machining
Durability. Very durable against decay, with accounts differing on how well it resists insects
Typical uses. flooring, furniture, interior trim, heavy construction.
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.