Sheesham vs mango vs acacia — which solid wood should you specify?
Three genuine hardwoods, three different jobs. Sheesham is the dense, fine-grained benchmark for indoor case goods; acacia is the hardest and most water-resistant; mango is the sustainable, cost-advantaged workhorse. Here is how they compare on hardness, grain, durability, cost and compliance — so you put each wood where it earns its margin.
Pick by hardness, water-resistance and price point — not by name alone.
All three are solid tropical hardwoods we manufacture and export from Jodhpur, and none is universally "best". Sheesham (Dalbergia sissoo, Indian rosewood) is the dense, fine- and interlocked-grained benchmark for indoor dining, bedroom and living ranges that are meant to be sold as solid wood, not veneer. Acacia is the hardest and most water- and rot-resistant, built for tabletops, bar tops and covered outdoor pieces. Mango (Mangifera indica) is the lighter, open-grained, cost-advantaged hardwood with the strongest sustainability story — the smart choice for high-volume indoor ranges. Match the wood to the end use and the landed cost, and all three become easy to stand behind.
Sheesham vs mango vs acacia, compared.
An attribute-by-attribute view for buyers specifying timber, briefing a QC team or writing their own product copy. Hardness is given relative to mango's measured Janka of roughly 1,070 lbf.
| Attribute | Sheesham (Indian rosewood) | Mango | Acacia |
|---|---|---|---|
| Botanical name | Dalbergia sissoo | Mangifera indica | Tropical Acacia spp. |
| Hardness & density | Dense, harder than mango; holds joinery and fine carving | Medium-hard, ~1,070 lbf Janka — close to walnut and oak | Hardest of the three; most dent-resistant |
| Grain & colour | Fine, interlocked grain; golden-to-chocolate, deepens with age | Open, lustrous grain; golden with pink and darker streaks | Bold, flowing figure; warm honey-amber to deep chocolate |
| Water & rot resistance | Good — natural oils; denser than mango | Low — not naturally rot-resistant; indoor use | High — oils and density resist moisture and rot |
| Best use | Indoor dining, bedroom, living, carved and case goods | High-volume indoor ranges, décor, value lines | Tabletops, bar tops, benches, bathroom vanities, covered outdoor |
| Carving detail | Excellent — the first choice for hand-carving | Good — machines and carves cleanly | Good — bold grain can dominate fine detail |
| Relative cost | Premium of the three for the density and grain | Cost-advantaged — the value hardwood | Mid — premium look, hard-wearing |
| Sustainability | FSC & Vriksh documented; CITES-compliant handling | Orchard by-product, replant cycle — strongest story | Fast-growing, often plantation-sourced |
| Compliance note | CITES-listed Dalbergia — paperwork per shipment | Not CITES-listed | Not CITES-listed |
What each timber does best.
Sheesham — the benchmark
The dense Indian rosewood (Dalbergia sissoo) at the heart of Jodhpur's trade. Harder than mango, fine-grained, and unmatched for carving and case goods meant to be sold as solid wood.
Explore sheesham wood furniture
Mango — the value hardwood
A genuine hardwood near 1,070 lbf Janka from spent fruit orchards — solid wood and deforestation-free. The easiest timber to run at volume without punishing your landed cost.
Explore mango wood furniture
Acacia — the tough one
The hardest and most water-resistant of the three, with bold figured grain. Built for tabletops, bar tops, benches and covered outdoor and bathroom pieces that must survive daily use.
Explore acacia wood furnitureHow hard is hard enough?
Janka hardness measures a wood's resistance to denting and wear. Mango is the one of the three with a measured figure we publish — roughly 1,070 lbf, which places it alongside American black walnut and most oak, and comfortably above the pines and softwoods often used for case goods.
Both ahead of mango
Sheesham is denser and more water-resistant than mango, and acacia is the hardest of the three. For furniture that takes heavy commercial handling — hotel floors, busy dining rooms — either leads on dent resistance. All three are properly kiln-dried for dimensional stability before we build.
Mango is still a hardwood
At ~1,070 lbf, mango resists dents and years of retail handling and is not a soft or secondary timber. It machines, carves and takes stain and lacquer cleanly — which is exactly why it is such a cost-effective solid wood for high-volume ranges.
Water decides outdoors
For wet areas and covered outdoor use, density plus natural oils matter more than raw hardness. Acacia leads, sheesham follows, and mango is best kept indoors. For fully exposed outdoor furniture, teak remains the premium benchmark.
All three are solid wood you can prove is legal.
Sustainability is no longer a story — for timber products entering the EU, US and UK it is the gate. We supply all three woods with FSC chain-of-custody and Vriksh timber-legality documentation, and we are EUDR-ready with geolocated, deforestation-free due diligence. Mango carries the strongest narrative — an orchard by-product felled at the end of its fruiting life — while acacia's fast-growing, often plantation-sourced supply is highly renewable.
Sheesham is the one that needs extra care at the border: because it is Dalbergia sissoo, a listed Dalbergia species, its trade is governed under CITES. We handle it under CITES-compliant procedures so legally sourced, documented sheesham ships without surprises.
| Requirement | How we cover it |
|---|---|
| Timber legality | Vriksh verified · CITES-compliant sheesham |
| Sustainability | FSC chain-of-custody · mango orchard by-product · plantation acacia |
| EU market | EUDR-ready · geolocation · UK Timber Regulation |
| US market | Lacey Act support · CARB / TSCA finishes |
| Social audit | SEDEX / SMETA · ISO · SGS inspection |
| Export packing | ISPM-15 heat-treated · flat-pack options |
Match the wood to the brief.
Specify sheesham when…
You want a premium indoor range sold explicitly as solid Indian rosewood — carved beds and sideboards, dining tables, bar units and wood-and-iron industrial pieces where density, fine grain and carving detail carry the price. Its golden-to-chocolate tone deepens with age, which customers value.
Specify mango when…
You are building volume or value lines and want a genuine hardwood with a sustainability story your buyers believe. Mango photographs and sells, holds up to daily retail and hospitality use, and keeps your landed cost competitive — ideal for décor, case goods and entry ranges.
Specify acacia when…
The piece has to survive moisture and heavy wear — dining and bar tops, benches, bathroom vanities, and covered outdoor furniture. Its hardness, natural oils and bold figured grain give a premium look that earns its keep for years with only periodic re-oiling.
Can't decide? Mix the load.
You do not have to choose one. We consolidate furniture, metalware, marble and décor across all three woods into a single compliant container, and we will quote the same design in two timbers so you can compare grain, cost and feel before you commit.
Sheesham vs mango vs acacia — FAQs.
What is the difference between sheesham, mango and acacia wood?
All three are genuine tropical hardwoods used for solid-wood furniture, and they win on different things. Sheesham (Dalbergia sissoo / Indian rosewood) is dense, fine- and interlocked-grained with deep golden-to-chocolate colour and the best carving detail — the benchmark indoor furniture wood. Acacia is the hardest and most water- and rot-resistant, with bold figured multi-tone grain, so it suits tabletops, bar tops and covered outdoor use. Mango (Mangifera indica) is a lighter, open-grained, cost-advantaged hardwood with an orchard-by-product sustainability story, ideal for high-volume indoor ranges.
Which is harder, sheesham, mango or acacia?
Acacia and sheesham are both harder and denser than mango. Mango sits in the medium-to-hard band at roughly 1,070 lbf on the Janka scale — close to American black walnut and most oak — while sheesham is denser and more water-resistant than mango, and acacia is the hardest and most water-resistant of the three. For dent resistance and heavy commercial handling, acacia and sheesham lead; mango is still plenty hard for everyday retail and hospitality furniture.
Which wood is best for outdoor furniture?
Of the three, acacia is the best choice for covered outdoor and wet-area pieces — benches, garden tables, bathroom vanities — because its density and natural oils resist moisture and rot. No solid wood is fully waterproof, so we specify sealed or oiled finishes and recommend covered placement with periodic re-oiling. Sheesham also carries natural oils and water resistance; mango is best kept indoors, as it is not naturally rot-resistant. For fully exposed outdoor use, teak remains the premium option.
Which of the three woods is the most sustainable?
Mango has the strongest sustainability story: the mango tree is grown for fruit and felled at the end of its fruiting life on a normal orchard replant cycle, so furniture uses an agricultural by-product rather than forest felled for timber. Acacia is fast-growing and often plantation-sourced, which also makes it highly renewable. All three are supplied with FSC chain-of-custody and Vriksh timber-legality documentation and are EUDR-ready with deforestation-free, geolocated due diligence.
Is sheesham better than mango wood for furniture?
For indoor solid-wood furniture with strong grain character, hardness and carving detail, sheesham is the benchmark Jodhpur timber and is denser and more water-resistant than mango. Mango is not inferior — it is a genuine hardwood with a lustrous grain, a better sustainability narrative and a lower landed cost, which makes it the smarter choice for high-volume or value ranges. The right answer depends on your price point and end use, which is why we often quote the same design in both.
Do I need special compliance paperwork for sheesham?
Yes. Sheesham is Dalbergia sissoo, a listed Dalbergia species, so its trade is governed under CITES. We handle it under CITES-compliant procedures with documented legal sourcing, Vriksh timber-legality verification and FSC chain-of-custody, and we are EUDR-ready. Legally sourced, properly documented sheesham ships to the US, UK, EU and Australia. Mango and acacia are not CITES-listed, but all three ship with the same FSC, Vriksh and EUDR-ready documentation per shipment.
Let the wood sell itself — in your hands.
Tell us the piece and the market, and we will recommend sheesham, mango or acacia for the right balance of hardness, look, cost and compliance — then ship a sample so you can judge the grain and finish before committing a container. We quote FOB or CIF from Mundra or Nhava Sheva, with full timber-legality documentation per shipment.