Brazilian Cherry vs Brazilian Walnut vs Brazilian Teak: A Side-by-Side Buyer's Guide

If you're shopping exotic hardwood flooring, three names come up over and over again: Brazilian Cherry, Brazilian Walnut, and Brazilian Teak. They get used almost interchangeably in showrooms and on big-box websites, and that's a problem because under the marketing names, these are three completely different trees, with different hardness, different color behavior, and very different price tags.

Pick the wrong one for your room and you'll either overpay for performance you don't need or end up with a floor that looks nothing like what you imagined six months in. This guide breaks down what each one actually is, how they compare side by side, and which one is the right fit for the project you're working on. We sell all three, so we've laid them next to each other on the warehouse floor more times than we can count — here's what we'd tell our own family.

Table of Contents

1. Quick Comparison at a Glance
2. First, Let's Clear Up the Name Confusion
3. Brazilian Cherry (Jatoba)
4. Brazilian Walnut (Ipê)
5. Brazilian Teak (Cumaru)
6. How Each One Ages: Color Shift Explained
7. Which One Is Right for You?
8. What Should You Expect to Pay?
9. Installation Notes for All Three
10. Frequently Asked Questions

Quick Comparison at a Glance

Feature	Brazilian Cherry (Jatoba)	Brazilian Walnut (Ipê)	Brazilian Teak (Cumaru)
Botanical name	Hymenaea courbaril	Handroanthus spp.	Dipteryx odorata
Janka hardness (lbf)	~2,820	~3,684	~3,540
Color (fresh)	Salmon-orange to light reddish-brown	Olive-brown to dark chocolate brown, often with darker streaks	Tan to medium brown, sometimes with reddish or yellow streaks
Color shift over time	Dramatic — darkens to deep cherry-red within weeks	Moderate — deepens slightly; very stable indoors	Mild — colors flatten and unify slightly
Grain pattern	Interlocked, medium texture, occasional dark streaking	Tight, fine to medium, often with subtle stripes	Interlocked, coarse to medium, irregular
Best for	Warm traditional interiors, high-traffic homes	Maximum durability, modern dark floors, indoor/outdoor crossover	Mid-tone modern interiors, premium performance at a friendlier price
Relative price	$ — most affordable of the three	$$$ — premium	$$ — middle

For context: red oak — the most common domestic flooring species in the U.S. — sits at a Janka rating of 1,290. All three of these Brazilian species are roughly two to three times harder than red oak.

First, Let's Clear Up the Name Confusion

Here's what trips up most shoppers: none of these woods are actually what their American trade names suggest.

• Brazilian Cherry is not a cherry. It's Hymenaea courbaril, properly called jatoba (pronounced "zha-toh-BAH"). It got the "cherry" nickname because the heartwood develops a deep cherry-red color after exposure to light.
• Brazilian Walnut is not a walnut. It's ipê (pronounced "ee-PAY"), from the Handroanthus genus. It earned the "walnut" name because of its dark brown coloring, which somewhat resembles American black walnut. It's also sometimes called lapacho or ironwood.
• Brazilian Teak is not teak. It's cumaru (pronounced "koo-mah-ROO"), from the Dipteryx odorata tree. The teak comparison is purely cosmetic — the color and grain bring teak to mind, but botanically they're unrelated. The same tree produces tonka beans, which is why fresh-cut cumaru sometimes smells faintly of vanilla and cinnamon.

The trade names stuck because they're easier to sell than the botanical names. Just know that when you're comparing these three, you're comparing three completely different species — not three varieties of the same tree.

Brazilian Cherry (Jatoba)

Janka hardness: ~2,820 lbf
Origin: Central and South America (much of it from Brazil, Bolivia, and Peru)
Color: Salmon-pink to light reddish-brown when fresh; deep cherry-red to russet brown after a few weeks of light exposure

Brazilian Cherry has been the most popular exotic hardwood flooring in the U.S. for decades, and the reason is straightforward: it delivers a warm, rich, instantly recognizable look at a price that's noticeably lower than ipê or cumaru. It has a naturally lustrous surface, an interlocked grain that often shows subtle dark streaking, and a color depth that gives a room a feeling of permanence and warmth.

The defining feature of Brazilian Cherry is its dramatic color shift. Boards installed pale and pinkish will deepen to a saturated cherry-red within weeks, and continue to mature into a deeper russet over the first year. This is true of the species at the cellular level — it's photoreactive, not a finish that fades. If you love the look of darkened, mature Brazilian Cherry floors, factor in the patience: the floor you install on day one is not the floor you'll live with by month three. (For a deeper dive on this phenomenon and how it varies by species, see our guide to how hardwood floors darken over time.)

For the technically inclined, the Wood Database has an excellent reference page on Jatoba covering density, working properties, and identifying features here.

What we'd recommend it for: Traditional and transitional homes, family rooms and dining rooms where warmth matters, anywhere a customer says "I want a dark, rich, classic-looking wood floor without the ipê price tag."

Brazilian Walnut (Ipê)

Janka hardness: ~3,684 lbf
Origin: Tropical Central and South America (Brazil accounts for the vast majority of commercial supply)
Color: Olive-brown to dark chocolate, sometimes with yellow or blackish streaks

Ipê is, by most measures, the hardest commercially available flooring wood you can buy. Its density is so high that pieces will sink in water — and that density is exactly why it ends up in projects like the original Coney Island boardwalk, the Atlantic City boardwalk, and luxury commercial installations where the floor needs to last decades without coddling. As an indoor flooring species, it offers a depth of dark color that's hard to replicate, paired with absolute durability.

The Wood Database describes ipê as a wood of extremes — extremely dense and durable, but extremely difficult to work. That's a fair summary: the same hardness that makes it indestructible underfoot also makes it tough on saw blades, demanding to nail, and slow to install. For a homeowner, this matters mostly because labor costs run higher and your installer will want to budget more time. It's not a DIY-friendly species.

A note on sustainability: because of strong global demand and historical over-harvesting, ipê has been the subject of conservation discussions. Buyers who care about provenance should ask for FSC-certified or chain-of-custody-verified material — reputable suppliers (us included) can provide this.

What we'd recommend it for: High-traffic homes, customers who want the darkest natural wood color available without staining, commercial-grade interior installations, projects where "buy it once, never replace it" is the operating principle.

Brazilian Teak (Cumaru)

Janka hardness: ~3,540 lbf
Origin: Tropical South America, predominantly Brazil and Peru
Color: Tan to medium-brown heartwood, often with reddish, golden, or olive streaks

Cumaru is the species most people end up buying when they thought they wanted ipê. It sits within a few percentage points of ipê on the Janka scale (3,540 vs 3,684), shares a lot of the same dent-and-wear resistance, and runs noticeably less expensive — typically 20% to 35% less per square foot, depending on grade and width. The look is different, though: where ipê is a deep, even chocolate, cumaru is more visually active, with mid-brown tones and irregular streaking that gives a floor more character at any given board width.

The grain is interlocked and the texture is medium to coarse. Color tends to be more variable from board to board than ipê, which most people see as a feature rather than a flaw — it gives a more handcrafted feel. Over time, cumaru's color "flattens out" slightly: the lighter and darker areas converge toward a more uniform medium brown.

One quirk worth knowing: fresh-cut cumaru smells faintly of vanilla and cinnamon. The tonka beans it produces contain coumarin, the same compound that gives Mexican vanilla its scent. The smell fades after installation, but it's a fun detail when you're handling raw lumber.

What we'd recommend it for: Buyers who want ipê-level performance at a friendlier price, mid-tone modern interiors, anyone who likes more grain character and color variation across the floor, projects that need exterior-grade durability indoors (it works well in mudrooms, sunrooms, and three-season porches).

How Each One Ages: Color Shift Explained

This is one of the most overlooked factors in choosing exotic hardwood, and the difference between the three is significant.

Brazilian Cherry — dramatic. This is the species best known for color change. Fresh-milled jatoba is pale pink-orange. Within hours of unpacking, it begins darkening; within a week, it's noticeably reddish; within a month, it's a deep russet-cherry; within a year, it has reached its mature deep red-brown. Sunlight accelerates the process dramatically. If you put an area rug down on freshly installed Brazilian Cherry and leave it for a few months, you'll have a visible "ghost" outline when you remove it — the rest of the floor will have darkened, the covered portion won't have. This evens out over time but can be alarming to homeowners who weren't warned.

Brazilian Walnut — moderate. Ipê deepens slightly with light exposure, but the color shift is gentle. A floor installed dark stays dark; it just gets a touch richer. Outdoor ipê will weather to a silvery gray over years if left unfinished, but interior ipê under normal lighting is one of the most color-stable woods you can buy.

Brazilian Teak — mild. Cumaru's color shift is the subtlest of the three. The variegated lighter and darker streaks tend to converge slightly, producing a more uniform medium brown over time. Boards that started visibly different end up looking more harmonious. UV will bring out a richer brown over months, but you won't see anything close to the jatoba transformation.

The takeaway: if you want a stable, predictable color, choose ipê. If you want a floor that's visually richer over time, both jatoba and cumaru deliver — jatoba most dramatically.

Which One Is Right for You?

Skip the comparison paralysis. Use this:

Choose Brazilian Cherry (Jatoba) if you:

• Want a warm, classic, red-toned hardwood floor
• Are decorating a traditional, transitional, or older home
• Want exotic-grade hardness without exotic-grade pricing
• Are comfortable with — or excited by — a floor that darkens after install

Choose Brazilian Walnut (Ipê) if you:

• Want the absolute hardest, most durable hardwood you can install
• Prefer dark chocolate to near-black floors with minimal red undertones
• Are budgeting for a forever floor in a high-traffic home
• Have a contractor experienced with dense exotics
• Care about color consistency board-to-board

Choose Brazilian Teak (Cumaru) if you:

• Want ipê-level performance without the ipê price
• Like a mid-tone, golden-brown floor with character and natural variation
• Are doing a modern or transitional space
• Need an interior wood that can handle near-exterior abuse (sunrooms, mudrooms, screened porches)

If you're still torn, the best move is to order samples. A 6" piece of each in your space, in your light, sitting on your subfloor, will resolve the question in about ten minutes.

What Should You Expect to Pay?

Pricing varies by board width, grade, finish, and current import market — and right now Brazilian hardwoods are subject to more supply pressure than they were a decade ago, which has pushed prices up across the category. Speaking in relative terms:

• Brazilian Cherry is typically the most affordable of the three. It's been imported in volume for decades, so supply is the most stable.
• Brazilian Teak (Cumaru) generally runs 15% to 30% more than Brazilian Cherry per square foot.
• Brazilian Walnut (Ipê) sits at the top, often 20% to 40% above Brazilian Teak depending on grade and width.

For current pricing on all three species, browse our live inventory and filter by Brazilian species in our full hardwood collection. We sell direct, which means we can typically beat big-box retail pricing on all three species — often by enough to cover the cost of professional installation. If you're sourcing for a contractor project, our Pro Desk handles volume pricing and direct shipping.

Installation Notes for All Three

A few things to know before any of these woods arrives at the jobsite:

• Acclimation is non-negotiable. Allow boards to acclimate to room temperature and humidity for 5–14 days before installation, depending on conditions. These are dense tropical species that arrived from a humid climate; rushing this step is the most common cause of failed exotic floors.
• Pre-drilling is required for nailed installs of ipê and cumaru. Both species are hard enough to bend or shear conventional nails. Most pros use a pneumatic flooring nailer rated for hardwoods, but pre-drilling is still recommended at end joints and edge fastening points.
• Carbide blades. Sharp. Don't try to rip-cut these woods with a standard miter saw blade — you'll burn the wood and dull your blades by lunch.
• Glue-down works well for engineered formats. Solid Brazilian hardwoods should be nailed or stapled over plywood subfloor; engineered Brazilian hardwoods can be floated, glued, or nailed.
• For Brazilian Cherry specifically: cover the floor immediately after install and don't let any rugs, furniture pads, or boxes sit in one place for more than a day or two until the color has had a chance to mature evenly across the surface. Otherwise you'll get visible "shadow" lines that take months to even out.

For more on prep and care across exotic species, see our exotic hardwood installation and maintenance tips.

Frequently Asked Questions

Which Brazilian hardwood is the hardest?
Brazilian Walnut (ipê) is the hardest of the three, with a Janka rating of approximately 3,684 lbf — making it about 2.85 times harder than red oak. Brazilian Teak (cumaru) is a close second at ~3,540 lbf, and Brazilian Cherry (jatoba) is third at ~2,820 lbf. All three are dramatically harder than any common domestic species.

Does Brazilian Cherry darken over time?
Yes, dramatically. Brazilian Cherry is one of the most photoreactive flooring species available. Boards installed pale pink-orange will deepen to a rich cherry-red within weeks and continue to mature into a deep russet over the first year. The change is permanent and uniform once the floor reaches maturity. Avoid placing rugs or furniture pads on a freshly installed floor for the first 6–8 weeks to prevent uneven darkening.

Is Brazilian Walnut the same as Ipê?
Yes — Brazilian Walnut and Ipê are two names for the same species (or more precisely, the same genus, Handroanthus). The "walnut" name is a U.S. trade convention based on the dark color; it's not botanically a walnut. Some suppliers also call it lapacho or ironwood.

Is Brazilian Teak actually teak?
No. Brazilian Teak is the trade name for cumaru (Dipteryx odorata). True teak is Tectona grandis and is botanically unrelated. The "teak" comparison is purely visual.

Which is the best value?
For most homeowners, Brazilian Teak (cumaru) is the sweet spot. You get within a few percentage points of ipê's hardness for noticeably less money, and the color and grain character work in a wider range of design contexts. Brazilian Cherry is the value play if you specifically want the warm reddish look. Ipê is the right choice when you genuinely need the hardest possible floor or want the deepest natural dark color.

Can these be sanded and refinished?
Yes — solid Brazilian hardwoods are 3/4" thick and can be sanded and refinished multiple times over their lifetime. Engineered versions can typically be refinished once or twice depending on wear-layer thickness. See our guide to refinishing prefinished hardwood.

Are Brazilian hardwoods sustainable?
They can be, when sourced from suppliers with verified chain-of-custody documentation. Look for FSC certification or ask your supplier directly about origin. All three of these species are commercially harvested at scale, but ipê in particular has been subject to over-harvesting in the past, so provenance matters most for that species.

Are these woods related to the Brazilian Oak you also sell?
No, Brazilian Oak is a different category. It's lighter in color, lighter in weigh

 

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