Honduran mahogany
Swietenia macrophylla · Hardwood · Central and South America
Properties
| Janka hardness | 800 lbf (3,558 N) |
|---|---|
| Average dried weight (est.) | 28 lb/ft³ (450 kg/m³) |
| Specific gravity | 0.45 |
| Modulus of rupture | 11,500 psi (79.3 MPa) |
| Modulus of elasticity | 1.50 million psi (10.34 GPa) |
| Crushing strength | 6,780 psi (46.7 MPa) |
| Shrinkage — radial | 3.0% |
| Shrinkage — tangential | 4.1% |
| Shrinkage — volumetric | 7.8% |
| Shrinkage T/R ratio | 1.4 |
Values at 12% moisture content, clear-wood averages. Source: USDA Forest Products Laboratory, Wood Handbook FPL-GTR-282 (2021), Table 5-5b p. 5-23; shrinkage Table 4-4 p. 4-9.
Honduran mahogany is the American, or true, mahogany (Swietenia macrophylla), ranging from southern Mexico through Central America into South America as far south as Bolivia. It is prized for fine furniture and cabinets and for other uses that call for an attractive, dimensionally stable wood.
Appearance & grain
The heartwood varies from pale pink or salmon colored to dark reddish brown. The grain is generally straighter than that of African mahogany, though a wide variety of grain patterns is obtained from American mahogany, and the texture is rather fine to coarse.
Durability
Rated durable — resistant to decay fungi and moderately resistant to drywood termites.
Workability
American mahogany is very easy to work with hand and machine tools, and it slices and rotary cuts into fine veneer without difficulty. It is easily air or kiln dried without appreciable warp or checks, has excellent dimensional stability, and is easy to finish, taking an excellent polish.
Common uses
- Fine furniture
- Cabinets
- Interior woodwork
- Pattern woodwork
- Boat construction
- Fancy veneers
- Musical instruments
- Precision instruments
- Paneling
- Turnery
- Carving
Conservation: listed in CITES Appendix II · IUCN Red List: Endangered (checked 2026-10-24).
Work with Honduran mahogany
Similar woods
Photo: Centre de coopération internationale en recherche agronomique pour le développement (France). Programme Bois. Producteur d'un fonds d'archives · Public domain (source)
Property data: USDA Forest Products Laboratory, Wood Handbook — Wood as an Engineering Material, FPL-GTR-282 (2021).