Tight supplies, low demand for mahogany

Top quality ‘genuine’ mahogany (Sweitenia macrophyll) is getting more difficult to find. Suppliers interviewed by Woodshop News say the species can still be sourced, but the very dense, dark grades from older trees are scarce.

“The genuine is basically coming out of South America and it’s gotten expensive and there’s import problems and things like that,” says Louis Irion of Irion Lumber Co. in Wellsboro, Pa.

“But the demand for mahogany is way down. It’s just amazing how a wood like that can go out of style. Most of the people we’re selling it to are furniture makers, whereas with walnut we might sell a whole room of it for architectural millwork, and we don’t seem to get that with mahogany. The good mahogany is really hard to get. A number of mills stopped offering it or have a limited supply.”

“I wish there was more of it around,” says Carl Mahlstedt of Goosebay Sawmill & Lumber in Chichester, N.H. “It seems like there was kind of a big fall off over the past few years. It’s been a little more accessible, but as far as the sizes of the boards and the quality are concerned, it’s definitely not the same as it was before.”

Mahlstedt adds that he’s noticed a narrowing of the gap between genuine mahogany and its substitute species, which include African mahogany and sapele.

“As for the actual physical properties and durability, I don’t think they’re as far off as they used to be,” he says “If we could still get you the old growth mahogany like we did in the past, there would be a bigger difference between the substitutes.

“We still get in some pretty good batches of it, though. Once in a while, I still see some that is pretty impressive, or I might get lucky and find someone that had a stash they been holding onto for a number of years.”

On the veneer side, Matt Gilland of Superior Veneer & Plywood in New Albany, Ind., says supply meets demand.

“Customers call and say they want genuine mahogany, which usually means they want what would classically be called Honduras, and the colors are a little bit different, and they want something that’s matching what they’ve been able to get in the past.

“Some people don’t mind if they go with genuine or African, but we do have those that are very specific and want the genuine and we know what that color is that they’re looking for. Getting it has not been an issue. There have been some difference in prices over the years, but I would say nothing drastic in the last couple.” 

This article was originally published in the June 2024 issue.