A wood species usually becomes expensive due to its beauty, rarity, durability, resistance to moisture and rot, and how easy you can work with that wood. You could always outsource the rarest and most expensive wood to satisfy your cravings for sophistication and luxury if you have an unlimited budget. But do you know the rarest and most expensive woods in the world?
If money isn’t an issue for you, you can build a nook, a personal endzone wherein you can feel comfortable and at peace. You can create this place using the finest building materials and the most expensive and rarest wood. You would want nothing more than the best materials for this habitation. But how does wood become rare and costly?
13 Rarest and Most Expensive Woods
Finding the rarest wood will not be easy, considering it is rare. However, if you are adamant about buying the most expensive woods, you can check out the following thirteen most costly and rarest kinds of wood worldwide:
1) Lignum Vitae
When I was studying Latin in college, the first two words I learned were “vita” and “vitae.”—Vitae, of course, is the plural and genitive form of vita which means “of life.” Lignum, on the other hand, means “wood.” So, “lignum vitae” literally means “wood of life.”
Incidentally, one of the rarest and most expensive woods in the world is the Lignum Vitae, and it is also the Bahamas’ national tree. This wood is rare and costly. It has been used in the prototype nuclear-powered submarine as bearings.
Lignum Vitae contains natural oils that make this wood self-lubricating, ideal for use as bearings. Its high oil content is also its most distinct feature, providing this wood with a good finishing impact.
Nevertheless, this tree has been harvested and exploited, making it an endangered species. This wood produces an overly refined outcome and is relatively easy to shape. Besides, it offers a wide array of impressive hues. You can buy this wood at $90 per foot.
2) Sandalwood
Another rare and expensive wood is sandalwood. It is grown in Southeast Asia, China, and India. It gets characterized by fine grain with colors ranging from brown-red to light yellow. One distinguishing characteristic of sandalwood is its aromatic smell with a calming effect.
China, at this point, is the largest producer of this wood and makes about 90% of sandalwood in the market today. Sandalwood is likewise a durable hardwood. Besides, you can buy this wood at $370/pound
3) Purple Heart or Amaranth
Purple Heart Wood is also referred to as Amaranth. This rare and expensive wood is grown in some regions of Central America. Besides, its sterling characteristics include its remarkable durability and resistance to rot and decay. It is likewise water-resistant, and for this reason, it gets used on boat flooring and decks.
Purple Heart wood, however, is primarily expensive because of its incredible uniqueness. It is brown, but when it gets exposed to sunlight, it transforms into a purple color. For this reason, it is called purple heart. It also produces a resin that can easily clog and dull tools, making this wood challenging to work with.
4) African Blackwood
Another rare and expensive wood is the African Blackwood. This wood is easy to cut and shape and has a sufficient straight grain. This wood gets considered to be the hardest wood worldwide, and it features a jet-black hue.
African Blackwood gets often used in many musical instrument types like oboes and guitars. You will also find this wood used in craving products. If you live in a tropical region, this wood is a perfect choice because of its high resistance to heat and rot. This wood, of course, will cost about $31 per foot.
5) Bocote Wood
Another rare and expensive wood is Bocote wood. It is an exotic wood that features many sterling characteristics and uses. You can work this wood efficiently, but it can blunt a cutter quickly. It also exudes a moderate aroma.
Bocote is native to Mexico and Central America and can grow up to 100 feet with a maximum diameter of five feet. You can use this wood for many applications like making fine furniture and turning objects.
Bocote has a gorgeous look that you can transform into a veritable artwork. Nevertheless, it tends to change color over time. You can buy this wood at $32.99 per foot.
6) Ziricote
Ziricote is an expensive wood priced at around $70/pound. You can find this wood in Mexico and other Central American countries. It can grow up to sixty feet and features distinct characteristics like unique wavy grain patterns and a purplish hue.
Ziricote is a hardwood that offers excellent artistic value. You will get attracted to it the first time you see it because of its unique feature and hue. It is also highly resistant to decay and rot and is easy to work with. It gets often used in cabinetry, furniture, and as turned objects.
7) Bubinga Wood
Bubinga, also called Kevazingo, is a tree with a maximum height of 150 feet. Its maximum trunk diameter is six feet, and this tree gets well distributed in Equatorial Africa. Its heartwood looks dark with some reddish-brown and pink hues. Its sapwood, however, features a pale color of straw.
Bubinga is easy to work with and is ideal for veneers, furniture, and many other applications. It is expensive because of its sterling features like natural luster and delicate texture. It is likewise durable and resistant to decay.
Bubinga, despite being an endangered species, is reasonably available in North America. It is similar to Rosewood and gets often referred to as African Rosewood. You can buy Bubinga wood at $17 per board foot or more.
8) Dalbergia Wood
Another expensive wood is Dalbergia wood. It is also referred to as Cocobolo. Moreover, this wood is considered an endangered species because of over-consumption. Thus, IUCN listed it as Vulnerable. If you are desirous of termite-resistant wood, you should check out Dalbergia wood.
This wood has been a crucial element in guitar production for many decades. Besides, many woodworkers and manufacturers love this wood.
This exotic wood is excellent for its enriching flooring accent with various hues. You can buy this wood at a price range of $14 to $16 per foot.
9) Pink Ivory Wood
Pink Ivory or Red Ivory comes from a tree native to Zimbabwe, South Africa, and Mozambique. This wood gets often used for making billiard cues and knife handles. It gets also used for medicinal purposes.
Pink Ivory, of course, exhibits high density, which is very durable and resistant to rot and decay. It is a rare wood that accounts for its high price.
The pink Ivory tree can grow up to 130 feet with a maximum trunk diameter of five. The most valuable color of Pink Ivory is a vibrant pink, though it comes in different hues of brownish pink, bright pink, neon pink, and deep red.
Pink ivory is hard and can blunt cutting edges. Thus, it isn’t easy to work. It also emits a distinct, unpleasant odor when you work it. Moreover, you can use it for carvings, inlay, veneers, chessmen, billiard cues, knife handles, and many other applications. You can buy it at $8 per foot.
10) Agar Wood
Agarwood is a valuable wood found in Southeast Asia. Its oil gets extracted, producing a powerful aroma that is considered an aphrodisiac. This wood has been widely harvested, leading to its rarity and high cost.
Agarwood gets mined in a unique jungle plantation. Once dried, this wood can be used to fumigate your premise, for it produces a wonderful smell.
Its pieces and powder are used for making incense and fragrant perfume.
The price of one kilogram of agar essential oil can go up as high as $30,000. For this reason, Agarwood is very expensive.
11) Ebony Wood
Ebony Wood is also considered the most robust wood worldwide, which means it is hard to work with. This wood, however, features a gorgeous form once transformed into something. It gets often used for making smaller items like pool cues and piano keys.
Ebony wood exhibits high resistance to rot and decay. It also has a glossy finish. Besides, this wood features a rare exotic look.
You can use it for making excellent cabinets, inlays, ornamental objects, and instrument parts. All Ebony species are costly and in high demand. Its price is $120 per foot.
12) Bloodwood
Bloodwood is not your best option for furniture making. However, it is durable and features a bright and vivid red color. Over time, its color can become dark brownish-red after exposure to UV light. Thus, you should keep this wood away from direct sunlight to prevent its color from changing.
Bloodwood has straight and slightly interlocked grains with fine texture and natural luster. Moreover, it is rot-resistant and durable. But it can blunt cutter edges.
This wood, however, is not included in the list of threatened species. But it is still expensive at $11.9 per foot.
13) Koa Wood
There are three reasons why Koa Wood is expensive. One reason is that it is limited. Second, you will find few substitutes for Koa wood. The harvesting process of Koa wood has been mismanaged in the past. Hence, there is a limited supply of Koa logs in the market today.
Koa wood gets used for building luthiers, furniture, ukulele, and knives. It is unique because of its distinct rich color and color depth. It also features a unique grain texture.
Conclusion
Humans have been using wood for building their shelters and furniture for thousands of years. Although the oldest known wooden sculpture made of wood dates to around 12,000 years ago, humans have long been using wood for many other applications.
Currently, however, the demand for wood has been increasing, leading to the depletion of many forests. Some wood types, therefore, get listed as endangered species because of the inordinate harvesting and cutting of these species, leading to the rarity and high cost of these endangered wood species.