Latin name: Various over 2000 species

Origin: Tropical Asia and South America

Characteristics: Technically, Palm is neither a softwood nor a hardwood. It falls into the category of monocots, similar to bamboo. Veneer has little to no defects because Palm has no growth rings, heartwood nor branches. Color ranges from dark reddish-brown (Red Palm) to ebony-esque (Black Palm) with tan-brown grain intermixed. It is a very dense species which gives it high durability and gives it a beautiful sheen when finished. Red Palm is produced in a normal fashion, while Black Palm is a reengineered species.

Black Palm: A reengineered veneer, produced by taking the outer 2”-3” that is milled on all four sides, glued into block form, resawn into veneer and sanded to achieve uniform thickness. With new technology it can be cut to thicknesses as low as 1-2mm. Being a reengineered veneer, it has no defects and creates a beautiful quill like pattern. By being cut thicker than regular veneer and being a dense species, it also has the added value of durability. It has a medium to fine texture.

Uses: High quality architectural woodwork, inlays and furniture.

Sustainability:

Like bamboo, black palm is technically in the monocots category, although many times it is referred to as a hard wood species. Black palm grows primarily out of South America and Southeast Asia.

Veneer is produced from the outer 2”-3” portion of the plant, as the core is pulpy and pithy. These portions are then trimmed on all four sides and ends then glued back together. The blocks created from this process are then sawn into veneer form. The ‘leaves’ are then put through a belt sander to achieve the desired thickness. In the past 2mm thick veneer was the thinnest producers could achieve, but with new advancements in milling producers can now achieve close to 1mm thick veneers.

Also like bamboo, black palm grows to maturity faster than other hard or soft wood trees. This makes them a great choice for the ecologically conscious user.

Black Palm also has other added value in uniformity and durability. Being a re-engineered veneer, it has little to no defects and is cut with square edges and sanded uniformly to increase yields. Black Palm is an extremely durable wood as the fibers are very dense and it is cut above standard veneer thickness. 

Benefits:

Grow to maturity much faster than regular tree species

 High durability

Consistent pattern and coloring

Edges are squared to maximize yield