Purpleheart

Peltogyne spp. · Hardwood · Central and South America

Janka 1,860 lbf≈42 lb/ft³ dried (est.)Very durable

Properties

Janka hardness	1,860 lbf (8,273 N)
Average dried weight (est.)	42 lb/ft³ (670 kg/m³)
Specific gravity	0.67
Modulus of rupture	19,200 psi (132.4 MPa)
Modulus of elasticity	2.27 million psi (15.65 GPa)
Crushing strength	10,320 psi (71.2 MPa)
Shrinkage — radial	3.2%
Shrinkage — tangential	6.1%
Shrinkage — volumetric	9.9%
Shrinkage T/R ratio	1.9

Values at 12% moisture content, clear-wood averages. Source: USDA Forest Products Laboratory, Wood Handbook FPL-GTR-282 (2021), Table 5-5b p. 5-24; shrinkage Table 4-4 p. 4-9.

Purpleheart (Peltogyne spp.) is a strong, heavy Central and South American hardwood (specific gravity 0.67, Janka hardness 1,860 lbf) named for the deep purple its heartwood develops after cutting. The genus is not listed in the CITES Appendices, and its principal traded Amazonian species have not been assessed for the IUCN Red List — though two relatives are listed: Peltogyne purpurea as Vulnerable and P. mexicana as Endangered.

Appearance & grain

Freshly cut heartwood is brown; it turns a deep purple on exposure to air and eventually dark brown on exposure to light. The texture is medium to fine and the grain is usually straight.

Durability

The Handbook rates purpleheart heartwood as highly resistant to attack by decay fungi and very resistant to dry-wood termites, and extremely resistant to treatment with preservatives.

Workability

The Handbook calls purpleheart moderately difficult to work with either hand or machine tools: it dulls cutters rather quickly, and a gummy resin exudes when the wood is heated by dull tools, so a slow feed rate and specially hardened cutters are suggested. It turns easily, is easy to glue, and takes finishes well, and it is rated easy to moderately difficult to air dry.