Brazilian Cherry (Jatoba)

Hymenaea courbaril

Brazilian Cherry or Jatoba is a deep reddish timber that hardens with age, showing bold grain and strong wear resistance in flooring and furniture.

Janka

2350

Price Tier

$$$$

Dent Risk

Low

Overview

Brazilian Cherry (Jatoba) is the flooring tough guy that also shows up in serious furniture when you want durability. It’s very rot-resistant and stands up well to insects, though marine borer susceptibility is noted. The wood is hard enough to blunt tools and it can tear out when planed because of interlocking grain. The upside is that it glues, stains, turns, and finishes well once you’ve done the grunt work. If you like crisp edges and long-wearing surfaces, this is a contender.

Key takeaways

At a Glance

Hardness & Heft

Janka: 2350 lbf

Dry weight: 61 lbs/ft³ (977 kg/m³)

Color & Figure

Color: Reddish Brown

Grain: Interlocked

Figure: Usually subtle; quartersawn

Stability & Movement

Movement: Medium

Drying: Let it acclimate before installation; dense

Workability

Plays nice with

Fights you on

Finishing

Best Uses

Great for

Avoid for

Where it comes from

Brazil

Buying notes

Commonly sold as flooring and lumber; choose straight boards for large glue-ups and avoid pieces with wild interlock if you need clean planed faces.

What to Watch Out For

Practical Alternatives

Shop Notes / Deeper Dive

Jatoba (Brazilian Cherry) is famous for two things: being indestructible and changing color. It will darken significantly once it hits the light, so warn your clients before they pick a stain. It’s a “blade-eater,” so plan on sharpening your tools after a big project. It’s the perfect choice for high-traffic flooring or tool handles that need to survive a lifetime of abuse.

Like what you see?

While I occasionally work with some of these species, availability varies widely. If you’re researching woods for a custom project, feel free to reach out.

Reference Notes: Wood grain and color can vary significantly within a species depending on growing conditions, age, and cut orientation. Images on this page are provided as general reference examples and may not represent every possible variation of the species. Geographic distribution maps illustrate typical native or commonly cultivated ranges and may not reflect every region where the species occurs today.

Additional technical data and botanical information may be referenced from sources such as the USDA Forest Products Laboratory Wood Handbook.