Tropical wood · Tropical America
Jobo wood
Jobo (Spondias mombin, family Anacardiaceae) is a tropical timber from tropical America. Dry, its Janka hardness is 335–510 lbf (1,490–2,269 N), and air-dry it weighs about 29 lb/ft³ (465 kg/m³). The figures are from the USDA Forest Products Laboratory's Tropical Timbers of the World, pp. 281–282.
Other names, by country: Ba1a (Costa Rica), Jobito (Panama), Jobo blanco (Colombia), Jobo corronchoso (Venezuela), Hoeboe (Surinam), Acaiba, Cajá, Pau da tapera (Brazil), Ubo (Peru), Hobo (Mexico).
Key numbers
- Janka hardness, dry
- 335–510 lbf (1,490–2,269 N)
- As printed: “Janka side hardness at 12% moisture content ranges from 335 to 510 lb.”
- Air-dry density
- 29 lb/ft³ (465 kg/m³)
- Basic specific gravity
- 0.40 oven-dry weight, green volume
- As printed: “Basic specific gravity (ovendry weight/green volume) 0.40; air-dry density 29 pcf.”
- Shrinkage, green to oven-dry
- 4.7% tangential
- Radial 2.7%, volumetric 7.5%
One source: USDA Forest Products Laboratory, Tropical Timbers of the World (Chudnoff, 1979 edition), the only published source read for this wood
Strength
Bending strength is the modulus of rupture (MOR); stiffness is the modulus of elasticity (MOE); crushing strength is compression parallel to the grain. The sheet collects these from published tests: it prints 4 data sets, from different tests and sources, so they can differ widely; all are shown, in the sheet's order, each at the moisture content printed beside it, never restated as 12%.
| Moisture | Bending strength (MOR) | Stiffness (MOE) | Crushing strength |
|---|---|---|---|
| Green | 6,400 psi (44 MPa) | 1.16 million psi (8 GPa) | 2,560 psi (18 MPa) |
| 12% MC | 8,810 psi (61 MPa) | 1.28 million psi (8.8 GPa) | 4,410 psi (30 MPa) |
| 12% MC | 8,050 psi (56 MPa) | 1.33 million psi (9.2 GPa) | — |
| 12% MC | 9,500 psi (66 MPa) | — | 6,450 psi (44 MPa) |
A dash means the sheet prints no value; none is filled in.
What the data sheet says
- Color, grain and texture
- Heartwood cream to buff colored not distinguished from the sapwood. Luster medium; texture medium to coarse; grain straight to slightly irregular; odorless and tasteless.
- Working properties
- The wood is easy to work and generally finishes smoothly; fuzzy grain may develop in some operations.
- Durability
- The wood has low resistance to attack by decay fungi and insects and is particularly prone to blue stain. Logs need to be promptly processed to minimize deterioration.
- Uses
- Boxes and crates, general carpentry, millwork, utility plywood, furniture components; often planted as "live fencing."
- Where it grows
- Throughout most of the West Indies and from southern Mexico to Peru and Brazil; in part cultivated or naturalized. The tree is planted in many tropical areas.
Quoted from Tropical Timbers of the World, pp. 281–282, a USDA Forest Products Laboratory work in the public domain.
Work it out for your project
- Rank woods for furniture with the species picker
Weigh jobo against other woods on hardness, weight, movement and color, every figure from the Wood Handbook.