Mahogany vs cherry
True mahogany and black cherry are both reddish-brown furniture woods. Cherry is the harder; mahogany moves less.
- Black cherry is about 19% harder than true mahogany.
- Black cherry is about 6% heavier than true mahogany.
- Black cherry has about 76% more movement across a flatsawn board than true mahogany.
Each column is the species its page leads with: true mahogany for mahogany, black cherry for cherry.
Side by side
| Property | Mahogany | Cherry |
|---|---|---|
| Janka hardness, 12% MC | 800 lbf | 950 lbf |
| Weight, 12% MC | 33 lb/ft³ (529 kg/m³) | 35 lb/ft³ (560 kg/m³) |
| Specific gravity, 12% MC | — | 0.50 |
| Tangential shrinkage | 4.1% | 7.1% |
| Radial shrinkage | 3.0% | 3.7% |
| 12 in flatsawn board, 6% → 12% MC | 0.102 in | 0.179 in |
| 12 in quartersawn board, 6% → 12% MC | 0.074 in | 0.091 in |
| Bending strength (MOR), 12% MC | 11,500 psi | 12,300 psi |
| Stiffness (MOE), 12% MC | 1.5 million psi | 1.49 million psi |
| Crushing strength, 12% MC | 6,780 psi | 7,110 psi |
One source: USDA Forest Products Laboratory, the authority for species properties it measured
Wood Handbook Tables 5-3b, 5-5b, 4-3, 4-4 and 13-5; weight and movement worked with its Eqs. 4-14, 13-3 and 13-4. A dash means the Handbook prints no value.
What sets them apart
- Color
- Mahogany heartwood runs from pale pink or salmon to dark reddish brown. Cherry heartwood runs from light to dark reddish brown with a distinctive luster. (Wood Handbook, p. 2-6 and 2-29)
- Stability
- True mahogany has excellent dimensional stability. Cherry has moderately high shrinkage but is very dimensionally stable once dried. (Wood Handbook, p. 2-6 and 2-29)
- Working
- Both machine well: cherry has very good machining properties, and mahogany is very easy to work with hand and machine tools and takes an excellent polish. (Wood Handbook, p. 2-6 and 2-29)
- Uses
- Mahogany goes into fine furniture, cabinets, patterns, boats, musical instruments and carving. Cherry goes into furniture, fine veneer panels and architectural woodwork. (Wood Handbook, p. 2-6 and 2-29)
For any other pair, open each species page from the wood hub; every page uses the same layout and the same sources.