Jatoba

Jatoba

Call for pricing and availability. 1-877-203-2004

Description

Jatoba is a tropical hardwood that is widely used for exterior carpentry thanks to its durability.  Commonly referred to as Brazilian Cherry, due to its similarity in color to domestic cherry, Jatoba is an incredibly strong wood.  Aside from exterior use, Jatoba can also be installed as interior flooring, especially in high foot traffic areas where a high coefficient of friction is desired.

Species: Hymenaea courbaril

Other Names: Jatoba, Brazilian Cherry

Jatoba Origin:  Central America, Southern Mexico, Northern South America, and the West Indies

Appearance: Jatoba’s coloring is on the lighter side of brown, with reddish tones.

Tree Size: 100-130 ft (30-40 m) tall, 2-4 ft (.6-1.2 m) trunk diameter

Average Dried Weight: 57 lbs/ft3 (910 kg/m3)

Specific Gravity (Basic, 12% MC): .77, .91

Janka Hardness: 2,690 lbf (11,950 N)

Modulus of Rupture: 22,510 lbf/in2 (155.2 MPa)

Elastic Modulus: 2,745,000 lbf/in2 (18.93 GPa)

Crushing Strength: 11,780 lbf/in2 (81.2 MPa)

Shrinkage: Radial: 4.2%, Tangential: 8.0%, Volumetric: 12.1%, T/R Ratio: 1.9

Drying:

Workability: Jatoba is a very dense hardwood, so tool blunting can be expected. The interlocking grain makes it difficult to plane Jatoba, however it glues, stains, and turns well.

Maintenance: Like most hardwoods jatoba can be air dried or kiln dried.

Preservation: In order to maintain Jatoba’s coloring it is important to maintain a UV blocking sealer if Jatoba is installed outdoors. 

Sustainable: The Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) does not list jatoba in its appendices. The Forest Legality Initiative also states that jatoba can be exported and traded internationally. International Union for Conservation of Nature’s Red List of Threatened Species (IUCN) does not list jatoba as an endangered species, in fact it is listed as species of least concern.  Brazilian Lumber, LLC meets high standards for social, economic and environmental responsibility.  We monitor and document chain of custody of all our hardwood, we are Lacey Act compliant, IBAMA compliant and provide FSC certified options.  This means that purchasing from us, fuels the hardwood lumber economy in South American forests, and by providing well paying jobs for many people in turn means the industry values its conservation and preservation.

Would you like to talk to a hardwood decking specialist?  We would love to help you 1-877-203-2004