Wood Species Guide

East Indian Rosewood

Dalbergia latifolia

Also called: Indian Rosewood, Bombay Blackwood, Indian Palisander, Malabar Rosewood, Sonokeling (plantation Java stock)

East Indian rosewood is the dark purple-brown rosewood behind many classic guitars. It is stable, durable and handsome, but it is CITES-listed and usually sold in small, expensive pieces.

ImportHardwoodRosewoods

Good forOutdoor & Rot-Resistant Turning Guitars & Tonewoods CITES-Restricted

What East Indian Rosewood looks like

Dark purple-brown to chocolate, often with darker streaks and some boards leaning toward a deep violet. Sapwood is pale yellow and sharply different. The heartwood darkens and evens out over time.

Grain and texture

Medium texture with fairly open pores and grain that is narrowly interlocked. It has a modest natural luster.

Working East Indian Rosewood: planing, cutting and gluing

It is a hard, heavy wood that cuts and planes reasonably well with sharp tools, although the interlocked grain can tear out and the wood blunts edges. Gluing is usually fine, but a quick acetone wipe on oily boards helps. Hardness figures vary widely between references, so treat it as hard but workable rather than as a specific number.

Finishing East Indian Rosewood: oil, film finishes and epoxy

It finishes well with oil or hardwax oil, and grain-filling gives a smooth piano-style surface. Before an epoxy pour or flood coat, seal the surface so the open pores don't release bubbles, and do an acetone wipe on any oily boards. The dark dust can tint light fills, so clean carefully.

Durability, stability and Florida humidity

Durable against decay and quite stable once dried, which is why instrument builders like it. In Florida humidity it holds shape well indoors; acclimate and finish all faces as with any wood.

Shop notes from our Fort Myers shop

This is the classic rosewood for guitar backs and sides, fingerboards and fine furniture accents. You'll mostly see it as instrument sets and small boards rather than slabs. It pairs well with spruce, maple or light-colored fills where the dark color can show off. We don't stock it, but ask us and we can often source it.

Common uses for East Indian Rosewood

Guitar backs, sides and fingerboards, veneer, fine furniture, turnings, carving.

Sustainability and CITES status

Listed on CITES Appendix II as part of the genus-wide Dalbergia listing, so commercial cross-border shipments need permits. Some exemptions apply to finished musical instruments, so check current rules for your shipment.

Safety and toxicity

Our toxicity rating HighWhat the ratings mean

Sensitizer (allergy builds with exposure)
Skin irritation
Respiratory / asthma
Eye irritation

Like most true rosewoods, it is a known sensitizer. Skin rashes are the usual reaction, and eye and airway irritation also occur. Sensitivity often grows with repeat exposure.

In the shop: Full precautions: dust extraction, respirator, gloves and long sleeves
Food contact: Not recommended for cutting boards, bowls and utensils

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

Reported as a sensitizer, usually causing skin irritation. Use dust collection and a respirator when sanding.

Wood toxicity and dust safety guide: every species compared