1. African Blackwood (Dalbergia melanoxylon)
Worth: $100 per board foot
A log can value roughly $9,000; the value for processed timber in 2016 was listed as $13,000 per cubic sq. meter. It’s generally priced at a minimal of $100 per board foot.
Sometimes a small tree discovered generally solely south of the Sahara Desert in Africa, this extraordinarily slow-growing tree has a heartwood that’s dense, fine-grained, and melodious. It’s heavy and exhausting, prized for its deep purple, almost black colour, and is used primarily for artwork items and musical devices, each woodwinds and small stringed devices. It’s an oily wooden and doesn’t permit rust to type on instruments.
Traditionally used for the handles of early European medical devices, the wooden was extensively exported from British, French and German colonies in Africa, and likewise used for furnishings inlays and turnery. The tree itself grows to solely about 50 ft in top, is oddly formed, and isn’t absolutely mature till it’s about 200 years previous. Most bushes are harvested right now at an age of 70 to 80 years, with an intensive replanting program in place to guarantee future provide.
This makes African Blackwood the costliest wooden on this planet.
2. Ebony
Worth: Superb Ebony will command a value of as much as $10,000 per kilogram
Spectacular almost-black Ebony wooden is harvested from a number of species of bushes of the genus Diospyros that grows all through the Tropics. The bark of Ceylon and Indian Ebony bushes seems tough and charred, nearly black. It hides a layer of pure white wooden that may be two inches in width, surrounding a deep charcoal, almost-black core. It’s the heartwood that’s used for veneers and inventive functions.
The wooden has a flat grain, is clean and darkish, and will be polished to a excessive gloss. This makes it extraordinarily beneficial to be used as piano keys, ornamental objects, and wonderful furnishings. Ebony can be extraordinarily dense and heavy, and it’ll sink in water. Different types of ebony, together with some grown in the US, will be nearly greenish-black in look.
3. Sandalwood
Worth: Giant Sandalwood chunks for craft functions will be bought for about $85 per 100 grams. Wooden chip costs vary between $70 and $250 per kilogram. Lumber for furnishings or inventive makes use of could be costlier.
Sandalwood, fragrant, yellow-gold wooden is derived from a slow-growing tree discovered all through Southeast Asia and the islands of the South Pacific, is extra necessary in Oriental ceremonies and non secular rites than it’s for woodworking. In its powdered type, it’s used for Brahman caste marks and as sachets, and the oil is an ingredient in perfumes, scented candles, soaps, and incense. It’s also a element of folks drugs. Nevertheless, the heartwood can be prized for furnishings and decorative containers. The white sapwood is usually used for followers. Sandalwood is now being commercially grown and harvested in Australia, primarily for its oil.
4. Holly
Worth: From roughly $6 a board foot as much as barely greater than $40, relying on colour and high quality.
American Holly is a white wooden that’s stated to be wonderful for turning, crafts, carving, and inlay functions. Due to its very pale, nearly white coloration and clean floor texture, it is usually in style for piano and organ keys, and for inlay strains. Nevertheless, holly bushes are small and slow-growing, making it extraordinarily uncommon. Holly is topic to a novel type of fungal staining that offers it a blue-gray tone, and it have to be harvested in winter and dried rapidly.
Not usually considered a wooden, it’s a distinctive alternative for wonderful turnery and unique makes use of. It’s thought-about a hardwood with a detailed grain. Holly wooden additionally takes stains simply and is usually dyed black as an alternative to Ebony.
5. Pink Ivory
Worth: Shiny, vibrant colours can vary as much as $80 a board foot.
Fairly uncommon, Pink Ivory is esteemed for its colour, the brighter and extra good, the higher. It will probably vary in tone from a pinkish brown to an excellent deep, nearly purple-red. Exhausting and robust with a wonderful texture, this unique uncommon wooden is native to southern Africa, predominantly Zimbabwe, Mozambique, and South Africa, the place its harvesting is sustainable and managed. The wooden is employed for turning and for inventive functions. It makes stunning small bowls for a wide range of makes use of and can be in style for knife handles and jewellery.
6. Brazilian Rosewood (Dalbergia nigra)
Worth: As much as $70 per board foot, undoubtedly not a cut price value.
One in all solely two woods on this planet recognized for a sample often known as “spider-webbing,” this distinctive wooden can vary in tone from darkish chocolate to a pink or purple solid with darker streaks. It additionally is thought for lighter, yellowish sapwood that provides distinctive attraction to the darker heartwood. Though the grain is often straight, it will also be wavy or spiraled, giving it a particular look. Thought-about one of the vital sturdy sorts of wooden, it resists bugs and decay, is straightforward to work with hand instruments or machine instruments, and sometimes is straightforward to complete. Nevertheless, it tends to be oily and generally doesn’t take nicely to connect.
Brazilian Rosewood, additionally recognized by a wide range of different names, is used for all the pieces from flooring to furnishings, musical devices and small artwork items, and for veneer and stable wooden initiatives. It’s well-known and costly, however sturdy and requires little care below regular situations. Its use has been exploited, however it’s now extra strictly managed.
7. Ziricote
Worth: As much as $60 per board foot.
The second wooden to be recognized for its spider-webbing sample, ziricote is a heavy, medium to darkish brown wooden from Mexico and Central America. It’s a in style alternative for cabinetry and furnishings, musical devices akin to guitars, and gunstocks. Identified for its decay-resistance, and lasting attractiveness, it’s extensively accessible, and among the finer wooden has a particular inexperienced or purple solid.
8. Macassar Ebony
Worth: The uncooked wooden will sometimes promote for at the least $65 a board foot in right now’s market, presumably a lot greater.
Sturdy, however troublesome to work with, this particular wooden is also called Striped Ebony. A uncommon wooden finest fitted to indoor use. It has a putting look, however doesn’t tolerate bugs nicely, and may cut up throughout the drying cycle. Grown in Southeast Asia, it usually seems yellowish or red-brown with darker stripes, and supplies a dramatic search for giant items of furnishings that may be very expensive! This can be very uncommon and is at present on the endangered species checklist. It’s nonetheless doable to finds smaller merchandise — together with pens and mechanical pencils, pool cues, and musical devices product of Macassar Ebony.
9. Koa
Worth: As much as $62 a board foot.
A local species to the Hawaiian Islands, this wooden’s look will be much like Mahogany. As a result of a few of Hawaii’s native forests have been cleared for grazing land, and younger bushes are favorites of grazing animals, it’s changing into extra scarce and costs appear destined to climb. It’s in style for guitars and ukeleles, and its golden or mild red-brown hues and easy grain make it an interesting alternative for cupboards and furnishings. Koa bowls are extensively used on the island, and characterize favourite vacationer souvenirs.
10. Cocobolo
Worth: Generally sells for between $50 and $65 per board foot.
Cocobolo is a Central American wooden that’s extensively prized by homeowners of costly handguns and knives. It’s a fantastic wooden that ranges from orange to reddish-brown with darkish traces working by the grain. Solely the center of the wooden is used and it’s distinctive in that the colour of the heartwood modifications after being minimize. Cocobolo is dense and exhausting, will be polished to a shiny sheen, and has a pleasant tone. Musicians and chess gamers treasure the wooden as a lot as sportsmen. It’s used to craft guitars, flutes, clarinets, and bagpipes in addition to chess items and weapon grips.
11. Bubinga (African Rosewood)
Worth: $17 and up per board foot.
Coming in final on our most costly woods checklist is Bubinga. It’s generally known as a Rosewood substitute, though it isn’t even of the identical household as true Rosewood. It’s a clean, beautiful wooden of the genus Guibourtia. Totally different examples of the wooden can range dramatically in shade and grain sample. That stated, it’s in style as a result of the bushes develop to be immense. Giant slabs can be found with pure edges and used for dramatic tabletops, desks, and convention tables.
It’s additionally a preferred veneer and is used to supply not solely wonderful furnishings however musical devices, cabinetry, turnings, and specialty objects. All true Rosewood varieties are way more costly, and a number of other have develop into more and more scarce, making Bubinga a good better option.