Jutahy Hardwood
(Dialium guianense)
One of the more prominent tropical hardwood species on the Caribbean coasts of Nicaragua and Honduras, Jutahy is one of the world’s hardest species. Its tight grain, typically a reddish-brown in the heartwood, is straight and occasionally interlocked. It is highly valued for its strength and durability for a variety of uses.
More about the species
Family: Caesalpiniaceae
Scientific Name: Dialium guianense
Other Names: Come Negro (Nicaragua), Paleto (Honduras), Tamarindo, Jutahy (Brazil), Cacho (Venezuela), Ironwood
Workability: Because of its spectacular density, Jutahy can be difficult to cut and plane without stelite or tungsten carbide steel cutting tools. Dulling effect considerably high due to the extreme hardness and high silica content. The grain does respond well to polishing and sanding, and displays a beautiful finished look when sealed.
Drying: Jutahy dries at a slow rate, and develops only modest deformations and checking. For kiln drying, schedules T3-C2 and T3-C1 are recommended for 4/4 and 8/4 stocks, respectively.
Durability: The heartwood is remarkably dense and perfectly suited for load-bearing construction members. Dialium guianense is also incredibly resistant to insect attack, decay, and rotting when used in direct ground contact. Finding a more durable hardwood species would be difficult.
Uses: Heavy construction, roof components, posts, beams, railroad crossties, industrial decking, any exterior structure.
Technical Data
Janka hardness: 4,000 lbs
Density: 961 Kg/m3
Bending strength: 27,934 psi
Modulous of elasticity: 2,930 (1,000 psi)
Tangential shrinkage: 8.9%
Radial shrinkage: 5.3%
* all values given at 12% moisture content.