Koa

Koa, the best known of Hawaiian woods, grows year round and can reach heights of 100 feet. The specific gravity is around .55, making it similar to American Black walnut in density. It has been used for centuries by Hawaiians to make wa’a (dugout canoes). It is a great wood for many purposes including musical instruments, bowls and all kinds of projects where a medium weight wood can be used. Our figured Koa has the beautiful chatoyance in the curls seen in the photo below. As best we can tell, it is not classified as endangered but availability for the market is just about gone for good figured pieces. Prices have risen about 800% in the last 15 years for top figured pieces. The biggest threat to Koa in Hawaii appears to be overgrazing of cattle.