Mango wood is the hardwood timber cultivated from the mango fruit tree (Mangifera indica). Native to the Indian subcontinent but also grown the world over in any place where the climate is frost free, notably in India, much of East Asia, Brazil and Mexico, the mango tree is grown primarily as a fruit bearing tree.

Growing up to a massive 100 feet in height and a diameter of up to 5 feet, a fully grown, mature mango tree is a real giant. As with many tropical hardwood trees, its leaves are evergreen and have a striking colouring turning from a pale orange when young to red and then green as the leaf ages. Its fruit has been popular all over the world for many years but is most widely used in Asian and Indian cooking.

Although long lived, mango trees stop producing fruit as the age so are felled regularly to allow space for new plantations. At the end of its fruit-bearing life, rather than being wasted, the tree is then used to produce timber for use in furniture, kitchen equipment and decorative carvings. Already a very popular timber wood in much of Asia, the beautiful mango wood is becoming more and more popular the world over.

A hard timber with a beautiful dense grain, the wood of the mango tree is surprisingly light compared to most other hardwoods. The stunning grain of the mango wood is usually a mid-brown colour, often with a streaked appearance featuring other colours including greens, light tans and greys. Usually finished with a natural product, the grain looks best with beeswax applied and has a rustic, patterned look that gets better and better as it ages.

The wood, though strong, is easy to cut and shape and as such, it lends itself beautifully to carving or turning as this allows the full range of colours to show through on the surface of the piece. The fantastic grain of the wood also looks beautiful crafted into large flat panels such as those used in more modern cube style furniture, especially larger pieces such as dining tables, bookcases or sideboards.

Possibly one of the most sustainable furniture timbers on the planet, mango wood is essentially a waste product of the intensive mango farming industry and as such is far more ecologically sound than other hardwoods and furniture produced from man-made boards. It simply makes sense for the mango farmers to capitalise on the great timber and sell it on to timber mills to make a welcome extra profit.

Most mango wood products found in western countries are fair trade items. This means the highly skilled craftsmen that produce the furniture, as well as the farmers that grow the wood, are paid a fair price for their produce. As the cost of living in India is substantially lower than that of the UK and US, added to the recycled nature of the timber, means that furniture and decorative items produced from this versatile wood are not only affordable but also provide a good living for the traditional craftsmen and farmers whose hard work produces them.

This article is authored by James Rockford, who is a regular author for prestigious sites such as Mango Furniture. James has a passion for furniture and home decor and also writes regularly for amazing sites such asOak Sideboard amongst others.