List of the Most Expensive Wood Prices in the World

Wood is known for its ease of use, versatility, and availability. This is what makes wood a very useful tool for construction. However, not all wood is the same, and whether it is because of the strength of the wood, its attractive aesthetic, or because of its rarity, there are some of the most expensive forest woods in the world.

In this article Names of Tree will provide information regarding the list of prices for the most expensive forest wood in the world, and pay attention to what makes the price so expensive.

 

List of the Most Expensive Forest Wood Prices in the World

 

 

1. Pink Ivory

This hardwood from African forests has many names, including Pink ivory, Red ivory, Purple ivory, and UmNini. It grows in Africa, and has a very high wood density of 990g/dm3 and a janka hardness rating of 3,230 ibf (14,370 N), making it a very strong and durable wood.

Pink ivory is often used for veneers, inlays, checkers, carvings, and tool handles, to name a few uses. Generally, this wood is pink, but it ranges in color from pale brownish pink to deep red, with the bright pink variety being considered the most valuable.

Pink ivory wood is very difficult to process into boards, tears often occur when the boards are worked on, so this wood is more often used for carvings.

Price: $20 per meter board
 

2. Sandalwood

Sandalwood is a species of Santalum tree whose wood is known as Sandalwood and is most famous for producing its fragrant essential oil extracted from sandalwood wood which is used to make perfume. Especially the oil which makes it a valuable commodity. Due to excessive harvesting in nature, this tree is rare and the price of its wood is increasing. Sandalwood is heavy, almost yellow, and very fine-grained.

Price: $25 per meter board
 

3. Purpleheart

Purpleheart or Amaranth originates from Central and South America and is one of the stiffest woods in the world. This wood is also quite strong with a janka rating of 2,520 ibf (11,190 N). When this wood is freshly cut, it is a dull gray or purple-brown color, but under exposure to sunlight, it slowly changes to a beautiful dark purple, before finally becoming a dark brown color with a hint of purple.

Purpleheart is quite difficult to work with, if heated slightly with a tool such as a cutter, the sap can clog the tool, tearing often occurs and the strength of this wood also makes the cutting tool dull. However, the strength and beauty of the wood means it remains a popular choice today. Purpleheart is often used for flooring, furniture, shipbuilding, and other heavy construction.

Price: $32 per meter board
 

4. Rosewood

Rosewood or Heartwood comes from tropical areas such as Central and South America, Africa, South Asia, and Madagascar. This wood is mostly used for high-class furniture, railway sleepers, and sporting goods. Similar to sandalwood, what makes rosewood so popular is the fragrant aromatic oils contained in the wood.

Price: $39 per meter board
 

5. African Blackwood

African blackwood is mostly used to make musical instruments because this wood has a unique, attractive texture and deep black color. African blackwood has a janka hardness rating of 3,670 ibf (16,320 N) which makes it very durable, although difficult to work with, as it often dulls sharp tools.

 

Price: $40 per meter board
 

6. Bubinga

Another interesting wood from the African region, Bubinga comes in a variety of grain patterns, and the rarer the pattern, the higher the price of the wood. Bubinga is often used to make high-end musical instruments and luxury furniture, the color of this wood ranges from pink to dark red, and dark purple to black, making it a versatile wood suitable for many aesthetic purposes.

This wood’s janka rating is 2,410 ibf (10,720 N), which means it can have a significant blunting effect on wood-cutting tools, but remains a popular choice for strong, sturdy furniture and inlays.

Price: $46 per meter board
 

7. Ebony

Blackwood or Ebony is very dense, it even sinks in the air where most wood would float, and has a hardness of 3,080 ibf (13,7000 N). Blackwood has a smooth, dark texture that makes it a valuable ornamental wood for use in things like musical instruments and furniture. Due to the high demand and rarity of the tree, Blackwood wood is priced at a high price.

Currently, blackwood or ebony trees are threatened with extinction due to illegal harvesting.

Price: $49 per meter board
 

8. Agarwood

Agarwood or Gaharu is a wood that has been used since at least biblical times and is even mentioned in the Old Testament of the Bible. It is a dark-colored heartwood that is only harvested from Aquilaria and Gyrinops trees native to Southeast Asia when they have a fungal infection.

This infection causes the wood to become dense and dark and have a fragrant oil. First-grade agarwood is very expensive, although lower-quality varieties are available for less.

 

Price: $80 per kilogram
 

9. Lignum Vitae

Lignum vitae is the name of wood harvested from the Guaiacum tree, native to the Caribbean and South North America. Lignum vitae is very dense and strong with a hardness of 4,390 ibf (19,510 N). Because this tree grows very slowly, at a rate of only 5 cm per year, its wood yield is low and highly sought after. The color varies from brown, brown, to dark green.

Lignum vitae wood is often sold by weighing rather than planks or blocks because it is very difficult to process and often blunts the processing tools. Because the wood is very heavy, the price of lignum vitae wood is very expensive.

Price: $80 per meter board
 

10. Bocote

The most expensive wood in the world is Bocote, a species of flowering tree from the Cordia family found in Mexico, Central and South America. When freshly cut, this wood is initially yellow or brown, then turns dark over time.

This wood smells good and is usually used for furniture and wooden floors. Bocote has a janka hardness of 2,010 ibf (8,950 N), meaning it is durable (depending on the species), and easy to work with, which makes it more useful than some of the other woods on this list.

The thing that makes Bocote enter the list of the most expensive wood prices in the world is that it contains all the beauty, strength, and exoticism of expensive wood, also because it can be processed, hammered, and glued easily. In the end, this wood is more useful, which makes it wood with quite high demand in the wood business sector, so the price is high.

Price: $83 per meter board
 

That’s a list of the most expensive woods in the world today that we can summarize for you. If you plan to buy it, make sure to invite someone who is an expert in the field of woodworking to avoid fraud in buying and selling expensive wood.