Bolivian Bocote Wood

Bolivian Bocote is a dense exotic hardwood valued for its striking mix of golden to dark brown tones, often highlighted by dramatic black streaks and bold grain patterns. It machines and finishes well, making it a popular choice for fine furniture, turning, and decorative woodworking where a rich, eye-catching look is desired.
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Thins

Bolivian Bocote Thin

Bolivian Bocote Thin

$21.95

Bocote (Cordia spp.)

Pricing

Expensive

Hardness

2,010

Janka

Distribution

Mexico and Central/South America

Availability

Difficult to source

Appearance

Has a yellowish brown body with dramatic dark brown to almost black stripes. Color tends to darken with age.

Workability

Overall, Bocote is easily worked and machined with good results. Although Bocote has a fairly high amount of natural oils present, gluing is usually problem-free. Bocote also turns and finishes well.

Uses

Fine furniture, cabinetry, flooring, veneer, boatbuilding, musical instruments, gunstocks, turned objects, and other small specialty wood items.

Additional Comments

With its striking, zebra-like contrasts, and bold figuring, Bocote can be a very eye-catching wood. Bocote is generally used for its aesthetic attributes, rather than its mechanical ones and although Bocote is by no means weak, its strength-to-weight ratio is below average.

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Why choose Bolivian Bocote Wood?

Bolivian Bocote is a wood that stops you in your tracks the first time you see it. It has a striking yellow to golden brown base with bold, dramatic black streaks running through it that create patterns so wild they almost look painted on. Every board is completely different and that unpredictability is a big part of what makes it so desirable. It is extremely dense and hard which makes it naturally resistant to wear and moisture, and that durability combined with its appearance makes it a top choice for knife handles, guitar backs and sides, and decorative bowls where you want something that feels as substantial as it looks. It is also used for fine furniture accents and inlays where even a small amount of Bocote can completely transform a piece. It has a natural luster that responds beautifully to an oil finish, bringing out the contrast between that golden base and the dark streaking in a way that makes the figure really come alive. Bocote is not the easiest wood to work with because of its density and irregular grain, but the result is always something worth the extra effort.

Frequently Asked Questions About Bolivian Bocote Wood