 Honduran Rosewood (Dalbergia stevensonii)
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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: 64 lbs/ft3 (1,025 kg/m3) Specific Gravity (Basic, 12% MC): .82., 1.03 Janka Hardness: 2,200 lbf (9,790 N) Modulus of Rupture: No data available Elastic Modulus: 3,190,000 lbf/in2 (22.00 GPa) Crushing Strength: No data available Shrinkage: No data available |
Color/Appearance: Heartwood color can range from a deep brownish-purple to a light-brown. Most common is a brownish-mauve color. Clearly demarcated sapwood is a pale yellow.
Grain/Texture: Grain is usually straight or slightly interlocked. Fine to medium texture, with good natural luster.
Endgrain: Semi-ring-porous to diffuse-porous; medium to very large pores, very few to few; solitary and radial multiples; heartwood deposits (reddish brown and dark brown) common; parenchyma diffuse-in-aggregates, vasicentric, and banded; rays narrow, normal to fairly close spacing.
Rot Resistance: Rated as very durable, with moderate insect resistance.
Workability: Can be somewhat difficult to machine, and tends to ride over jointer blades, and has a moderate blunting effect on cutting edges. Because of its high oil content, gluing can be problematic, and the wood’s color can bleed into surrounding wood when applying a finish. Turns well.
Odor: Has a distinct smell when being worked.
Allergies/Toxicity: Reported as a sensitizer; can cause skin, eye, and respirator irritation. See the articles Wood Allergies and Toxicity and Wood Dust Safety for more information.
Pricing/Availability: Diminishing availability, though still seen in both lumber and turning blank form. Prices are in the mid to upper range for an imported hardwood.
Sustainability: Although Honduran Rosewood is not evaluated on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species, it is listed on CITES appendix II under the genus-wide restriction on all Dalbergia species—which also includes finished products made of the wood.
Common Uses: Fine furniture, musical instruments, veneer, turned and other specialty wood objects.
Comments: Honduran Rosewood is known for its acoustic properties, possessing an excellent tap-tone, making it well-suited for acoustic guitars, xylophone keys, and other acoustic musical instruments.
- African Blackwood (Dalbergia melanoxylon)
- Amazon Rosewood (Dalbergia spruceana)
- Brazilian Rosewood (Dalbergia nigra)
- Burmese Blackwood (Dalbergia cultrata)
- Burmese Rosewood (Dalbergia oliveri)
- Cocobolo (Dalbergia retusa)
- East Indian Rosewood (Dalbergia latifolia)
- Kingwood (Dalbergia cearensis)
- Madagascar Rosewood (Dalbergia baronii)
- Siamese Rosewood (Dalbergia cochinchinensis)
- Sissoo (Dalbergia sissoo)
- Tulipwood (Dalbergia decipularis)
- Yucatan Rosewood (Dalbergia tucurensis)
Scans/Pictures: A special thanks to Steve Earis for providing the wood sample (endgrain) and turned photo of this wood species.
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Honduran Rosewood (sanded) |
 Honduran Rosewood (sealed) |
 Honduran Rosewood (endgrain) |
 Honduran Rosewood (endgrain 10x) |
 Honduran Rosewood (turned) |
 Bookmatched panels with sapwood |
Interested in a learning as to when to plant it?
I have just brought a 120yr old Victorian massive ex window sill back to life, after saving it from being used as fire wood. I chopped the soft ends off sand bench sawn 1/2 in off each side. Would it be teak or rose wood?
This particular species of “rosewood” is the definitive wood used for the manufacture of marimbas and xylophones. It is also used and very expensive string instruments for fingerboards. There is no other wood that produces the quality of sound of this. Not to be confused with genuine mahogany, which also grows in central America. It is an endangered species and as a result nearly impossible to import into the U.S.
Is Honduran rosewood another name for Mahogany?
No. The two are very different woods.
There’s also Honduran Mahogany, which is just the common name for true mahogany.
Thank you for reply. ????????
Jamaican Mahogany is better quality than Honduran, grows more slowly.
I was not that impressed about Honduran rosewood because it was too light and it does not smell like rosewood.
You might be thinking of Yucatan or Panama Rosewood (Dalbergia tucurensis). Honduran Rosewood is actually heavier than most types of rosewood (such as Brazilian or East Indian). It does have a bit of a different scent to it though.
I’ve found that the scent is actually closest to Brazilian of all the dalbergia woods I worked with while working as a laser operator at a guitar factory. The scent is a little less of a pure sweetness compared to Brazilian, but it is nearly as strong and permeating–at least on a laser cutter.
Honduran rosewood has the scent closest to Brazilian RW. You were not working with Honduran RW.