Honduran Rosewood

Honduran Rosewood (Dalbergia stevensonii)

Common Name(s): Honduran Rosewood, Honduras Rosewood

Scientific Name: Dalbergia stevensonii

Distribution: Belize (British Honduras)

Tree Size: 50-100 ft (15-30 m) tall, 3 ft (1 m) trunk diameter

Average Dried Weight: 62 lbs/ft³ (995 kg/m³)

Basic Specific Gravity: .815

Hardness: 2,200 lb_f (9,790 N)

Bending Strength: No data available

Elasticity: No data available

Shrinkage: Volumetric: 8.1%*

*estimated from basic specific gravity and average dried weight

Color/Appearance: Heartwood color can range from a deep brownish-purple to a light-brown. Most common is a brownish-mauve color, as seen in the scan(s) below. Sapwood is a pale yellow.

Grain/Pore: Has small to medium sized pores and a somewhat fine texture.

Durability: Like most rosewoods, Honduran Rosewood has natural oils that give it excellent resistance to decay.

Workability: Due to the high oil content found in this wood, it can occasionally cause problems with gluing. The wood’s color can bleed into surrounding wood when applying a finish, so care must be taken on the initial seal coats not to smear the wood’s color/oils into surrounding areas. It also has a moderate blunting effect on cutting edges/tools due to its high density.

Smell: Has a distinct smell when being worked.

Safety: As with nearly all rosewoods in the Dalbergia genus, Honduran Rosewood contains sensitizers which can irritate the skin, and cause allergic reactions in some people. See the articles Wood Allergies and Toxicity and Wood Dust Safety for more information.

Price Range: Honduran Rosewood is in limited supply, and is likely to be quite expensive. I’d expect it to compare similarly to Cocobolo or other rosewoods that are becoming more and more scarce.

Comments: Being hard and dense, it has a somewhat glassy (resonant) tone when tapped with a hard object, making it well-suited for acoustic guitars, xylophone keys, and other acoustic musical instruments.

Related Species:

African Blackwood (Dalbergia melanoxylon)

Brazilian Rosewood (Dalbergia nigra)

Burmese Rosewood (Dalbergia oliveri)

Cocobolo (Dalbergia retusa)

East Indian Rosewood (Dalbergia latifolia)

Kingwood (Dalbergia cearensis)

Madagascar Rosewood (Dalbergia baronii)

Sissoo (Dalbergia sissoo)

Tulipwood (Dalbergia decipularis)