Guácimo
Scientific name: Guazuma ulmifolia
Overview
Guácimo is a tropical hardwood native to Mexico, Central America, the Caribbean, and much of tropical South America. Guazuma ulmifolia belongs to the Malvaceae family and is a widespread tree of tropical forests, woodland margins, pastures, secondary vegetation, and disturbed landscapes.
The wood generally ranges from pale brown and yellowish brown to light reddish brown, sometimes developing warmer golden or pinkish tones. Sapwood is typically pale and may show only moderate contrast with the heartwood. Grain is generally straight to interlocked, while texture ranges from medium to moderately coarse.
Guácimo is not generally regarded as a premium international timber, but its wood has considerable regional utility. It can be used for furniture components, interior woodworking, boxes, crates, tool handles, light construction, turning, and general carpentry. The tree also has substantial value outside timber production, particularly within traditional agricultural and silvopastoral systems.
Quick Facts
- Common Name: Guácimo
- Alternate Common Names: West Indian Elm, Guácima, Guácimo de Ternero
- Scientific Name: Guazuma ulmifolia
- Region: Central American Woods
- Tree Size: Approximately 30–65 ft (9–20 m) tall, occasionally larger under favorable conditions
- Average Dried Weight: Approximately 35–45 lbs/ft³ (560–720 kg/m³), with natural variation
- Janka Hardness: Reliable standardized species-specific values are not consistently documented
- Grain: Straight to interlocked
- Texture: Medium to moderately coarse
Identification Characteristics
Guácimo generally produces pale yellowish-brown to medium-brown heartwood. Some material may display golden, pinkish-brown, or subtle reddish tones as it ages.
Sapwood is generally cream to pale yellowish brown and may not contrast as dramatically with the heartwood as it does in many dark tropical hardwoods.
Grain is commonly straight but can become interlocked or irregular. Texture generally ranges from medium to moderately coarse.
Key identification traits include:
- Pale yellowish to medium-brown heartwood
- Occasional golden or reddish tones
- Cream to pale yellow sapwood
- Moderate heartwood and sapwood contrast
- Straight to interlocked grain
- Medium to moderately coarse texture
- Relatively understated coloration
Working Properties
Guácimo generally offers manageable woodworking characteristics because it is not exceptionally dense or hard.
Straight-grained material can machine cleanly with sharp tools. Interlocked sections may produce localized tear-out during planing, while careful sanding can produce a smooth surface.
The wood generally accepts adhesives and finishes satisfactorily when properly prepared.
- Machines reasonably well
- Sharp tools improve surface quality
- Interlocked grain may cause tear-out
- Turns reasonably well
- Sands effectively
- Glues satisfactorily
- Accepts stains and clear finishes
Safety Note
Detailed species-specific information concerning reactions to Guácimo wood dust is limited. Hardwood dust generated during machining may cause skin, eye, or respiratory irritation.
Appropriate dust collection, eye protection, and respiratory protection are recommended during sawing, routing, turning, carving, and sanding.
Common Uses
Guácimo has been used regionally for a variety of practical applications, including:
- Furniture components
- Interior woodworking
- Boxes and crates
- Tool handles
- Light construction
- General carpentry
- Agricultural uses
- Wood turning
- Small utility objects
- Fuelwood
Sustainability & Notes
Guácimo is a widespread and adaptable tropical tree capable of occurring in secondary forests, disturbed areas, pastures, agricultural landscapes, and other environments in addition to natural forest.
The species has particular importance in traditional farming and silvopastoral systems. Trees may be retained within pastures and agricultural areas for shade, livestock forage, soil protection, and other useful functions.
This combination of timber and non-timber uses demonstrates how a tree can provide continuing economic and ecological value without necessarily being harvested.
Its adaptability can also make Guácimo useful in restoration and agroforestry projects where locally appropriate.
Comparative Notes & Related Species
Guacimo Colorado – An unrelated Central American hardwood sharing the Guácimo name, making it an excellent example of why scientific identification is essential.
Barba de Jolote – A regional Central American hardwood useful for comparing lesser-known utility timbers used for furniture, carpentry, and general woodworking.
Nanche – A widespread tropical American tree with both wood and non-timber value, providing a useful comparison in regional ecology and traditional use.
Related Guides
Wood Families & Trade Groups
Explore how scientific classification differs from regional naming and why unrelated woods may share similar common or trade names.
Hardwood vs. Softwood: Key Differences Explained
Learn why relatively lightweight woods such as Guácimo are still botanically classified as hardwoods.
How to Identify Wood by End Grain Patterns
Explore how pores, rays, vessels, growth boundaries, and other anatomical characteristics can assist with hardwood identification.
Plantation vs. Wild-Harvested Hardwoods
Learn how forest origin, agricultural systems, managed planting, natural forests, and harvesting practices influence wood sourcing and sustainability.
How to Start a Wood Collection
Learn how to build a geographically and botanically diverse collection while preserving scientific names, provenance, and specimen information.
Compare Wood Properties
See how this species ranks in density and hardness using our Wood Density & Janka Hardness Chart. You can also explore Hardest Woods, Softest Woods, and Most Dense Woods for quick comparisons.
Collector Notes
Guácimo is particularly useful for collectors because its common name can create identification confusion. Regional names such as Guácimo may refer to more than one botanically unrelated tree.
A positively identified Guazuma ulmifolia specimen therefore provides greater educational value than material carrying only the common name.
Collector specimens should retain the scientific name, geographic origin, acquisition date, supplier or donor, and any supporting identification information.
Share Your Photos of This Species
Do you have lumber, wood samples, tree photographs, woodworking projects, furniture, carvings, turnings, musical instruments, or other items made from this species?
Exotic Woods of the World welcomes photographs from woodworkers, collectors, sawyers, researchers, and wood enthusiasts around the world. Selected submissions may be featured on this page and throughout our website to help document and showcase real-world examples of this species.
When submitting photos, please include the common name, scientific name (if known), a brief description, and any information you would like us to share with the image.
Wood Sample Collection
This species is part of an ongoing effort to document and preserve wood samples from around the world.
Learn more about contributing to the collection:
Resources
Authoritative botanical and forestry references used in compiling information about this species include:
• USDA Forest Service – Wood Handbook: Wood as an Engineering Material
https://www.fpl.fs.usda.gov/products/publications/
• The Wood Database – Global reference for wood identification, physical properties, and woodworking characteristics
https://www.wood-database.com/
• Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew – Plants of the World Online – Botanical taxonomy and species distribution database
https://powo.science.kew.org/
• International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN Red List) – Global conservation status assessments
https://www.iucnredlist.org/
• Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES) – International trade regulations for protected plant species
https://cites.org/
Additional forestry publications, academic research papers, and regional timber studies may also be referenced where available.
Love This Species?
Enjoy learning about this wood species?
Help support the continued growth of Exotic Woods of the World by participating in our Adopt a Species program. Your support helps fund species research, educational content, photography, videos, and future conservation awareness initiatives.
Support Forest Conservation
This species is part of the growing Exotic Woods of the World reference archive, dedicated to documenting and preserving knowledge of the world’s wood species.
Through the Adopt a Species program, visitors can help support ongoing species research, educational content, photography, video production, and future conservation awareness initiatives.
Contributions help fund the continued expansion of this archive while promoting sustainable forestry education and the long-term appreciation of the world’s forests.
Interested in supporting this species? Visit our Adopt a Species and Conservation Partners pages to learn more.
Availability & Where to Buy
Exotic hardwood availability can vary significantly depending on region, sustainability regulations, and supplier inventory.
As this archive grows, recommended suppliers and specialty wood retailers will be listed here to help woodworkers locate responsibly sourced material.
Lumber Suppliers:
Availability varies — see the Where to Buy Exotic Woods page for current sources.
Related Tools & Products:
Availability varies — see the Where to Buy Exotic Woods page for current sources.
Share This Wood Species
Stay Connected
Follow the latest species additions, educational resources, videos, conservation initiatives, and major project milestones through our Site Updates archive.
The Site Updates archive provides a permanent record of new content, library growth, and future developments across Exotic Woods of the World.