Macassar Ebony (Diospyros celebica) is a premium Southeast Asian hardwood known for its streaked appearance, alternating bands of dark brown to black with lighter tan or golden-brown, creating a high-contrast figure.

Macassar Ebony has a striped pattern with alternating bands of near-black and rich golden-brown to tan. This streaking pattern, similar to tiger's stripes but in brown and black.

Macassar Ebony has a Janka hardness of approximately 3,220 lbf (14,140 N), making it one of the hardest commercially available hardwoods in the world.

Macassar Ebony is used for luxury furniture, guitar fretboards, violin parts, piano keys (black keys), knife handles, pen blanks, marquetry, and high-end decorative veneers.

Yes. Macassar Ebony is an excellent fretboard material. Its hardness provides durability and wear resistance, its smooth surface gives it an excellent playing feel, and its visually spectacular.

Macassar Ebony is very difficult to work due to its extreme hardness, high density, and high oil content. It dulls cutting tools very rapidly, requires sharp carbide-tipped tooling, must be pre-drilled before any fastening, and requires surface degreasing with acetone before gluing or finishing.

Macassar Ebony (Diospyros celebica) is native to the island of Sulawesi in Indonesia. Its name 'Macassar' comes from Makassar, a major port city in Sulawesi from which the wood was historically exported.

Oil-based finishes, CA (cyanoacrylate) glue polish, and wax work best on Macassar Ebony after thorough surface degreasing with acetone.