Ebony - black

Botanic name: 1=Maba sp. div. 2=Diospyros sp. div.

Family: Ebenaceae

Grows: 1. Tropical-West-Africa, Southeast-Asia, Madagaskar. 2. Formosa (former Ceylon).

Volume weight: 1,10

Other names: 1. Ceylon ebony. 2. Congo ebony, Indian ebony, Madagaskar ebony

Usage: fingerboard. Cut into veneer ebony is used for several parts of guitars (like inlays, purfling and rosette), lutes (purfling, ribs, neck veneer and inlays) and baroque guitars (inlays, back & sides). Also used for woodwind instruments like flutes and oboes

Back to letter E.

Back to woods.

Send mail to with questions or comments about this web site.
Last modified: April 15, 2006, © John J. van Gool