Although scent is mostly a subjective characteristic, it is nonetheless helpful in identifying wood. And while odor should not be relied upon as the sole means of identification, in many cases, it can serve to confirm or deny a possible identification.
Because scents are so difficult to describe in written terms, descriptions are necessarily vague—an exception would be if the odor is reminiscent of another well-known scent. (A clear example of this would be rosewood in the Dalbergia genus, from which the wood gets its namesake.)
Many wood species don’t have a characteristic odor, or the odor greatly subsides once dry. (In most cases, any odor of wood in its green state will not be noted, and only the scent of dried wood will be considered.)
Over time, the potency of scented woods will subside, and there may be little to no detectable odor in fully seasoned wood. In order to bring out any scent, it may be necessary to sand, plane, or otherwise machine the sample. Moistening the wood sample may also serve to bring out its scent.
Notably Odorous Woods:
Eastern Red Cedar: Sometimes called Aromatic Red Cedar. A strong lingering scent. Used in birdhouses, closet liners, chests, shoe trees, and a variety of household goods. Reputed to repel moths.
Spanish Cedar: A distinct lingering scent. Used in cigar humidors.
Incense Cedar: Most people are unknowingly familiar with the scent of incense cedar because it is one of the primary woods in making wooden pencils.
Camphor: A strong lingering scent that has decongestant and medical properties. To the western world, the scent of this wood is synonymous with medicated chest rubs—which contain camphor extract.
Brazilian Rosewood: This is the prototypical rosewood. Most rosewoods have a rose-like scent while being worked, though it fades shortly thereafter.
Cocobolo: Technically a true member of the rosewood genus (Dalbergia), Cocobolo also has a pleasing spicy scent that has been used in perfume.
Lignum Vitae: This tree, along with its Argentinian variant, are harvested in the production of oil of guaiac, an ingredient in perfumes.
Sandalwood: Reported to retain its scent for decades, essential oils from the wood are also extracted and used in perfumes.
I’ve been clearing land in Northern Minnesota, and a few of the trees I’ve cut down smell like spicy catsup. Sweet and spicy at the same time. Any idea what that might be?
How do you get rid of the strong perfume smell in rosewood rosary beads. I have allergies and the smell is so strong it makes me sneeze. I tried soaking in Distilled Vinegar over-night. Big mistake! The smell is still there and the finish is gone. My sister gave me the rosary which came from Italy, so I don’t want to get rid of the rosary. I sure hope you have some ideas. Also, what should I do to restore the finish which is now pink instead of red.
When I was in young, in school.. I took choir, and the music room had an aromatic wood piano. The entire room smelled amazing because of it. Really strong. I googled it and have found no such thing as a cedar piano though. I remember it was sandy, almost greenish colored. The spice was so STRONG… I know it wasn’t cinnamon, but at times I was struck by the spice in the notes. Can you give me any hints? What kind of wood it might have been?
I used to visit my uncle when I was a child, and in the entrance of the building where he lived there was a wallspread cabinet made up of a very nice reddish brown wood which displayed beautiful wood knots. The smell this wood gave out was delicious and I still remember it vividly as it really stayed in my memory. I’d like to ask you why would such fragrance remain so persistent, considering that such wood panels must have been old and dried out already when I first saw them, and they yielded that delicious parfum year after year.… Read more »
There’s no way that the smell could be cherry wood. Either the cabinets may be cherry, and you’re smelling something other than the cabinets, or else it was made of some other wood. There are types of cedar that have a long lingering odor, and are frequently used to line the interior of chests, where the smell can sort of build up over time, and be released upon opening the chest. Here’s one common type used in North America: https://www.wood-database.com/aromatic-red-cedar/
Thanks for your prompt reply. It makes sense really and it must be aromatic cedar then, as your description fits in perfectly. I’ll go for it!
I just drilled into our cabinets and it smells a lot like cedar. What type of wood is this? It has a white wash finish right now.
Could there by an interior lining or something else contributing to that smell? It looks like a ring porous hardwood to me, but hard to tell from the picture. Can you get a close up of the grain? If it’s white washed, it’s probably oak, but could be ash too.
We have a tree that smells like fish when its cut. Far too large to be a pear tree we think but I can’t think of any other possible explanation.
Possibly an Apple tree?
have a tree we cut its got a red / pink middle and smells like horses or horse manure. What kind of tree is this
It maybe one from the Locust family. They all smell like a cow barn to me. Usually have light tones in the sap wood and pinkish orange to brown heart wood. Very heavy even when dry.
Found an old stump under my yard, when I chop it the wood is wet and has an almost motor oil smell
Same here. Wondering if I’ve perhaps run across an old utility pole …
I have some reddish wood, very hard, when cut smells like cinnamon, what is it?
It can be very hard to go on smell alone. I’ve smelled some Cumaru that I would describe as maybe smelling somewhat like cinnamon. Color can be highly variable with cumaru. https://www.wood-database.com/cumaru/
my guess would be Honduran rosewood. every time I cut a piece it smells like cinnamon and the stuff is very dense/hard.
Working on a log to make a fireplace mantle. Started scraping the bark off and it has a strong marischino cherry smell. The tree itself was probably about 40’ tall before it fell. Any idea what kind of tree has that besides an almond?
Once I got into the log, realized it is cherry. I’ve never peeled the bark off cherry before. The almond extract odor was only present when peeling the bark away from the sapwood and has since dissipated.
Just been sawing logs from an old cherry tree, and the almond-cherry smell is lovely! Still very fragrant, even though the tree was felled at least a year ago.
Fresh black cherry sometimes smells like marischino to me.
Everytime I smell wood burning outside it smells heavily of olives to me! Anyone know what type of wood it could be?
Me too! I want to know so bad, I love that smell. I always smell it in winter. I think it could just be oak? But I have no idea.
What wood smells like Ginger snaps when cut into
what wood smells like disinfectant
yellowheart
I have a friend who lives in Georgia in senior citizen housing. There are cedar trees and she said some days she smells the cedar and some days there is no odor. We are wondering why this is.
Humidity I’d assume
I bought a pack of wood ladle (three different sizes). They look very light brown or light cream color, very light. These are made in Chine. I already washed it so many times used it but the smell still there. I don’t know what kind of wood. Is anyone can tell me what kind of wood please. Thank you.
We purchased an acacia wood cutting board cheese board. It has a very strong smoke smell. Is that characteristic ? Should I return it. Is it safe to use for food? Was manufactured in Thailand.
Hi – I just bought a beautiful acacia long bowl and have the same issue. did you get any resolve?
Same issue with an acacia wood egg holder. I washed it before use with mild soap and water and it had a strong unpleasant smell. The wood also became a few shades lighter. There were no directions for care (purchased at At Home store)
Same here, don’t know how to get rid of the smell… I put a butcher block specific oil(food safe) and some of the smell is less now… I bought an inside drawer cutlery holder also made of acacia and the same problem… Washed it before placing it in the drawer and nothing… Maybe I should take it out and place the same oil or just use grapeseed oil… Cheaper
Hello, anyone know what type of wood that can be used for spa? That has a pleasant smell that can be used as a flood or maybe for ceiling? Thanks.
I am working on developing children activities in a afromontane forest in South Africa. Most wood does not seem to maintain its smell. If I acquired 5 logs of different woods, and got the kids to scratch them with a sharp object, would they have distinctive smells. Is this activity worth pursuing, as the logs would need to have a distinctive smell for a few years? If it may work could you recommend 4 species that would work well. The fifth would need to be from the specific forest.
Does anyone know what kind of wood literally smells like a dirty diaper? My husband bought me a small wooden bowl from Amazon and I should have returned it. I used paint stripper to remove the lacquer finish, soaked it in vinegar, baking soda (twice each) and left it in the sun for days. It still stinks. Any help would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!
Many years ago the company I work for had some helicopters shipped back from Brazil. The crates were made of mahogany and smelled like dog poo! It was fresh cut and untreated and we couldn’t get it out of the building fast enough. The woodworkers in the crowd were glad to take it.
That is the textbook written smell of E. Coli. Bacteria
Anyone know what wood produces a scent of cloves when burned. I’m in Mane
Have you found out what wood smells like clove when you burn it? Every once in awhile I get a hold of something that smells like clove I love it but I don’t know what kind of wood it is.
An old wood church, I visited recently, built of hand-hewn lumber in the late 1800’s definitely had a strong smell. Was this not the old wood? If it was, what kind of wood was it?
They cut the cypress trees down next door and the smell is sooo strong! How long before it goes away? It’s minty, I guess piney.. definitely cools in the inside of the nose and throat.. but it’s driving me nuts!
Hi, I just purchased what I was told was a teak cutting board. In the store there was no fragrance to it, but once I got it home and began cutting on it, I noticed the smell of cow manure! It’s almost as if the knife cuts released this smell from the wood. Does the teak smell like manure? What can I do to make it go away? It sure doesn’t mix with food!
Does anyone know where the scent comes from regarding the mexicsn/spanish sycamore?
Leaves, bark or the seed pods?
Does anyone know what kind of wood this is? My searches tell me it’s probably teak but I need an expert.
Hi,
Does anyone know if the scent of palo santo lasts over time such as the scent of sandalwood?
Thanks.
I am so excited to find this site. Several decades ago, I bought a wooden rosary for my mother. She kept it in its plastic case for years. When she passed, I took the rosary out of the box and it has been several years now that it has been out in the open and it still smells STRONGLY of roses. What type of wood could this possibly be? Rosewood? Something soaked in rose essential oils? I’d love to get more. Thank you so much in advance.
It may have been a fragrance added to the rosary or container. In my experience, although a handful of woods (including rosewoods) have a distinctly floral-type scent to them, this is generally limited to the period of time while the wood is being sawed, sanded, or worked, and subsides after a relatively short amount of time. If you believe it to be the scent of the wood itself, one possibility might be some type of sandalwood.
Thanks so much, Eric. Based on the amount of time the wood has been exposed to the air, I’ll bet it was soaked in something!
That’s just how rosewood smells. I doubt it was soaked in anything.
The rosary is a prayer said by the faithful Roman Catholics with a devotion to the Blessed Virgin Mary Mother of Jesus asking for her intercession while at the same time asking to view the drama of her role as Theotokos. There are 2 flowers closely associated with her role the first is a Lilly and the second is roses. From the fifth century of the history, roses, miracles and apparitions are interwoven in Church history and tradition. For this reason, the wooden beads were probably infused with rose oil to ignite an olfactory response for the prayer warrior who… Read more »
Is the rosary RED? Santa Maria degli Angeli in Italy produces rosaries with red beads that look like carved wood but are actually pulverized and pressed Rose Petals made from the petals of the roses there that, as legend states : St. Francis of Assisi tried to cure his impure thoughts by throwing himself naked onto the rose bushes, hoping the thorns would cause him pain. They miraculously turned into Thornless Rose Bushes at that moment and have been grown that way there ever since.
What type of wood leaves black chunks when burned that almost look like lava rock
Going by the pore size and arrangement (in diagonal patterns), it doesn’t seem to be teak. My best guess would be some sort of Eucalyptus species, or another closely related genus, such as Corymbia. I know some species of Corymbia have been known to smell (such as Lemon-scented gum), but usually they smell good and not bad!
That appears to be coconut wood.
Ive found some small blocks wood that very heavy and Ive cut some slices off the make key fobs. Looks like teak very close grain and the freshly cut edge looks smooth and polished without any further work being done. Only thing is they smell like dog poo. Gong to oil them see if that helps. What wood smells dog poo when cut?
Not sure about the exact smell, but zebrawood really stinks.
Pick up some very hard dark molding from a cut stock mill, and wouldered what it was. Took a piece back and ask. The attendant ask me to wait in office while he cut it. Said they get very little of it in , but they call it stunk wood. Smells like rotting socks. Beautiful dark mahogany color, and very hard. Bet it is zebra wood, thanks.
Hi. I am curious whether you distingush between “Odor” and “Characteristic Odor” when listing data in this section? In other words, does the odor need to be helpful in identifying the wood in order to be included? I was recently working with some Tanoak, and I found it to have a noticable odor, though perhaps not as strong as some other species and fairly similar to other hardwoods (in my limited experience). However, it is listed in the database as “no characteristic odor.”
P.S. This site is one of the best on the Web at this point in time! :-)
Hi Michael, I believe a characteristic odor refers to a distinct smell whereas just saying odor refers to a general scent. For example some people find sassafras to have a strong scent of spice whereas others think it has a smell of cow manure.
I hope this was helpful Michael
Hey mikey, I think odour means what it smells like. No need to thank me
HI, does anyone know what this wood is and if it is safe for a baby to chew on while teething? It has quite a strong smell, not unpleasant necessarily but the fact that it has an odour worries me- suggests that some oils could leech out and be swallowed.Thanks!!
Looks a lot like beech. If it is then I wouldn’t be concerned.
I have a small box I use to keep jewels/jewelry in, and it has a very distinct sweet smell. I’ve had it over two years and it still smells like that. The wood is slightly reddish. What kind of wood is this? (It came from Saint Martin, if that helps any bit)
Rosewood i bet
I was annoyed by the smell of powdered cheese for days. Tracked it down to some red oak. I made everyone else sniff it to prove I wasn’t going insane.
My friend has a home she purchased in the Winter and the heat was not on and when the Spring came around and she warm the place up the whole house has this chemical odor I smell a lot like you would smell in the senior building a very old old senior building The walls do not have any thickness to them if I hung a picture in one Room you would see the nail on the other side in the next Room so the board they put this house up with is unlike anything I have ever seen it’s… Read more »
Why would you think of the wood first? I would guess that it comes from the heater itself, since it gets a lot hotter than just room temperature. Also, they use special paint for heaters. This paint can withstand higher temperatures, but it smells a lot worse and a lot stronger than normal varnish. Normally you would let it “burn in”, but if it wasn’t done properly that might explain why the smell is releasing now.
I love the idea of being something as simple as the heater. Except for the fact that iT Is just as strong if not worse over the summer. I thought of the wood 1st because it feels like it’s high in the air and the houses so thin, not typical construction that it wad the first notably variant in the construction. I know there’s not even any insulation in it and I know the only thing that could have a chemical is wood because it’s dipped in formaldehyde. This is a modular home.
We cut off a magnolia branch and the wood smelled distinctly like cardamom. It was a strong, lovely scent. I can’t tell if the plants are related. Do you know?
They’re not related at all. Cardamom is a monocot, so that’s just about as far up on the family tree as you can get from magnolia, which is a dicot.
I came across a tree that has bark that smells like citronella and wintergreen. It has clumps of redish orange berries about the size of bluberries, but look simular to crab apple or rose hips. Smell doesn’t come from berries or leaves only the bark/wood
There is a bug called a citronella aunt and it smells like citronella it could be in your tree They eat micro organisms
I think it may be a black walnut.
Or a sweet (sugar) birch.
can i store poplar wood in a cedar closet
Depending on where that cedar closet is, the answer is yes. That poplar should already be seasoned (dried out), debarked and cleaned up so there isn’t any organic debris that will rot or attract insects besides moths.
To be honest, I think the polyurethane is really working against you at this point. I know of very few woods that smell that bad when fully dried, but a whole lot of them will smell bad when they are still wet and freshly cut. It’s my guess that by sealing them with polyurethane, you have essentially sealed in the moisture (thus the stinky part) and greatly slowed the time it will take for the wood to dry out. It’s my guess that the wood odor will eventually subside on its own . . . eventually. Though I would venture… Read more »
My dog found this tree while on a walk and when she chews it it makes a really strong waffle scent, was wondering if there’s any known tree to have such a great smell..
Waffles? Are you sure you’re not talking about the syrup you put on the waffles? Maple syrup maybe?
If it has that scent, it would more than likely be a sugar maple or a sugar birch (sometimes listed as a brown birch).
There are numerous shrubs that look like mini trees that give off this scent, too. Some are deadly to pets and their humans, some are quite beneficial.
I purchased an acacia wood bowl and cutting board from Dillards about six months ago and just began using it, however, when it gets wet, it has a very stinky, awful smell. Is this normal? Will it subside eventually? Is there anything I can do to make the smell disappear for good?
That sounds strange, I guess it would depend on whether the smell was coming from the wood itself, or from something possibly lodged with the pores of the wood. You could try wiping it down with some denatured or rubbing alcohol as sort of a disinfectant.
It’s doubtful the Acacia wood cutting board is what is causing the horrendous smell, it’s what on it. Acacia is also known as false cinnamon, also seen as Chinese or Saigon Cinnamon. Acacia is of the legume (bean) family.
Whereas the real / true cinnamon (Ceylon Cinnamon) is from the laurel family which is a type of evergreen.
Just bought me a Chinese chest at a thrift shop. I can’t tell what kind of wood it is. History says they used camphor but I feel it is a newer box and it might be cedar. I just can’t go by smell, it smells like both! Is there a characteristic in the wood? Color knots etc.? Wish I could post a photo here. Thank you!
There should be a place in the comment form for you to attach pictures. Unless the chest uses multiple woods for the interior, it shouldn’t be too tough to tell (or smell?) the difference between camphor and most kinds of cedar.
Thank you for your time ejmeier, I hope the lighting is good. It’s really stormy here. It looks like there are two woods used?
Yes, two woods, possibly different types. I wouldn’t have a clue on the outer one, but for the inner, it’s usually something aromatic. It’s hard to tell from that distance, can you try to get a close up shot of the inside with the grain in focus?
Thank you! ?
Well, it doesn’t look like Camphor. As a matter of fact, it doesn’t look like the standard types of cedar that Westerners would call cedar. If I had to guess, I would say it is a type of “cedar” that is actually more closely related to mahogany. There are a few species from the Toona genus that are the most likely: Toona ciliata, Toona sureni, and Toona sinensis.
Hello, today I was splitting wood with my brother. We came across a type of wood that smells to use like peaches as we were cutting it. It’s a very heavy wood that’s red in colour. And we could not figure out what it was. When we got the logs they were at least 16 inches in diameter and at least 8 feet long. does anybody know what this could be?
My wine rack smells stronger than any west coast cedar. It was made in China, btw. Very light, knotty wood.
I am a bowyer and have built a bow with a very dark, beautifully grained, heavy wood that smells like pipe tobacco when I drilled it. Any ideas on what kind of wood it might be?
The wood used in Cigar Humidors themselves is called Spanish Cedar, but really is Brazillian Mahagony. Can’t tell you what woods actually smell like pipe tobacco though! That would probably be creosote: https://www.hearth.com/talk/threads/tobacco-like-smell-in-stove-room.107337/
Hello! I am in a bit of trouble and was hoping you can help. I had my father split 1.5 inch slabs to be used as part of a centerpiece. . . the problem is they stink! He is pretty certain the wood was cut from a Poplar tree. I only have two weeks and the weather in New England has been pretty unpredictable. Does anybody have any suggestions for getting out the smell ASAP!
More than likely the smell is due to the wood still being wet (aka “green”). If this is the case, there’s not too much you could do to get rid of the smell in such a short time; the odor slowly slowly diminishes as the wood dries out. Anything faster than it’s natural drying (which will take a lot longer than 2 weeks for 1.5″ slabs) is asking for dramatic end checks and drying damage to the wood. However, if the pieces aren’t too big, one drying trick that I’ve used is to immerse smaller blocks of wood in alcohol… Read more »
I have the same issue except my wedding is in 1&1/2 months… can you estimate how long it will take for the slabs to dry and stop smelling? Or should I just go ahead right away and dip them in isopropyl alcohol? The slabs are 11″ diameter and 2″ thick
Rule of thumb is one year of drying time per inch of wood thickness. If you want it dried properly in a very short amount of time, you’d more than likely have to pay to have it kiln dried. You might want to look into contacting a local sawmill for rates. If you’re not concerned with end checks and cracks and overall quality than you could do the alcohol route and put it in front of a fan or something — it will be very “rustic” looking.
You can add Padauk to your list. The piece I just cut started off smelling like apples, and as it heated up turned to a rich, warm tobacco-leaf scent, similar to some rosewoods. Incredible! i would wear it as cologne.
I’ve heard there are some colognes and perfumes that use an extract oil of this stuff.
I recently bought a chest that the seller claimed is more than 100 years old, when scrapped a bit, it smells very nice almost like a cookie/biscuit. Any Idea what that wood can be?
Just to add more info, its light in color (closer to grey or paper birch)
Do you have any pictures?
I’m trying to put together a music project/release for my small independent record label and I’d like to include some kind of aromatic wood. Preferably in natural form: small branches with the bark still on??? Does anyone have any idea on where I could purchase something like this??? Perhaps in bundles??? I’d need about 100 small branches that are approximately 5″-7″s long and 3/4″-1″ in diameter. Thanks much.
Thank you, I have a stump that smells like pencils, and I was trying to figure out what it was. Is it also kid of difficult to work with? Mine is lightweight, but surpisingly hard to cut, sand, etc.
Probably some type of cedar. Possibly Incense Cedar or Eastern Red Cedar.
Just to add more info, its light in color (similar to grey or paper birch)
Stumpwood of any variety, even typically soft, easy woods like cedar, will generally be more difficult to work because the grain will be much more dense and unpredictable as it transitions to the root structure.
I think I want to know buht have old wooden wood land 100 feet down I found very strange match