Wood Species Guide

Laurel

Probably Cordia alliodora (see note on the name)

Also called: Laurel Negro, Laurel Blanco, Ecuador Laurel, Cordia, Salmwood, Capá Prieto, Bojón

Laurel is a warm, golden-brown Central American hardwood with dark streaks and a calm, easy-going grain. It works like a dream, stays stable, and comes in long slabs that suit shelves, mantels and bar tops at a friendly price.
ImportHardwoodTropical Slab Woods
Good forTabletops & SlabsRiver Tables

About the name “Laurel”

"Laurel" is one of the loosest names in the lumber trade. Our Laurel slabs come in from Central America alongside plantation teak, and in that region the name almost always means Cordia alliodora, a fast-growing timber tree farmers leave standing in coffee, cacao and pasture land. The weight of our slabs also lines up with that species. The same word is used elsewhere for unrelated woods such as Indian laurel (Terminalia) and Florida's laurel oak, so if you need a certain botanical ID for a spec sheet, ask us before you buy.

What Laurel looks like

Heartwood runs from golden tan to a medium walnut-brown, often with darker brown streaks that give laurel negro its name. Sapwood is a pale cream and usually shows as a clean, light band along the live edge. Color mellows toward a warmer honey brown with age.

Grain and texture

Grain is mostly straight to mildly wavy with a medium texture and a soft natural luster. Growth rings and dark streaks make a gentle cathedral pattern on flat-sawn boards. The pores are moderate in size, not as open as parota or oak.

Working Laurel: planing, cutting and gluing

A friendly wood to machine. It planes cleanly with sharp knives, crosscuts without much fuss and is only mildly hard on edges. Glue joints hold well with ordinary PVA. Pre-drill near the ends of narrow slabs, since the wood can split when screwed close to an edge.

Finishing Laurel: oil, film finishes and epoxy

Takes oil, hardwax oil and wipe-on poly evenly with little blotching. For epoxy, a thin seal coat brushed on first keeps air from bubbling out of the pores into a pour. The light sapwood can yellow slightly under oil-based finishes, so use a water-based clear coat if you want it to stay pale.

Durability, stability and Florida humidity

Heartwood is reasonably resistant to decay, and the wood is known for staying stable once dry. In Florida, bring a kiln-dried slab into the air-conditioned space it will live in for a week or two before final flattening, and seal both faces the same way. It is a good indoor wood; for a covered lanai use a UV-blocking exterior finish and keep it off wet concrete.

Shop notes from our Fort Myers shop

Laurel is the workhorse slab on our racks and one of the best values we carry. The pieces tend to be long and on the narrow side, which makes them natural fits for floating shelves, mantels, bar tops, benches and console tables. Two sequential boards bookmatch nicely into a narrow river or a glued-up desk top. It flattens easily on the CNC and sands to a smooth finish without much tearout, so it is a great first slab for a DIY build. Pair it with black or deep blue epoxy if you want the streaks to pop.

Common uses for Laurel

Furniture, cabinetry, doors, flooring, boat parts, shelving, mantels and live-edge tables.

Sustainability and CITES status

Not listed in the CITES Appendices. Cordia alliodora is widely grown on farms and in agroforestry plots across Central America, so it is generally considered a lower-risk tropical timber.

Safety and toxicity

Our toxicity rating ModerateWhat the ratings mean
  • Skin irritation
  • Sensitizer (allergy builds with exposure)

Cordia has been reported as a mild sensitizer, and skin irritation and dry hands are the usual complaints. Serious reactions are uncommon. The exact species behind the name is not certain.

In the shop
Dust collection + dust mask when sanding; 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.

Cordia woods can irritate skin and airways in some people, as many tropical hardwoods do. Wear a dust mask and use dust collection when sanding.

Wood toxicity and dust safety guide: every species compared

Laurel in stock now

Live edge slabs in stock (52)

Showing 12 of 52 pieces. Want to see them in person? Book a slab & lumber visit.

See all 52 Laurel pieces

Similar woods: Tropical Slab Woods

See the Tropical Slab Woods group guide

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