Common Name(s): Honduran Mahogany, Honduras Mahogany, American Mahogany, Genuine Mahogany, Big-Leaf Mahogany, Brazilian Mahogany
Scientific Name: Swietenia macrophylla
Distribution: From Southern Mexico to central South America; also commonly grown on plantations
Tree Size: 150 ft (45 m) tall, 6 ft (2 m) trunk diameter
Average Dried Weight: 41 lbs/ft3 (655 kg/m3)
Specific Gravity (Basic, 12% MC): .54, .66
Janka Hardness: 900 lbf (4,000 N)
Rupture Strength: 11,660 lbf/in2 (80,390 kPa)
Elastic Strength: 1,386,000 lbf/in2 (9,560 MPa)
Crushing Strength: 6,550 lbf/in2 (45.2 MPa)
Shrinkage: Radial: 3.0%, Tangential: 4.1%, Volumetric: 7.8%, T/R Ratio: 1.4

Color/Appearance:
  Heartwood color can vary a fair amount with Honduran Mahogany, from a pale pinkish brown, to a darker reddish brown. Color tends to darken with age.

Grain/Texture:
  Has medium to large sized pores, and a medium texture. Grain can be straight, interlocked, irregular or wavy. Mahogany also exhibits an optical phenomenon known as chatoyancy.

Endgrain:
  Diffuse-porous; medium to large pores in no specific arrangement; solitary and radial multiples of 2-3; mineral deposits occasionally present; growth rings distinct due to marginal parenchyma; rays barely visible without lens; parenchyma banded (marginal), paratracheal parenchyma vasicentric.

Rot Resistance:
  Considered durable or very durable in regards to decay resistance, though it has been reported as being susceptible to insect attack.

Workability:
  Typically very easy to work with tools: machines well. (With exception to sections with figured grain, which can tearout or chip during machining.) Slight dulling of cutters can occur. Sands very easily. Turns, glues, stains, and finishes well.

Odor:
 There is no characteristic odor associated with this wood species.

Allergies/Toxicity:
  Although severe reactions are quite uncommon, Honduran Mahogany has been reported as a sensitizer. Usually most common reactions simply include eye, skin and respiratory irritation. See the articles Wood Allergies and Toxicity and Wood Dust Safety for more information.

Pricing/Availability:
  Relatively inexpensive for an import, though it tends to be a bit more expensive than African Mahogany. Honduran Mahogany should compare similarly in cost to other mid-priced imports such as Bloodwood or Chechen.

Common Uses:
  Furniture, cabinetry, turned objects, veneers, musical instruments, boat-building, and carving.

Comments:
  Honduran Mahogany goes by many names, yet perhaps its most accurate and telling name is Genuine Mahogany. Not to be confused with cheaper imitations, such as Philippine Mahogany, Swietenia macrophylla is what most consider to be the real and true species when referring to “Mahogany.”
An incredibly important commercial timber in Latin America, Honduran Mahogany is now grown extensively on plantations. It has been widely exploited, leading to its inclusion on the CITES Appendix II in 2003. In effect, this limits the international exporting of the lumber to certified sustainable sources. (This is also why many lumber retailers located in the United States are unable to ship Honduran Mahogany outside of the country.) Substitutes sometimes used are African Mahogany or Sapele.
Honduran Mahogany’s easy workability, combined with its beauty and phenomenal stability have made this lumber an enduring favorite.