Jatoba is found in Brazil and throughout Central America, in southern Mexico and the West Indies to Bolivia and Peru is most commonly known as Brazilian Cherry (it is not cherrywood or a species of Prunus but from the Leguminosae family). Most of the wood used in the United States is for flooring but its desirable properties lend it to other uses as well. Jatoba, which is also know by the trade name courbaril, is an extremely dense wood that weighs about 56 pounds per cubic foot when seasoned, making it denser than teak. It is also shock resistant. This combination of traits makes it ideal for demanding applications such as stair treads, athletic equipment, tool handles, and gear cogs. Jatoba also has good steam-bending properties, making it a suitable replacement for white oak in steam bent parts.

It is a strikingly beautiful wood with burgundy and deep reds occasionally having dark stripes. It has a texture similar to bloodwood, not as porous as mahogany but harder and denser than mahogany.

Jatoba has a heartwood that varies in color from salmon red to an orange brown when it is freshly cut. It then darkens to a red brown color when seasoned. Its sapwood can be wide and is much lighter in color - either white or pink and sometimes gray. These trees have a rosin-like gum, which is sold by the trade name copal. This gum is used to manufacture specialty items like varnishes and cement.

Because of jatoba's density and toughness, experts recommend a reduced cutting angle of 20 degrees. The wood's interlocked grain also causes some difficulty in planing. It turns well and has good gluing and finishing properties, but it nails badly and must be pre-bored before nailing. The screw-holding ability of jatoba is considered good. It is moderately durable, except when high proportion of sapwood is present. The wood is very resistant to insects such as termites and is highly resistant to preservation treatment.