Mahogany, Red

Red mahogany is a hardwood with a fine grain and attractive red colouring. It is a versatile wood suitable for engineering applications and for use in construction. Due to its figuring, it is prized for furniture and turning. Red mahogany has become a prestigious timber owing to its durability, termite resistance and distinctive colouring.

Different species of red mahogany grow in different regions of Queensland, New Guinea and Irian Jaya. E. resinifera occurs from Jervis Bay in New South Wales to Coen in Queensland. E. pellita occurs from north of Townsville to Iron Range on Cape York Peninsula and through areas from Gladstone in Queensland to southern coastal New South Wales.

Trees of this species reach a height of 40-45m with 1-1.5m trunk diameter. The bark is fibrous, shallow to coarsely fissured, and persists on even the small branches. Different species have differently coloured bark; E. resinifera being greyish to reddish-brown and E. pellita being reddish-brown to brown.

Red mahogany is a dense, durable timber. The heartwood ranges from red to dark red, but sapwood is distinctively paler. The even grain is generally moderatley textured, displaying the occasional gum vein, and at times the grain is interlocked producing an attractive figure.

The density of the timber varies depending on its source; plantation grown 8.5 year-old timber has 70% of the density of natural grown timber, creating some variance in hardness. Uses of red mahogany have included wharf and bridge construction, railway sleepers and in mining timbers. It is used for a wide range of interior and exterior purposes in general construction and can be made into indoor and outdoor furniture. Other uses include boat building, coach, vehicle and carriage building and structural plywood.