Calophyllum brasiliense

Santa Maria

A richly colored hardwood valued not only for furniture and boatbuilding, but as a source of compounds studied for HIV/AIDS and cancer treatment.

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520 Density (kg/m³)

799 Rupture resistance (kg/cm²)

09 Native regions

799 Bending strength

About Santa Maria

Santa Maria is a tall, glossy tree — reaching 30 to 40 m, with trunks often a meter across at breast height — valued for its rich coloration and beautiful grain as much as its practicality. Sapwood runs a pinkish-white, blending into heartwood with soft veining along the tangential surface, in a medium, non-lustrous texture with little distinctive scent or taste. It's a medium-weight wood, moderately difficult to saw but easy to work with standard tools and machines; planing can roughen the surface somewhat due to its prominent interlocked grain, though it finishes and polishes well once a sealer's been applied — pre-drilling is recommended before nailing or screwing. Beyond timber, this species carries a remarkable secondary value: it naturally biosynthesizes compounds under active pharmacological study, including calanolides investigated for HIV/AIDS treatment and mammea-type coumarins studied for anti-protozoal and anti-tumor properties — making Santa Maria as valuable to medicine as it is to woodworking.

Brazil Beauty-Leaf
Leche María
Barí
Palo María

At a glance

Origin: Northeast/North/South/Central-West/Southeast Brazil, Belize, Bolivia, Colombia, Costa Rica, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, El Salvador, French Guiana, Guatemala, Haiti, Honduras, Jamaica, Leeward Islands, Central/Gulf/Southeast/Southwest Mexico, Nicaragua, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, Puerto Rico, Suriname, Venezuela, Windward Islands
Category: Indoor Furniture · Flooring
Best for: Carpentry, furniture, flooring, prefabricated flooring, window and door frame laminates
Working properties: Moderately difficult to saw, but easy to work using standard tools and machines. Planing may roughen the surface due to prominent interlocked grain. Good finishing and polishing qualities with a prior sealer application; pre-drilling required before nailing and screwing.

Spec sheet

Physical-mechanical properties

Physical-mechanical values for Santa Maria from the approved Final Content document.

Density 520 kg/m³

MOE Flex — Elastic Modulus 110160 kg/cm²

RLE Flex — Elastic Resistance Limit 350 kg/cm²

RR Flex — Rupture Resistance 799 kg/cm²

PMOE Com for — Elastic Modulus, Compression Parallel 99230 kg/cm²

PRLE Com for — Elastic Resistance Limit, Compression Parallel 200 kg/cm²

RR Com for — Rupture Resistance 328 kg/cm²

RLE Com for — Elastic Resistance Limit, Perpendicular Compression 328 kg/cm²

RR Shear for — Rupture Resistance, Parallel Shear 328 kg/cm²

JK Lateral — Lateral Face Hardness 329 kg

JK Lateral — Transverse Face Hardness 425 kg

Where it's used

Built for the demanding jobs

01 — Furniture

Indoor & outdoor furniture

02 — Flooring

Premium hardwood flooring

03 — Musical Instruments

Tonewood & musical instruments

04 — Marine

Marine decking & boat building

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