| Today one of the most popular woods when it comes | | | | Appearance and Properties |
| to hardwood floors is the Jatoba wood or as it is | | | | The sapwood of the Brazilian cherry wood is gray |
| known, Brazilian cherry wood. This type of wood is | | | | white in color. The heartwood turns to an |
| known all over the world for its aesthetic appeal and | | | | orange-brown or a salmon-red color when it is fresh |
| beauty and also for its hardness and durability. Jatoba | | | | and it turns into reddish brown, russet with dark |
| wood is used for flooring as well as furniture and it | | | | streaks when it is seasoned. Because of its natural |
| looks absolutely stunning when the final product is | | | | beauty, its durability, hardness and its rich color it is |
| completed. | | | | considered to be one of the most well known exotic |
| Origin | | | | woods of all times. Apart from its warm reddish tones, |
| Jatoba wood or the Brazilian cherry wood is actually | | | | the wood is lustrous and is noted for its durability and |
| not a cherry tree though the name suggests that. | | | | hardness. Since the wood is very dense it is also a |
| These trees grow in Southern America, Central | | | | very strong wood. |
| America, Caribbean, Southern Mexico, Peru, Bolivia, | | | | Strength and Durability |
| Brazil and West Indies. These trees grow up to a | | | | Jatoba stands at 2350 on the Janka scale which is |
| height of 120 feet. The fruits, leaves and the wood of | | | | quite high. It is one of the hardest woods in the world. |
| the tree have been used since centuries by the locals | | | | When compared to red oak, jatoba is 81% harder, |
| where these trees grow. The products of the tree are | | | | when compared to ash it is 78% harder and 62% |
| used for alternate medicines for treating bronchitis and | | | | harder than the hard maple, 23% than the jarrah. All of |
| diarrhea. The tree is also known to have anti-fungal | | | | these figures indicate that jatoba is indeed one of the |
| infections. Quite often the leaves of the trees are | | | | hardest woods today. |
| consumed as a natural energy booster. | | | | Jatoba has an interlocked grain and is high in density |
| However, the most important use for the Jatoba or | | | | and therefore it might be a little difficult to work with |
| the Brazilian cherry tree is the wood. The wood of the | | | | the wood. However, it is very easy to achieve a |
| tree has been used for decades in the furniture and | | | | smooth surface with the wood by sanding it. Nailing |
| the flooring business. Due to some of the | | | | would be necessary before sawing or drilling the |
| characteristics of the wood like its stiffness and | | | | wood. Jatoba is very widely used today as a wooden |
| durability as well as it natural beauty, the wood of the | | | | flooring option because of its natural beauty and its |
| tree has become quite an important product in the | | | | long life. |
| market. | | | | |