Can Andiroba Wood Be Used for a Food Preparation Countertop?

Habitat and Form

• Andiroba, or Carapa guianensis, is native to evergreen or semi-evergreen rainforests from Belize in Central America through the Caribbean to Brazil in South America. The trees grow to 170 feet tall and can have trunk diameters of 60 to 72 inches. This size of tree allows large pieces of wood to be available for countertops without having to piece or laminate smaller sections of wood together.

Wood Color

• Two forms of wood are recognized. White crabwood comes from trees in swampy areas. Red crabwood grows on higher ground and is considered of better quality. Sapwood, the outer part of the trunk, has pink tones when fresh, aging to pale brown or gray. There is a greater proportion of sapwood to heartwood in a tree. Heartwood is also lighter in color when harvested, ranging from light salmon to red-brown. When cured, heartwood is reddish brown and very similar to Honduras mahogany in appearance.

Wood Properties

• Andiroba has a straight grain with a medium to coarse texture. It's finer-textured and less figured than Honduras mahogany. The wood is stable when cured and has no odor or taste, so it's well-suited for a food preparation area. Wood luster is variable, ranging from low to high luster. The wood is rated as strong, moderately tough and easy to work with. It's stiffer than Honduras mahogany and more resistant to bending than teak. These are all good properties for use in counters, where there is need for durability and beauty.

Other Uses

• Andiroba is primarily used for fine furniture, cabinets, stairs, floorings, veneers, turned objects, plywood and interiors, as well as masts. It's also used as a building material where it grows natively. Andiroba has been used to make cutting boards. One drawback is that andiroba is seldom available in the United States. It's less expensive than many other exotic hardwoods. As of 2011, one lumber company listed andiroba 4/4 lumber at $4 per board foot. Andiroba flooring, also called Royal Mahogany, ranged from $4.85 to $6.21 per square foot. If a single-piece counter is desired, the wood will be more expensive and difficult to obtain than thinner flooring and lumber.