Mango Wood Uses, Properties, Advantages, and Disadvantages

What is mango wood?

Mango is a tropical Asian and Oceanian wood with the scientific name Mangifera indica.

The tree is 80-100 feet tall, with a trunk diameter of 3-4 feet. It is an edible fruiting plant and is commonly sold commercially in the tropics.

Not only that, it turns out that mango wood also has good quality for making several types of wooden objects, especially in appearance.

Even so, this wood still has significant disadvantages and makes it unsuitable for use in some conditions.

Mango wood is commonly used as flooring, furniture, plywood, turned objects, ukuleles, and veneers.

The properties of mango wood

The heartwood is a golden brown in normal conditions, and there may be other colors while the sapwood looks paler.

The texture of mango wood is medium to coarse, has interlocking and straight grains, and has a good natural luster.

Unfortunately, this wood doesn’t have good durability because mango wood is considered durable enough to be easily damaged in its resistance to rot.

It’s also susceptible to insect attacks. Not only that, but it’s also a wood that tends to be challenging to work because many workers may face several problems and challenges.

Mango wood advantages

Moderate price: Mango is sold in several forms, including boards. The price of the mango board is in the moderate range for unfigured, While panels with figures of spalting, curly, or other unique figured are priced much more expensive.

Although not an exotic wood, but some mango can seem to qualify to be called exotic. The wood sources are Hawaii and Asia, and it looks less commonly used by many people.

Because making use of the fruit seems more valuable and profitable than wood.

Mango wood also usually grows slowly and tends not to be straight, so it isn’t easy to use.

Appearance: Although unfigured mango is less attractive, some mango has a beautiful appearance.

We think it’s very close to exotic wood, despite the differences in durability qualities. Mango with a unique appearance has an irregular figure.

Sometimes the grains are interlocked and wavy to form a unique figure as a whole. However, the only disadvantage of the appearance is that it’s too irregular.

That makes the mango not highlight the impression of luxury and elegance. But this wood seems to show that this is old furniture. Maybe this is suitable for lovers of antiques.

Availability: Mango was previously listed as vulnerable on the IUCN Red List. However, this seems to be no longer the case, and the IUCN also reports a data shortage. This species is also not listed in the CITES Appendices.

There doesn’t seem to be any significant problem in the availability. Slow growth may be the reason the wood was previously referred to as vulnerable.

We think a common availability issue is wood from being sold. It seems that there are not many forms to choose from. However, buyers can still buy the desired shape of wood as needed.

Mango wood disadvantages

Not durable: It seems like mango is not a good choice for the long term. Due to its resistance to rot, this wood is considered durable and easily damaged.

It’s pretty curial, considering that some wood mango has an attractive appearance. Not only to rot, but mango wood is also susceptible to insect and fungal attacks.

This might make you rethink the quality. Instead of choosing wood that looks attractive but has low resistance, it’s better to choose ordinary wood with good durability.

But it all depends on you, because mango may also be good for some needs.

Difficult to work: This is a wood with quite many problems and challenges to work. For example, the tear that often occurs in woodworking with wild or interlocked grains.

The wood also has a fairly high silica content, and that can make cutters blunt easily. Another problem is the reaction wood that may occur and make it shift while being sawed, and it can cause binding to the blade.

It seems this is not short and easy to work. It would be best if you had a lot of effort to work it. The use of good-quality tools should also be considered.

Mango wood for furniture

Mango wood is commonly used as furniture, although we think it’s quite bad due to some disadvantages.

Its resistance to rot, insects, and mold is in the low range, though not absolute. That’s why you should think again before using it for furniture.

However, some mango has a very attractive appearance, even close to exotic. Even though it doesn’t look luxurious, it can give an antique and beautiful impression.

After seeing mango wood furniture, you might think about making rustic furniture too. That’s a good idea to do, especially if you have good resources.

Mango wood for ukuleles

Mango wood is also commonly used as ukuleles, and it seems to be a reasonably popular wood for it. It looks like mango can produce a beautiful sound and is pleasant to hear.

Not only that, but the appearance of the mango ukuleles is also beautiful. That is, if you use a unique mango as the main ingredient.

We thought it would cost a lot more than a regular wooden ukulele. Maybe you have to spend more money or more effort. We considered buying it was the right choice, as mango wood tends to be challenging to work.

Mango wood for veneer

You can use mango wood as a veneer, although that seems to be more difficult to work. Cutting thin veneers may create a lot of tearing, especially in the interlocking and outer grains.

But if it can be done well, it can produce veneers with an attractive appearance. While the durability may be unreliable, you can expect the veneer to be beautiful.

If the suds are damaged, you can replace them with new veneers, although they may cost more. Making them in bulk seems pretty good and also quite profitable if sold, but it’s not an easy job.

Mango wood for plywood

This is a pretty good choice for plywood, though not recommended. We think other woods like spruce, oak, and birch are better for this.

However, you can use mango as an alternative if nothing else is available or the wood is priced less.

While you might get plywood with an attractive appearance, or just plain unfigured mango, it’s still low on durability.

It’s highly recommended that you rethink using mango wood like plywood because it may affect the finished goods. After all, good-quality plywood can be used to make good quality results.

Mango wood for turned objects

Although it has a unique figure that can make turned objects highly artistic, the process is not as easy as imagined.

We’ve mentioned some of the machining problems and challenges above, and we think there are more turning problems.

That’s why we hope you find the right solution to make the process easier. The resistance of mango wood to rot and other things may not be necessary for turned objects.

Because this is not an item for the long term, it seems good for making some toys, table decorations, and valuable items.

Mango wood for flooring

The last common use here is for flooring. From the appearance of it, this seems like a good thing. Certain mango wood has an attractive appearance, including for floorings.

However, we are concerned about the wood quality, including its durability. Wood for flooring seems to be resistant to rot, insects, and fungus.

However, fungi and insects are susceptible, and rot is only in the range of durable enough to be easily damaged.

So, we don’t think it’s a great idea, but it’s worth a try.