
Cocobolo (Dalbergia retusa)
Family: Leguminosae
Common names: Caviuna, Cocobolo, Cocobolo nambar, Cocobolo negro, Cocobolo prieto, Cocoboloholz, Foseholz, Funera, Granadillo, Grandillo, Jacarandaholz, Legitimo, Melon, Namba, Nambar, Nambar de agui, Nambar legitimo, Nicaragua rosewood, Nicaraguan rosewood, Nnambar, Palisander, Palisandre, Palisandro, Palissandro, Palo negro, Palo sandro, Pau preto, Red foxwood, Rosewood, Urauna
Distributed in: Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico, Nicaragua, Panama (Central America, Latin America)
Distribution overview: Pacific regions of Central America and extending from Panama to southwestern Mexico. Of limited occurrence, usually in the drier uplands.
Common uses: Bedroom suites, Boards, Boxes and crates, Brush backs & handles, Cabinetmaking, Chessmen, Core Stock, Decorative veneer, Drawer sides, Dressed boards, Figured veneer, Furniture , Handles, Inlay work, Kitchen cabinets, Living-room suites, Lumber, Mathematical instruments, Musical instruments, Office furniture, Ornamental work , Plain veneer, Radio - stereo - TV cabinets, Rough boards/dimension stock, Shafts/Handles, Sporting Goods, Tool handles, Turnery, Veneer, Veneer: decorative
Product sources: Supplies of Cocobolo are dwindling and the price is becoming more costly. Veneers with highly figured grain patterns are occasionally available on the market.
Environment profile: Status has not been officially assessed
Colors: the heart isReddish brown, Yellow to golden-yellow to orangeand the sapwoodWhite to yellow, Yellow.The grain isWavy, the textureUniformand the lusterSlightly lustrous
Natural durability: Resistant to attack from marine borers, Very durable
Odor: No specific taste
LightInduced Color Change: Darker
Kiln Schedules: UK=B US=T2C2/T2C1 Fr=2
Drying Defects: Slight surface checking, Slight twist/warp
Ease of Drying: Moderate
Comments: Cocobolo is one of the primary species for the manufacture of cutlery, especially for knife handles because of its attractive color, texture, and waterproof characteristicsGeneral finishing qualities are rated as good May be Oily
Blunting Effect: Blunting effect on sawing dry wood is moderate
Boring: Fairly easy to very easy
Carving: Fairly Easy to Very Easy
Cutting Resistance: Easy to saw
Gluing: Very Good to Excellent Results
Mortising: Fairly Easy to Very Easy
Moulding: Fairly Easy to Very Easy
Movement in Service: Fairly Easy to Very Easy
Nailing: Pre-Boring Recommended, Satisfactory nailing properties
Planing: Very Good to Excellent
Resistance to Impregnation: Resistant
Response to hand tools: Responds Readily
Routing recessing: Fairly Easy to Very Easy
Sanding: Very Good Sanding Properties
Screwing: Good screw holding properties, Pre-boring recommended; Turning: Good results
Polishing: Oil in wood gives fine natural polish ; Staining: Finish is generally good
;
- Numerical data Metric
- Numerical data English
- Strength properties
- References
 |
 |
 |
 |
| Item |
Green |
Dry |
Metric |
| Specific Gravity |
0,74 |
1,02 |
|
| Density |
|
1009 |
kg/m3 |
| Bending Strength |
578 |
693 |
kg/cm2 |
| Crushing Strength |
307 |
240 |
kg/cm2 |
| Hardness |
|
504 |
kg |
| Impact Strength |
|
|
cm |
| Shearing Strength |
|
|
kg/cm2 |
| Stiffness |
64 |
72 |
1000 kg/cm2 |
| Tangential Shrinkage |
4 |
|
% |
| Radial Shrinkage |
2 |
|
% |
| Weight |
977 |
865 |
kg/m3 |
| Maximum Load |
|
|
cm-kg/cm3 |
| Toughness |
|
|
cm-kg |
| Static Bending |
355 |
554 |
kg/cm2 |
|
 |  |  |  | | Item | Green | Dry | English | | Bending Strength | 8229 | 9866 | psi | | Crushing Strength | 4374 | 3414 | psi | | Density | | 63 | lbs/ft3 | | Hardness | | 1113 | lbs | | Maximum Crushing Strength | 4119 | 5660 | psi | | Static Bending | 5056 | 7883. | psi | | Stiffness | 911 | 1029 | 1000 psi | | Specific Gravity | 0.74 | 1.02 | | | Weight | 61 | 54 | lbs/ft3 | | Radial Shrinkage | 2 | | % | | Tangential Shrinkage | 4 | | % | | Volumetric Shrinkage | 6 | | % | |
Density (dry weight) = 67-75 lbs/cu. ft. Density (dry weight) = 61-67 lbs/cu. ft Shrinkage, Radial = very small Density (dry weight) = 75+ lbs/cu. ft. Shrinkage, Tangential = very small Shrinkage, Volumetric = very small Density (dry weight) = 53-60 lbs/cu.ft.
Berni, C.A., Bolza, E., Christensen, F.J.,1979,South American Timbers - The Characteristics, Properties and Uses of 190,Species,C.S.I.R.O Div. Building ResearchBolza, E.,1976,Timber and Health,Div. Building Res. C.S.I.R.O. AustraliaBoone, R.S., C.J. Kozlik, P.J. Bois, E.M. Wengert. 1988. Dry Kiln Schedules for Commercial Hardwoods - Temperate and Tropical. USDA, Forest Service, General Technical Report FPL-GTR-57, Forest Products Laboratory, Madison, Wisconsin.Brazier, J.D., Franklin, G.L.,1967,An Appraisal of the Wood Characteristics and Potential Uses of some,Nicaraguan Timbers,FAO for Forest Products Research Laboratory, Princes RisboroughBrown, W.H.,1969,Properties and uses of Tropical hardwoods in the United Kingdom. Part 1,Nonstructural properties and uses.,Conference on Tropical hardwoods SC-5/TN-5, Syracuse UniversityBrown, W.H.,1978,Timbers of the World, No. 9 Central America and the Caribbean,TRADA, Red Booklet SeriesCAOBA International, San Francisco, California. 1993. Personal Communication.Chudnoff, M.,1984,Tropical Timbers of the World,U.S.A. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Forest Products,Laboratory, Madison.Harrar, E.S.,1941,Some Physical Properties of Modern Cabinet Woods 1. Hardness,Tropical Woods,9(68,PP1-11Harrar, E.S.,1942,Some Physical Properties of Modern Cabinet Woods 3. Directional and Volume,Shrinkage,Tropical Woods,9(71, pp26-32International Tropical Timber Organization (ITTO) 1991. Pre-project Study on the Conservation Status of Tropical Timbers in Trade. Reported by the World Conservation Monitoring Center (WCMC, Cambridge, LondonJackson, A. and D. Day.1991.Good Wood Handbook - The Woodworker's Guide to Identifying, Selecting and Using the Right Wood.Betterway Publications, Cincinnati, Ohio.Kline, M. 1978. Dalbergia retusa - Cocobolo. In A Guide to Useful Woods of the World. Flynn Jr., J.H., Editor. King Philip Publishing Co., Portland, Maine. Page 133-134.Kribs, D.A.,1950,Commercial and Foreign Woods on the American Market (a manual to their,structure, identification, uses and distribution,U.S.A. Penn. State College, Tropical Woods LaboratoryKukachka, B.F.,1970,Properties of Imported Tropical Woods,Forest Research Paper FPL 125Lincoln, W.A. 1986. World Woods in Color. Linden Publishing Co. Inc., Fresno, California.Longwood, F.R.,1962,Commercial Timbers of the Caribbean,U.S.A. Department of Agriculture, Agriculture Handbook,No.207Patterson, D.,1988,Commercial Timbers of the World, 5th Edition,Gower Technical PressRecord, S.J., Hess, R.W.,1943,Timbers of the New World,Yale University PressRecord, S.J., Mell, C.D.,1924,Timbers of Tropical America,Yale Univ. PressRecord, S.J.,1942,American Timbers of the Genera Dalbergia and Machaerium,Tropical Woods,9(72,pp1-10Titmuss, F.H.,1965,Commercial Timbers of the World,Technical Press Ltd., London, 3rd editionVolkart, C.,1965,Recopilacion dedatos sobre propiedacies y usos maderos del Bosque Tropical,de las Costa Atlantica de Nicaragua,Turrialba,15(1, pp43-57Woods, R.P.,1949,Timbers of South America,TRADA, Red Booklet SeriesWood, B., Calnan, D.,1976,Toxic Woods,British Journal of Dermat 94 Suppl. 13
|