Trade Names:  Honduran Mahogany, Brazilian Mahogany, Araputanga, Swietenia

Origin:  South America/Central America

Range:  Found in the middle and tropical parts of South America but not in Guayana and the Amazon Basin. Main growing areas are Honduras, Brazil, Mexico and Guatemala. Swietenia humilis grows in Western parts of Middle America.

Uses: Only the wood of the Swietenia family count as genuine Mahogany. Used in furniture production, building of ships and yachts, for musical instruments, scientific equipment, and as exclusive wood for high-class interior architectural work in English-speaking countries. Genuine Mahogany counts as one of the classical woods used for furniture. Unfortunately, the name “Mahogany” is used today for many mass wood species growing in Africa and Asia. This leads to confusion and mistakes and is also responsible for the actual value of the genuine Mahogany being underrated. Widely used in the reproduction of 17th and 18th century English furniture.

Properties:  Pale pink to golden-brown in color, in part with fine black pores which are not wanted in high quality productions. When dry, Swietenia does not get infested by spores, nor by insects.

Machining: There is no difficulty to working this wood easily with all tools. Screw and nail joints hold well, but should be pre-drilled.

Seasoning:  Good. Not prone to warp or check.