Hymenaea courbaril plasters, but at present its only use is for incense and varnish. The wood is very hard, measuring 5.6 on the Brinell scale and on the Janka scale, approximate measurements of hardness. For comparison, Douglas fir measures , white oak , and Brazilian walnut on the Janka scale. It features a tan to salmon color with black accent stripes that over time turn to a deep and vibrant red. Attribution: Hymenaea courbaril Hymenaea courbaril (courbaril and West Indian locust) is a tree common in the Caribbean, Central America, and South America. It is a hardwood that is used for furniture,
Scratch hardness Scratch hardness Scratch hardness tests are used to determine the hardness of a material to scratches and abrasion. The earliest test was developed by mineralogist Friedrich Mohs in 1820 (see Mohs scale). It is based on relative scratch hardness, with talc assigned a value of 1 and diamond assigned a value of 10. Mohs' scale had two limitations; it was not linear, and most modern abrasives fall between 9 and 10. Raymond R. Ridgway, a research engineer at the Norton Company, modified the Mohs scale by giving garnet a hardness of 10 and diamond a hardness of 15. Charles E.