What Is Hawaiian Koa Wood

Koa is widely considered to be the most beautiful and useful of hawaii s native hardwoods and along with monkey pod and mango it is the most common hawaiian species to be imported into the lower 48 united states.

What is hawaiian koa wood.

Koa wood is legendary in hawaii. Currently the wood we use at hawaiian accessories is from honakaa which has a dark red look. Acacia koa is a species of flowering tree in the family fabaceae it is endemic to the hawaiian islands where it is the second most common tree. This isn t just any tree but rather a special highly unique rare an.

Having purchased a hawaiian property known to have koa trees on it i eventually learned that koa is a species of tree that produces wood with a high monetary value and unique color and grain pattern. If koa is quarter sawn 20 to 50 bf. Chris allen of koa wood hawaii in kurtistown hawaii cost of koa wood. Typically severe storms damage trees in the big island.

Lightweight and buoyant koa was the perfect wood for kamehameha s warriors to make canoes as well as hand to hand combat weapons like the lei o mano made from a combination of. The spirit of the volcano lives in this tree and radiates from the lumber. Koa has honored heritage in hawaii and is highly revered and sacred. The best koa acacia koa can be found specifically on higher elevations of the big island and take 50 to 70 years to mature.

Not only is this amazing wood native to hawaii but it is known for the deep rich colors and varied grain pattern. Prior to moving to hawaii 5 years ago i had no idea what hawaiian koa was. By state law you can not cut down live koa trees and there are just not enough of them on oahu for harvest. Different parts of the island yields a distinctive hue to the color of the wood.

In hawaiian the word koa literally translates to warrior and the name comes from the wood s association with the warriors of kamehameha the great. The price of koa may vary as much as any species of hardwood in the world. Out of all of the hawaiian islands koa grows predominantly on the big island says chris allen of koa wood hawaii in kurtistown hawaii. Thus the supply of koa wood depends significantly on storm frequency.

Visually koa has been compared to mahogany while in terms of working and mechanical properties it has been compared to walnut. Sawyers cannot cut trees at will. I know of no other wood possessing the chatoyancy or range of colors of koa. The word koa means warrior in hawaiian.

The warriors of king kamehameha the great cr. Rather only dead or dying trees may be processed. Koa wood is known for the. Plain koa or koa that has no changes in color or figure can be purchased from 15 to 20 bf.

Koa may be the most spectacular hardwood in the world.