Courbaril (jatoba) (Hymenaea courbaril) in numbers: hardness, weight, strength, shrinkage, movement and decay resistance, taken from the tables of the USDA Forest Products Laboratory’s Wood Handbook, followed by what the wood is like to work and what it is used for. The values are averages from small, clear, straight-grained test specimens; real boards with knots, sloping grain or a different moisture content will differ.
| Property | Courbaril (jatoba) |
|---|---|
| Janka side hardness, 12% moisture | 2,350 lbf (10,453 N) |
| Janka side hardness, green | 1,970 lbf |
| Hardness rank | harder than 154 of the 168 woods with a 12% hardness value in our database |
| Density at 12% moisture | 53.8 lb/ft³ (861 kg/m³)* |
| Weight per board foot (12%) | 4.48 lb* |
| Specific gravity (ovendry weight, green volume) | 0.71 |
| Specific gravity at 12% moisture | 0.77* |
| Bending strength (modulus of rupture), 12% | 19,400 psi |
| Stiffness (modulus of elasticity), 12% | 2.16 million psi |
| Crushing strength (compression parallel to grain), 12% | 9,510 psi |
| Shrinkage green to ovendry: radial / tangential / volumetric | 4.5% / 8.5% / 12.7% |
| Tangential / radial shrinkage ratio | 1.89 |
| Dimensional change per 1% moisture (radial / tangential) | not reported |
| Heartwood decay resistance | resistant |
What it is
Courbaril, often called jatoba in Brazil, is Hymenaea courbaril, the best-known and most important of the roughly 25 species of Hymenaea. The genus occurs in the West Indies and from southern Mexico through Central America into the Amazon basin of South America, and H. courbaril grows throughout that range.
The sapwood is gray-white and usually quite wide. The heartwood is sharply set off from it: salmon red to orange-brown when freshly cut, becoming russet or reddish brown when dried, and often marked with dark streaks. The texture is medium to rather coarse, and the grain is mostly interlocked.
Working properties
Courbaril is hard and heavy, and its strength properties are quite high, very similar to those of shagbark hickory. Because of its density it is moderately difficult to saw and machine, but it can be machined to a smooth surface; planing is somewhat difficult because of the interlocked grain. Turning, gluing and finishing properties are satisfactory, and it compares favorably with white oak in steam bending. The heartwood is rated moderately to very resistant to decay fungi and dry-wood termites (Table 14-1 puts it in the resistant class). The heartwood cannot be treated with preservatives, but the sapwood can.
Weight and density
At 12% moisture content courbaril (jatoba) weighs about 53.8 lb per cubic foot (estimated from its specific gravity and shrinkage), so one board foot (144 cubic inches) weighs about 4.48 lb. An 8 ft board of actual size 3/4 × 5-1/2 in. (a 1×6) holds 0.229 cubic feet and weighs about 12.3 lb; an 8 ft piece 1-1/2 × 3-1/2 in. (a 2×4 size) weighs about 15.7 lb. Green wood is much heavier because of the water it holds.
Density here is ovendry weight plus 12% water, divided by volume at 12% moisture content (Wood Handbook Eq. 4-12: density = specific gravity at 12% × 62.43 lb/ft³ × 1.12).
How it compares
| Species | Janka (lbf) | Density (lb/ft³) | Bending (psi) | Stiffness (Mpsi) | Tangential shrink (%) | Decay resistance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Courbaril (jatoba) | 2,350 | 53.8* | 19,400 | 2.16 | 8.5 | resistant |
| Ipe | 3,680 | 64.0† | 25,400 | 3.14 | 8.0 | very resistant |
| Purpleheart | 1,860 | 49.8* | 19,200 | 2.27 | 6.1 | very resistant |
| Shagbark hickory | 1,880 | 50.3 | 20,200 | 2.16 | 10.5 | slightly or nonresistant |
| White oak | 1,360 | 47.5 | 15,200 | 1.78 | 10.5 | resistant |
| Sugar maple | 1,450 | 44.1 | 15,800 | 1.83 | 9.9 | slightly or nonresistant |
Uses
Tool handles and other uses that need good shock resistance; steam-bent parts, flooring, turnery, furniture and cabinetwork, veneer and plywood, railroad crossties and other specialty items.
Frequently asked questions
What is the Janka hardness of jatoba?
The Wood Handbook gives courbaril (jatoba) a side hardness of 2,350 lbf (10,453 N) at 12% moisture content and 1,970 lbf green, about 1.7 times that of white oak.
Is jatoba harder than hickory?
Yes. Jatoba averages 2,350 lbf, against 2,140 lbf for pignut, the hardest hickory in the tables. Its strength properties are very similar to those of shagbark hickory.
Is jatoba rot resistant?
Above ground, yes. Table 14-1 of the Wood Handbook puts courbaril heartwood in the resistant class, and the species description rates it moderately to very resistant to decay fungi and dry-wood termites. The heartwood cannot be treated with preservatives.
Is jatoba hard to work?
Moderately. Its density makes it moderately difficult to saw and machine, and its interlocked grain makes planing somewhat difficult, but it machines to a smooth surface and turns, glues and finishes satisfactorily.
Sources
- USDA Forest Products Laboratory. Wood Handbook: Wood as an Engineering Material. General Technical Report FPL-GTR-190, 2010. Chapter 2 (species descriptions), Chapter 4 (Tables 4-3, 4-4 shrinkage; Eq. 4-7, 4-9, 4-12 density), Chapter 5 (Tables 5-3b, 5-5b strength and hardness), Chapter 13 (Table 13-5 dimensional change coefficients), Chapter 14 (Table 14-1 decay resistance)
- USDA Forest Products Laboratory. Wood Handbook, 2021 edition (FPL-GTR-282)
Last reviewed: 24 October 2026. Numbers are generated from our parsed copy of the Handbook tables, so every page uses the same data. Values marked * are estimates computed with the Handbook’s own equations. Spotted an error? Please let us know.