How to Identify Calophyllum
Recognize Calophyllum (Santa Maria) by its golden- to reddish-brown heartwood, ribbon stripe figure, medium weight, and moderately interlocked grain.
Read the full Calophyllum encyclopedia entry →
Start with color and grain. Calophyllum heartwood is a warm golden-brown to pinkish- or reddish-brown, often with darker streaks, that reddens as it oxidizes, set against a paler pinkish-gray to yellowish sapwood. The grain is straight to moderately interlocked, so quartersawn faces show a soft, narrow ribbon or stripe figure that shifts with the light, while flatsawn faces read as a more even golden-red-brown with visible growth-ring boundaries and a medium, uniform texture — the appearance captured on our sample.
Check the end grain and pores. Calophyllum is diffuse-porous with medium-sized vessels that are visible with a hand lens, often arranged in a slightly diagonal or wavy pattern, and it lacks the large mineral or resin pore deposits seen in woods like afzelia or merbau. The texture is finer and more even than coarse tropicals, and the ray pattern is inconspicuous on the face. There is little or no distinctive scent when the wood is cut, which itself helps rule out aromatic species.
Judge weight and hardness. Calophyllum feels moderately heavy and medium-hard in the hand (around 550–620 kg/m³, Janka ~1,220 lbf) — heavier and firmer than true mahogany or cedar but clearly lighter and softer than dense tropicals such as jatoba, ipe, or purpleheart. It resists but does not defeat a thumbnail.
Separating it from look-alikes is the practical challenge. Genuine mahogany (Swietenia) is very similar in color but tends to be a touch lighter and softer, with a slightly coarser, more open pore pattern and often a more pronounced ribbon on quartered stock; Calophyllum is usually a bit denser and more uniform. African mahogany (Khaya) is lighter and more uniformly reddish. Andiroba (Carapa) and cedro (Cedrela) overlap in range and color — andiroba is often more purplish-brown, and cedro (Spanish cedar) is much lighter, softer, and strongly aromatic, which quickly rules it out. When in doubt, weight, the even medium texture, the lack of pore deposits, and the neutral odor together point to Calophyllum, though provenance and trade name (Santa Maria/Guanandi) often help confirm it.
Frequently asked questions
What is the single best clue that a board is Calophyllum?
A moderately heavy, medium-hard board in a warm golden- to reddish-brown with a soft ribbon stripe on quartersawn faces, an even medium texture, no large pore deposits, and little scent. That combination separates it from both lighter mahoganies and the denser, more figured tropicals.
How do I tell Calophyllum from genuine mahogany?
They are close in color, but Calophyllum is usually a little denser, harder, and more uniform in texture, while true mahogany (Swietenia) tends to be slightly lighter and softer with a somewhat coarser, more open pore structure and often a stronger ribbon figure. Weight and pore pattern are the best tells.
How can I distinguish Calophyllum from Spanish cedar (cedro)?
By weight and smell. Spanish cedar (Cedrela) is much lighter and softer and has a strong, pleasant aromatic scent, whereas Calophyllum is heavier, harder, and largely odorless when cut.
Does Calophyllum have a distinctive smell?
Not really — it has little characteristic odor when worked, so a strongly scented board is probably something else, such as Spanish cedar or a true aromatic tropical. Rely instead on color, weight, the even texture, and the ribbon figure.
Calophyllum identified by the community
Recent Calophyllum samples identified with Wood Identifier.
