Wood Species Guide

Acacia

Acacia spp. (exact species varies; see note)

Also called: Acacia Wood, Asian Acacia, Wattle (Australian name for the genus)

Acacia is a huge family of trees, and the name covers several commercial woods. Our imported acacia rounds are warm brown cross-cut cookies that make striking side and coffee tables.
ImportHardwoodAcacias & Koa
Good forTabletops & SlabsRiver TablesBudget-Friendly

About the name “Acacia”

"Acacia" covers more than a thousand species, from Hawaiian koa and Australian blackwood to the plantation acacias of Southeast Asia (such as Acacia mangium and Acacia auriculiformis). Importers also sometimes label monkey pod, a related tree, as acacia. Our acacia rounds are imported, and we can't confirm the species from the listing, so we don't publish a single hardness or weight. If you need the exact species, ask us.

What Acacia looks like

Most acacia sold for furniture shows a golden to medium brown heartwood with darker streaks, framed by a pale sapwood ring on round cross-cut slabs. Color deepens with oil and time.

Grain and texture

Grain is often interlocked or wavy, with a medium texture. Cross-cut rounds show growth rings and radial checks rather than long grain.

Working Acacia: planing, cutting and gluing

Most commercial acacias are medium-hard and machine well with sharp tools, though interlocked grain can tear out. Cross-cut rounds are end grain on both faces, so a planer is out; flatten them with a router sled or CNC and sand carefully through the grits.

Finishing Acacia: oil, film finishes and epoxy

End grain drinks finish. Use a sanding sealer or several thin coats of oil before topcoating, or the top will look blotchy. For an epoxy flood coat on a round, seal first and expect the end grain to keep releasing air for a while.

Durability, stability and Florida humidity

Durability depends on the species. Rounds are prone to radial checks as they dry, so finish both faces and the edge, and keep them out of direct sun and away from AC vents. In Florida, a well-sealed round stays steady indoors.

Shop notes from our Fort Myers shop

Our acacia rounds are cookie-style cross-cuts that make great side tables, coffee tables and wall pieces. Checks radiating from the center are normal; we can fill them with clear or colored epoxy or stabilize them with butterfly keys. Seal the end grain well, because rounds move more than long slabs.

Common uses for Acacia

Furniture, flooring, turnings, cutting boards (for some species), tabletops and rounds.

Sustainability and CITES status

The common commercial acacias are plantation-grown and not listed in CITES. A few rare acacias are protected locally, but they are not what reaches the furniture trade.

Safety and toxicity

Our toxicity rating ModerateWhat the ratings mean
  • Skin irritation
  • Respiratory / asthma
  • Eye irritation

Several acacias are reported to irritate skin and airways, and some cause coughing. The exact species in this stock is unknown, so treat it as a mild irritant until proven otherwise.

In the shop
Dust collection + mask when sanding, especially end grain; gloves for sensitive skin
Food contact
Use with care for cutting boards, bowls and utensils

General information, not medical advice. See a doctor if you have a reaction.

Some acacias can irritate skin and airways. Use dust collection and a mask when sanding, especially on end grain, which makes fine dust.

Wood toxicity and dust safety guide: every species compared

Acacia in stock now

Live edge slabs in stock (2)

Want to see them in person? Book a slab & lumber visit.

Similar woods: Acacias & Koa

See the Acacias & Koa group guide

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