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Cordia dodecandra
Cericote
Regarding Cericote, its hardness is measured using the Janka scale, a standardized test for measuring the hardness of wood.
View Selected InventoryAbout Cericote
Cericote’s grain does something few woods can match — fine, dark, wavy streaks mirror against the high radii to create a genuinely striking natural pattern, closer to abstract art than lumber. Heartwood runs dark brown to yellowish-brown, marked with irregular black streaking, breaking abruptly into creamy white sapwood. That combination of color and figure is so close to true rosewood that Cericote is sold in Germany under the name "Mexiko Palisander" — Mexican rosewood. Despite its density, it's genuinely cooperative to work with both hand tools and machinery: it saws, planes, turns, and sands to good quality, with acceptable resistance to splintering, though bonding can be tricky given its density and slightly oily surface (pre-drilling before nailing or screwing is recommended). Heartwood resists decay fungi, termites, and borers on its own. It's a tree with a life well beyond timber, too — edible fruit used in preserves and jams, bark used traditionally to treat coughs, leaves once used to scrub dishes in place of sandpaper, and a canopy of bright orange flowers that's made it a favorite ornamental tree in parks and gardens. That same popularity has a cost: in Mexico, Cericote is now considered threatened due to overexploitation for industrial use.
At a glance
- Mexican Rosewood
- Zericote
- Cu00f3pite
- Palisandro
At a glance
- Origin
- Belize, Guatemala, Honduras, Central Mexico, Gulf of Mexico, Southeast Mexico
- Category
- Flooring ? Indoor Furniture ? Outdoor Furniture ? Musical Instruments ? Marine
- Best for
- Musical instruments (guitar/ukulele backs)
- Working properties
- Easy to work with hand tools and machinery despite high density — good sawing, planing, turning, shaping, and sanding. Likely difficult to bond due to density and oily surface; pre-drilling required before nailing and screwing.
Spec sheet
Physical-mechanical properties
Physical-mechanical values for Cericote from the approved Final Content document.
Density
780 kg/mu00b3
MOE Flex u2014 Elastic Modulus
98000 kg/cmu00b3
RLE Flex u2014 Elastic Resistance Limit
336 kg/cmu00b2
RR Flex u2014 Rupture Resistance
607 kg/cmu00b2
PMOE Com for u2014 Elastic Modulus, Compression Parallel
963 kg/cmu00b2
PRLE Com for u2014 Elastic Resistance Limit, Compression Parallel
157540 kg/cmu00b2
RR Com for u2014 Rupture Resistance
496 kg/cmu00b2
RLE Com for u2014 Elastic Resistance Limit, Perpendicular Compression
528 kg/cmu00b2
RR Shear for u2014 Rupture Resistance, Parallel Shear
498 kg/cmu00b2
JK Lateral u2014 Lateral Face Hardness
1012 kg
JK Lateral u2014 Transverse Face Hardness
791 kg
Where it's used
Built for the demanding jobs
01 — Furniture
Indoor & outdoor furniture
02 — Flooring
Premium hardwood flooring
03 — Musical Instruments
Tonewood & musical instruments
04 — Marine
Marine decking & boat building
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