Color/Appearance: Heartwood color typically a light to medium reddish brown, sometimes with darker blackish streaks. Color darkens upon prolonged exposure to light. Pale yellow sapwood distinct from heartwood, though transition is gradual.
Grain/Texture: Quebracho has a fine, uniform texture with a high natural luster. Grain tends to be irregular, roey, and interlocked.
Endgrain: Diffuse-porous; medium to large pores in no specific arrangement, few to moderately numerous; primarily in radial multiples of 2-3; tyloses and other heartwood deposits present; narrow rays not visible without lens, normal spacing; parenchyma vasicentric and unilateral.
Rot Resistance: Quebracho is rated as very durable, and is also resistant to insect attacks. Quebracho also has excellent weathering characteristics.
Workability: Difficult to work on account of its density and irregular grain. High cutting resistance, as well as pronounced blunting effect on cutters. Dries slowly—and tends to crack, check, and warp while drying. Turns and finishes well, and also able to take on a high natural polish without any finishing agents.
Odor: There is no characteristic odor associated with this wood species, though it is reported to have a bitter taste.
Allergies/Toxicity: Although severe reactions are quite uncommon, Quebracho has been reported to cause respiratory irritation, as well as nausea. See the articles Wood Allergies and Toxicity and Wood Dust Safety for more information.
Pricing/Availability: Very seldom available in the United States, Quebracho is somewhat elusive as an imported hardwood. Expect prices to be in the medium to high range for an exotic wood.
Sustainability: Quebracho is not listed in the CITES Appendices, and the IUCN reports that Schinopsis quebracho-colorado and S. balansae are species of least concern.
Common Uses: Heavy construction, railroad cross-ties, and fence posts (within its natural range), as well as furniture, and turned objects (when exported).
Comments: The name Quebracho is from the Spanish quebrar hacha, which literally means “axe breaker.” Aptly named, wood in the Schinopsis genus is among the heaviest and hardest in the world.
Quebracho was heavily exploited in the late 1800s for use in leather tanning. The
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