Santos mahogany (cabreuva)

Overview

Santos mahogany (Myroxylon balsamum), or cabreuva, has a golden-brown to burgundy colour that turns redder with age and can resemble mahogany. It is much denser and harder than mahogany and not related to it. Pick it for floors and furniture where a mahogany colour is wanted with greater wear resistance.

Pros

• Mahogany-like colour range from golden brown to purplish red, with possible ribbon figure on quartersawn stock.
• Janka 2,400 lbf, about 915 kg/m3: dense, hard and strong.
• Very durable for decay.
• Finishes well.
• Not CITES-listed or Red-Listed.

Cons

• Fair to poor working qualities: dense, interlocked, a noticeable blunting effect.
• Staining or gluing can be problematic.
• Mixed reports of insect susceptibility.
• Reported to cause skin and respiratory irritation.
• Heavier and harder than true mahogany, which surprises people who expect an easy wood.

Variants and subspecies

• Myroxylon balsamum: the usual source, also called cabreuva or balsamo.
• Not mahogany: unrelated to Swietenia (Honduran mahogany) and not a Meliaceae like African mahogany (khaya) or Spanish cedar, per Wood Database.
• Quartersawn stock shows ribbon stripe.

Working and finishing

Expect to sharpen often and to pre-drill. Interlocked grain tears; take light cuts. Test glue and stain on offcuts. It finishes well with oil or varnish.

Staining and finishing colour

The colour turns redder and more purple with age, so many makers finish clear. Stain absorption can be uneven; test first.

Sustainability and handling

CITES and IUCN: not listed (Wood Database; APHIS CITES Timber Manual, checked 2026-09-30); unassessed. FSC availability is not verified here. The US Lacey Act makes it unlawful to trade wood taken or exported in breach of the source country's laws (fws.gov/law/lacey-act), so buy from dealers who can name the country and species. If a piece will be exported to or sold in the EU, Regulation (EU) 2023/1115 (the EUDR) requires due-diligence evidence that wood products are deforestation-free and legally produced; check its current application date with your buyer.

Ethical call: a reasonable alternative to Honduran mahogany if you can accept the extra hardness. Health: skin and respiratory irritation reported. The US National Cancer Institute reports strong, consistent associations between wood-dust exposure and cancers of the nasal cavity and sinuses, so use extraction and a respirator when sanding.

Popular projects

Flooring, furniture, interior trim, stair parts and heavy construction.

Buying notes

Bell lists 4/4 at $15.50 per board foot (September 2026). Wood Database says prices run mid-range, similar to flooring woods such as Ipe. Check it is not sold as 'mahogany' without the qualifier.