Hardwoods List

This is a list of hardwoods, especially those commonly used in the timber and lumber trade and used by hardwood floor contractors.

Hardwoods (angiosperms)

Afzelia (Afzelia)
Agba yun (Synsepalum duloificum)
Albizia (Albizia)
Alder (Alnus)
Black alder (Alnus glutinosa)
Red alder (Alnus rubra)
Applewood or wild apple (Malus)
 
Common AshAsh (Fraxinus)
Black ash (Fraxinus nigra)
Blue ash (Fraxinus quadrangulata)
Common ash (Fraxinus excelsior)
Green ash (Fraxinus pennsylvanica lanceolata)
White ash (Fraxinus americana)
Aspen (Populus)
American aspen (Populus tremuloides)
Bigtooth aspen (Populus grandidentata)
European aspen (Populus tremula)
Ayan (Distemonanthus benthamianus)
Balsa (Ochroma pyramidale)
Basswood (Tilia americana)
 
BeechBeech (Fagus)
European Beech (Fagus sylvatica)
American Beech (Fagus grandifolia)
 
BirchBirch (Betula)
American birches
Gray birch (Betula populifolia)
Paper birch (Betula papyrifera)
Sweet birch (Betula lenta)
Yellow birch (B. alleghaniensis syn Betula lutea) - most common birch wood sold in N.Am.
European birches, also Baltic birch (N.Am.)
Silver birch (Betula pendula)
White Birch (Betula pubescens)
Blackbean (Castanospermum australe)
Blackwood (Acacia melanoxylon)
Bocote (Cordia alliodora)
Boxwood or Box (Buxus sempervirens)
Brazilwood (Caesalpinia echinata)
Bubinga (Guibourtia)
Buckeye (Aesculus)
Common Horse-chestnut (Aesculus hippocastanum)
Yellow Buckeye (Aesculus flava)
Butternut (Juglans cinerea)
Carapa (or Andiroba, Carap, Crappo, Crabwood and Santa Maria) (Carapa guianensis) .
Catalpa (Catalpa)
 
CherryCherry (Prunus)
Black cherry (Prunus serotina)
Red cherry tree (Prunus pennsylvanica)
Wild cherry (Prunus avium)
"Brazilian Cherry" Not a Cherry See Jatoba below
Chestnut (Castanea dentata)
Coachwood (Ceratopetalum apetalum)
Cocobolo (Dalbergia retusa)
Cocuswood, or Jamaican ebony, (Brya ebenus)
Corkwood (Leitneria floridana)
Cottonwood, eastern (Populus deltoides)
Dogwood (Cornus spp.)
 
EbonyEbony (Diospyros)
Andaman marble-wood (India) (Diospyros kurzii)
Ebène marbre (Mauritius, E. Africa) (Diospyros melanida)
Elm
American elm (Ulmus americana)
English elm (Ulmus procera)
Rock elm (Ulmus thomasii)
Slippery elm (Ulmus rubra)
Wych elm (Ulmus glabra)
Eucalyptus (Eucalyptus)
Lyptus
Karri (W. Australia) (Eucalyptus diversicolor)
Mahogany eucalyptus, (New South Wales) (Eucalyptus)
Ironbark Eucalyptus sideroxylon
Jarrah or West Australian eucalyptus (Eucalyptus marginata)
Tasmanian oak or Mountain ash, (Eucalyptus regnans Eucalyptus obliqua Eucalyptus delegatensis)
River Red Gum
Blue Gum Eucalyptus saligna
Greenheart (Guyana) (Chlorocardium rodiei)
Grenadilla (Mpingo) (Dalbergia melanoxylon)
Gum
Blackgum (Nyssa sylvatica)
Blue gum (Eucalyptus globulus)
Redgum or Sweetgum (Liquidambar styraciflua)
Tupelo gum (Nyssa aquatica)
Hickory (Carya)
Mockernut hickory (Carya alba)
Pignut hickory (Carya glabra)
Shagbark hickory (Carya ovata)
Shellbark hickory (Carya laciniosa)
Pecan (Carya illinoinensis)
Hornbeam (Carpinus species)
Hophornbeam, Eastern (Ostrya virginiana)
Ipe (Tabebuia impetiginosa)
Iroko (Milicia excelsa syn Chlorophora excelsa)
Ironwood refers to the wood of many tree species noted for the hardness of their wood. Trees commonly known as ironwoods include:
Carpinus caroliniana — also known as American hornbeam
Casuarina equisetifolia — Common Ironwood from Australia
Choricarpia subargentea
Copaifera spp.
Eusideroxylon zwageri
Guajacum officinale and Guajacum sanctum — Lignum vitae
Hopea odorata
Krugiodendron ferreum — Black Ironwood
Lyonothamnus lyonii (L. floribundus) — Catalina Ironwood
Mesua ferrea — also known as Rose Chestnut or Ceylon Ironwood, from Thailand, Laos, Vietnam, Cambodia
Olea spp. — various olive trees
Olneya tesota — Desert Ironwood
Ostrya virginiana — Hop hornbeam
Parrotia persica — Persian Ironwood
Tabebuia serratifolia — Ipe
Jacarandá, Brazilian rosewood (Dalbergia nigra)
Jatobá (Hymenaea courbaril)
Lacewood from the Sycamore(N.Am.) or Plane(UK) trees (Platanus species)
Laurel, California (Umbellularia californica)
Limba (Terminalia superba)
Lignum vitae (Guaiacum officinale and Guaiacum sanctum)
Locust
Black locust or Yellow locust (Robinia pseudacacia)
Honey locust (Gleditsia triacanthos)
 
An example of MahoganyMahogany
Mahogany (African) (Khaya spp.)
Mahogany (West Indies or Cuban) (Swietenia mahagoni)
Mahogany (Honduras, Central and South America) (Swietenia macrophylla)
Mahogany (Philippine), Not a mahogany, see Lauan.
Maple (Acer)
Hard Maple (N.Am.)
Sugar maple (Acer saccharum)
Black maple (Acer nigrum)
Soft Maple (N.Am.)
Manitoba maple (Acer negundo)
Red maple (Acer rubrum)
Silver maple (Acer saccharinum)
European Maples
Sycamore maple (Acer pseudoplatanus)
Textures
 
Cutting Board made of Birdseye Maple

Birdseye maple
Burl
Meranti (Shorea spp.)
Mpingo (Grenadilla) (Dalbergia melanoxylon)
Oak (Quercus)
American White Oak includes wood from any of the following species of trees:
Bur oak (Quercus macrocarpa)
White oak (Quercus alba)
Post oak (Quercus stellata)
Swamp white oak (Quercus bicolor)
Southern live oak (Quercus virginiana)
Swamp chestnut oak (Quercus michauxii)
Chestnut oak (Quercus prinus or Q. montana)
Chinkapin oak (Quercus muhlenbergii)
Canyon live oak (Quercus chrysolepis)
Overcup oak (Quercus lyrata)
English oak, also French and Slovenian oak barrels (Quercus robur and sometimes Quercus petraea)
Red Oak includes wood from any of the following species of trees:
Red oak (Quercus rubra)
Black oak (Quercus velutina)
Laurel oak (Quercus laurifolia))
Southern red oak (Quercus falcata)
Water oak (Quercus nigra)
Willow oak {Quercus phellos)
Nuttall's oak (Quercus texana or Q. nuttallii)
Willow oak (Quercus phellos)
"Tasmanian oak"; Not an oak see Eucalyptus above
Australian "Silky oak"; Not an oak see Silky Oak below
Obeche or Samba, Ayous, Arere, Wana, Abachi (West Africa) (Triplochiton scleroxylon)
Okoumé or "Gaboon" (Aucoumea klaineana)
Oregon Myrtle or California Bay Laurel (Umbellularia californica)
Pear (Pyrus communis)
Pernambuco is another name for Brazilwood (Caesalpinia echinata)
Poplar (Populus; in N.Am., wood sold as poplar is usually Yellow-poplar — see below)
Balsam poplar (Populus balsamifera)
Black poplar (Populus nigra)
Hybrid poplar (Populus × canadensis)
Ramin
Redcedar (Toona ciliata)
Rosewood (Dalbergia spp.)
Sal (Shorea robusta)
Sandalwood (Santalum)
Sassafras (Sassafras albidum)
Sassafras (Australia) (Atherosperma moschatum)
Satinwood (Ceylon) (Chloroxylon swietenia)
Silky Oak (Grevillea robusta) - Sold as Lacewood in North America
Silver Wattle Acacia dealbata
Snakewood
Sourwood (Oxydendrum arboreum)
Spanish-cedar (Cedrela odorata)
American sycamore (Platanus occidentalis)
Teak (Tectona grandis)
Walnut (Juglans)
Black Walnut (Juglans nigra)
Persian Walnut (Juglans regia)
Brazilian walnut; Not a walnut see Ipe above.
Willow (Salix)
Black willow (Salix nigra)
Cricket-bat willow (Salix alba 'Coerulea')
White willow (Salix alba)
Yellow-poplar (Liriodendron tulipifera)

Hardwoods (monocotyledons)
Bamboo (a number of species in Tribe: Bambuseae)
Palmwood (Cocos nucifera) is 'new' wood source that is increasingly being used as an ecologically-sound alternative to endangered hardwoods.