Indian Rosewood
Dalbergia latifolia
Also known as Bombay blackwood, East Indian rosewood · Botanical Dalbergia latifolia
Revision history
- — Data re-verified in site-wide audit (formulas, sources, durability classes)
- — Working properties and comparable-species data cross-checked against listed sources
About Indian Rosewood
Indian Rosewood (Dalbergia latifolia) is a hard, wear-resistant timber that is heavy going on tools, with a Janka hardness of 2,440 lbf (10,853 N) and a density of about 0.75 g/cm³. It grows in India and South Asia.
Tangential movement of 5.8% against 2.7% radial puts the T/R ratio at 2.15. That is the ratio to watch: it predicts cupping in wide flatsawn boards better than either figure alone. Its fibre saturation point is near 26%. Below it, 5.8% tangential against only 2.7% radial gives a T/R ratio of 2.15. That imbalance, not the absolute figure, is what lifts the edges of a wide flatsawn board.8% tangential against 2.7% radial, quartersawn stock will behave noticeably better than flatsawn.
At 750 kg/m³ a cubic metre of Indian Rosewood weighs about 750 kg air-dry — that figure, the 5.8% tangential and 2.7% radial movement and the 2,440 lbf hardness are the three inputs the calculators below actually consume. Select Indian Rosewood in any of them to get species-specific results for weight, moisture, shrinkage and hardness.
Working properties
How Indian Rosewood behaves at the bench and on the machine, drawn from the USDA Forest Products Laboratory and international timber-trade technical references.
Durability & use classification
East Indian Rosewood heartwood is rated very durable (EN 350 Class 1), strongly resistant to decay fungi and termites, and highly resistant to preservative treatment. Note the trade caution: this is Dalbergia latifolia, distinct from sheesham (D. sissoo), which is also sold as “Indian rosewood” but is a different, lower-density timber.
Typical applications & suitability
Indoor Outdoor — Chiefly a premium interior and specialty wood — its value lies in colour, figure and acoustics rather than exposure — though its durability permits protected exterior joinery.
Documented end-uses: fine furniture and cabinetry, decorative veneer and panelling, flooring, turned and carved specialty objects, and above all musical instruments — it has been the standard for acoustic guitar backs, sides and fingerboards since the 1960s.
Comparable species
Species closest to Indian Rosewood by density, hardness, stiffness and bending strength, computed directly from the Vriksai species dataset rather than hand-picked.
Trade alternatives. Where CITES paperwork or price rules it out, the trade substitutes Shisham (Sissoo) at lower cost, or Wenge for a darker, coarser look. All Dalbergia are CITES Appendix II listed and this species is IUCN vulnerable — source it with full documentation.
Alternatives to Indian Rosewood
Indian Rosewood measures 2,440 lbf Janka at 0.75 g/cm³, EN 350 durability Class 1, movement rated Moderate. Anything replacing Indian Rosewood outdoors has to hold Class 1 durability and carry the load — so nothing below that class appears here, however well it matches on hardness. Read the numbers against the Janka scale and EN 350 durability classes.
For decking, marine work and structural exposure where the surface takes impact as well as weather. Expect slower machining, faster tool wear and more weight to handle on site.
Lighter sections, easier fixing and lower freight per m³ — while holding the exterior durability class. Useful where the spec is over-engineered for the actual load.
Exterior sections move most, and a dense timber that moves takes fixings and joints with it. These hold their dimension better in the same durability class. Size the gaps with the shrinkage predictor and EMC calculator.
If Indian Rosewood is unavailable and the specification cannot change, these are the nearest substitutes across hardness, density, movement, stiffness, bending strength and durability class together — not on any single property. Lower distance means a closer match.
Computed from measured properties only — hardness, density, movement, stiffness, bending strength and EN 350 class. Price, availability and appearance are never inputs. Figures are representative values, not consignment absolutes: two species within a few percent are equivalent until verified on the material. Full method and the rules the engine cannot break.
Substituting outdoors is a match on durability class and movement first. Colour and grain can be matched later; a wrong durability class shows up as a callback in three monsoons. Where two candidates are close, compare them directly before specifying.
Compare Indian Rosewood side by side
The pairings below are the ones that actually come up in exterior and structural tendering. Every pairing shows the measured figures side by side; full matrix in the comparison index.
Calculators relevant to Indian Rosewood
Sized for exterior and load-bearing work in Indian Rosewood — spans, fixings, weathering gaps and freight weight. Full set in the tool index.
Understand the figures
Wood density reference — oven-dry vs air-dry basis · Moisture content — EMC, FSP and service conditions · Strength properties — MOR, MOE and what they govern · Durability & fire — EN 350 classes and E84 ratings.
Further reading. Wood moisture content explained · How to calculate board feet.
Common questions about Indian Rosewood
unverified no published source for this figure · FPL USDA FPL Wood Handbook GTR-190 · WD The Wood Database (Eric Meier) · calc derived from the figures above