Mahogany and cherry wood are two very popular hardwoods. Both types of wood have a luxurious feel; they are used in all sorts of things, from fine furniture to the interior of expensive yachts.
Hardwood trees are slower to grow than other trees due to their dense structure. Because of this, hardwoods like mahogany and cherry wood are naturally very durable. Since both kinds of wood are similar in carbon content, their weight, density, and workability are comparable.
So what are the most important differences between mahogany vs cherry wood? Mahogany is noticeably more expensive, with a darker color, and can last as long as 40 years! In comparison, cherry wood has a lighter color that can stain well, but it’s also less durable than mahogany.
If you need some wood for a high-end project and you can’t decide between the two, read on to find out the most important differences between mahogany and cherry wood.
What Is Cherry Wood?
Cherry wood is a hardwood from the cherry tree. In the United States, you’ll find this type of wood in the forests of California and Washington.
It has a reddish-brown hue and a golden luster. When the wood is first cut, it can have a natural pale color and will eventually become richer and darker after some exposure to sunlight. Due to its unique appearance and durability, it is commonly used to make indoor furniture.
When you buy cherry wood in the store, you’ll see that it has a distinct grain pattern and a famous reddish-brown color that is quite distinct to this type of wood.
As a hardwood, cherry wood is quite durable and has a fine texture. It is commonly used in kitchen cabinets due to its strong and resilient properties. Aside from cabinets, it is also used to make various furniture pieces and interior accessories.
Compared to other hardwoods, such as mahogany, cherry wood is slightly softer. However, because this type of wood is less dense, it can absorb a variety of stains and glazes with ease.
Advantages Vs. Disadvantages of Using Cherry Wood
Having learned about cherry wood, you may be curious about its various advantages and disadvantages.
Here’s a short summary of cherry wood’s advantages:
- It has fine, uniform grains and a smooth texture, making it easy to work with.
- It is very durable and rot-resistant.
- It is easy to bend, cut, and mold.
Cherry wood is a favorite among woodworkers, furniture makers, and carpenters. It has many advantages over other types of wood for woodworking projects.
The fine, uniform, straight grain of this hardwood makes it easy to work with. The color and smooth texture of cherry wood make it very attractive. Because it is not as dense as other types of hardwood, it can also absorb stains and finishes very well.
Because cherry wood is so strong, it can be used to make supporting structures in furniture such as legs and frames.
Cherry wood is decay and rot-resistant and, therefore, very durable. It also has natural oils that make it resistant to insects. Cherry wood is easy to be curved, cut, and mold, making it great for carving projects.
Because cherry wood naturally darkens over time due to exposure to sunlight, a good stain will look even better over the years as the natural patina develops.
Of course, when it comes to disadvantages, there are also quite a few things you will need to consider, including:
- The wood’s high price
- It is not as strong as other types of hardwood
- It is not water-resistant
Cherry wood is one of the more expensive woods on the market, costing almost twice as much as oak or maple. With this price, you can expect it to be highly durable.
However, cherry wood is not very resilient as compared to other hardwood. Therefore, it is prone to dents and scratches, especially in areas where there are large amounts of traffic.
In addition, cherry wood is not a water-resistant wood, and it can absorb small amounts of water when wet, which can cause the wood to split or crack if not dried properly.
As mentioned above, cherry wood can change color when exposed to sunlight. Cherry wood will turn a shade darker and become more lustrous with age. You should take this into account if you plan on using cherry wood in an area where it will be exposed to direct sunlight.
What Is Mahogany Wood?
Mahogany is also a type of hardwood, coming from trees native to South America and Central America. This type of wood is known to have a signature reddish-brown color with a natural luster that can look even better with time.
Due to the tree’s huge size, the harvesters can easily process the entire tree into large continuous boards, which allow woodworkers to make a large piece of furniture with just a single piece of wood.
Mahogany is very popular in woodworking because it has a straight and even grain, making it incredibly easy to cut and sand. It is also known for its unique pink color, which gradually changes to a deeper reddish-brown tone over time.
Aside from being used for making furniture, the wood of the mahogany tree is also commonly used to make various types of musical instruments, such as electric and acoustic guitars, as well as drums. The wood can produce a warm tone to the quality of these instruments.
Due to the high demand for this type of wood, over-logging has become a common issue. This has resulted in the listing of several species of mahogany trees as endangered. The low supply and high demand are also contributing factors to the high price of mahogany.
Advantages Vs. Disadvantages Of Using Mahogany Wood
Mahogany is a great option for wood furniture because of its versatility, but there are plenty of other advantages that you can enjoy:
- Mahogany is very durable
- It is easy to work with, thanks to the straight grain
Mahogany is an extremely durable wood with high resistance to rot, decay, and insect infestation. It is a hardwood that does not shrink and warp easily. If the wood is properly treated, it can last up to 40 years outside.
Thanks to these attractive advantages, it is often used for making boats and other water vessels because it is durable even in a humid marine environment. The high oil content of mahogany also makes it resistant to insects and rotting.
Mahogany is famous for its attractive grain and dark color, and heavy but well-balanced feel. It has good workability as it holds paint and polishes well. It is easy to work with hand or machine tools and takes screws, nails, glue, and finishes well.
This is an important wood in the furniture industry, where it is used for making fine furniture, musical instruments, and decorative features in buildings.
There are some disadvantages of using mahogany in your work, of course, including:
- Mahogany is expensive.
- Some species of mahogany are endangered.
- It can be heavy, making it hard to handle.
Mahogany wood is expensive compared to other types of wood. This is because mahogany trees are becoming scarce due to deforestation. In addition, mahogany trees take more than 50 years to grow fully before they can be harvested, which drives up the price even further.
In recent years, mahogany has become a very rare type of wood. The increasing demand for mahogany has created a shortage in the lumberyards and has led to illegal logging in countries such as Brazil and Mexico.
If you decide to use mahogany for your next project, make sure you purchase it from a reputable source.
Mahogany is a heavy type of wood, making it hard to handle on your own during the building process. However, this heaviness can help increase the stability and durability of the finished product.
Cherry Wood Vs. Mahogany Wood
Having learned about the characteristics of cherry wood and mahogany wood, you may wonder how these types of wood compare and whether they would be suitable for your project.
Here is a quick comparison between these types of wood:
| Cherry Wood | Mahogany wood | |
| Wood Type | Hardwood | Hardwood |
| Color | Light pink to rich reddish-brown that darkens with age | Reddish-brown that darkens with age |
| Grain | Fine, uniform grains | Straight, even grain |
| Strength | Not as strong as other types of hardwood | Very strong |
| Bending Properties | Easy to carve and mold | Easy to carve and mold |
| Workability | Easy to work with, holds glue, nails, and finishes well | Can be heavy and hard to handle |
| Density | Dense | Very dense |
| Uses | Furniture, cabinet, musical instruments, carvings | Furniture, cabinet, flooring, musical instruments, boatbuilding. |
| Price | Expensive, but not as expensive as mahogany | Very expensive due to high demand |
Let’s take a look at some key differences below.
Durability
While both types of wood are said to be highly durable and resistant to rot and decay, mahogany can easily outperform cherry wood in this aspect.
Since mahogany is a denser, harder material, it is highly durable and can last up to 40 years with proper maintenance.
Though they both have similar characteristics, mahogany has been found to withstand higher humidity levels than cherry wood and will not crack or warp when exposed to high moisture levels like in humid climates.
That said, a wood’s durability is highly dependent on your maintenance and use. While both types of wood are naturally resistant to a host of natural elements, some protection is still needed, especially if you want to use them outdoor.
Water, moisture, sunlight, and termites are only some of the damaging factors that can eat through a piece of wood, no matter how resilient it is. So it’s always recommended to use a waterproof and UV-protective sealant to protect and enhance the natural beauty of the wood.
Uses
You can use each of these woods in many types of projects, including indoor furniture such as tables and chairs or outdoor furniture like patio sets. Both species are suitable for flooring and cabinetry as well as wood trims.
Because of each type of wood’s distinct characteristics, you can also use them in some different applications.
Cherry wood has a lovely brown color with a light grain. It has good dimensional stability and can be cut with little or no sanding, making it ideal for decorative objects, such as toys and musical instruments.
Mahogany has a dark red or reddish-brown color with a dense grain structure. Mahogany is very stable in its dimensions and can be easily sanded before or after finishing. It makes excellent flooring, docks, and paneling for homes in general.
Stainability
If you want the rich look of mahogany but you’re concerned about its sustainability, consider cherry.
While it’s not a true mahogany substitute, cherry is a great alternative because it has a similar grain, and its light color absorbs stain well. It’s possible to create an even darker, richer finish with cherry than with genuine mahogany.
Cherry is also easier to work with than mahogany. It tends to have fewer knots and voids, which means fewer problems when cutting and shaping. Cherry is very stable and doesn’t warp or twist easily.
Mahogany is best known for its reddish-brown color and the way it darkens with age. It also has a tight grain pattern that resists splitting or chipping.
Mahogany doesn’t absorb stain well, but because of its natural color, staining may not be necessary. Mahogany is very strong, making it easy to machine or handcraft into furniture and other wood products.
Keep in mind that both types of wood can also darken over time, so staining may not be required for either cherry wood or mahogany wood. Instead, you can opt for a beautiful wood finish that can highlight the natural luster of the wood.
Workability
The last thing you want to do is struggle with wood that doesn’t cooperate – especially when you’re working with expensive pieces.
Both cherry wood and mahogany have a straight grain that makes them easy to work with, but mahogany is heavier and harder than cherry.
This can make mahogany a bit more durable, but it also means it’ll require more elbow grease and sharper tools than light-to-medium-weight cherry.
Cherry is softer than mahogany, so it’s easier to cut, drill and shape. In fact, some refer to cherry as a “soft hardwood.”
While this makes it ideal for many types of projects if you’re planning something where weight and durability are important factors — like a boat — you’ll probably want to go with mahogany instead.
Sustainability
Sustainability has become a major issue in the furniture industry, as the world’s natural resources are depleted. The result is an increasing amount of timber that is not sustainably produced and therefore not legal to sell and buy. Mahogany is one such wood.
Cherry wood is considered a more sustainable option than mahogany because it does not carry the same risk of being illegally harvested.
The cherry wood used in furniture comes from several different species, including Black Cherry (Prunus serotina) and Sour Cherry (Prunus cerasus). Both are native to North America and have fairly wide ranges.
Their natural habitats include forests and open land, so the trees are easily accessible for harvesting, which means that they do not need to be taken from endangered areas.
In comparison, some species of mahogany are considered endangered due to the high demand for this type of hardwood, which leads to the over-harvesting of this type of wood.
If you want to opt for a sustainable option, then definitely consider cherry wood over mahogany.
