Color/Appearance: Heartwood is an orangish brown when freshly sawn, darkening considerably to a reddish brown to nearly black upon exposure to air. Sapwood is sharply demarcated and is pale yellowish white.
Grain/Texture: Grain is usually straight, but can also be irregular or interlocked. With a fine even texture and good natural luster.
Rot Resistance: Varies depending upon species, but generally very durable. Heartwood is usually considered to have a high resistance to decay and termites; though it is susceptible to marine borers.
Workability: Coracao de negro is typically considered difficult to work on account of its high density. The wood has a moderate to high blunting effect on cutters, and if there is interlocked grain present, tearout can occur during planing. Can be troublesome to glue because of its high density and natural oils present.
Odor: Coracao de negro has a very faint odor when being worked.
Allergies/Toxicity: There have been no health effects associated specifically with coracao de negro, though this may be due to its relative obscurity. However, other Swartzia species have been reported to cause skin and respiratory irritation in some individuals. See the articles Wood Allergies and Toxicity and Wood Dust Safety for more information.
Pricing/Availability: Usually available in turning squares or as figured lumber (generally with a large amount of sapwood present). Expect prices to be in the mid to upper range for an imported tropical hardwood.
Sustainability: This wood species is not listed in the CITES Appendices, and is reported by the IUCN as being a species of least concern.
Common Uses: Inlays, fine furniture and cabinetry, parquet flooring, guitars, turnings, and other small specialty items.
Comments: The common name coracao de negro is Portuguese for blackheart, in reference to the very dark heartwood of the tree. It’s not surprising then that the wood has also been marketed as an ebony substitute under the name Brazilian ebony—though the wood is not botanically related to true ebonies in the Diospyros genus.
Coracao de negro is very closely related to katalox (Swartzia cubensis), and some authors simply mix the species together into a genus-level grouping. Like katalox, coracao de negro is an incredibly strong wood, with some of the highest MOE values ever recorded for a wood.
very dense and dark like katalox but the sample piece i have has a much more wavy grain pattern and is listed as swartzia tomentosa. every online search says they are the are the same thing. any thoughts by you eric? or anybody else?