Ziricote Exotic Hardwood Lumber

Ziricote (Cordia dodecandra) is a Central American hardwood with dramatic, landscape-like figure — dark brown to black grain lines create patterns resembling hills, rivers, and topographic contours against a grey-brown to olive background. It has a fine texture, high hardness (Janka approximately 2265), and takes an exceptional natural polish. Ziricote is used for guitar backs and sides, pen turning, knife handles, and high-end decorative woodworking.

Ziricote's tonal properties — bright, clear sustain with good bass response — make it a quality guitar back and side material. Its dramatic figure and fine finish quality add visual prestige to custom and boutique instruments. Ziricote is used as both a tonal and aesthetic upgrade on premium acoustic guitars where both performance and appearance matter to the builder and player.

Ziricote's density and hardness require sharp, carbide-tipped tools. The fine, consistent texture sands to an exceptional surface with a natural lustre approaching polished stone. It turns beautifully on the lathe. The natural oils can slow glue curing — wipe surfaces with mineral spirits before bonding. Ziricote is worth the effort for the exceptional finished results it produces.

Ziricote's natural lustre can be brought to an exceptional shine with progressive fine sanding (up to 2000 grit) and a light application of wax or oil, showcasing the figure without a thick film finish. Lacquer and catalyzed finishes also produce beautiful results on ziricote for musical instrument and furniture applications. UV-inhibiting finishes help preserve the colour tones over time.

Windsor Plywood carries ziricote as a specialty exotic hardwood in lumber and turning blank dimensions subject to current availability. Contact your local Windsor Plywood branch to confirm current stock and whether the dimensions required for your project are available.