On this page
UnderstandWhat it is, what people ask, how far this page goes
Natural organic and biogenic materials · Organic or biogenic material · Natural identity; treatment status unknown
Wood
Also known asIndian sandalwood (conditional name) · red sandalwood (conditional name)
A Chinese trade umbrella term (tanmu) for wood whose tree species has not been verified; it does not correspond to a single plant taxon, and CITES status depends on the species. Also known as Indian sandalwood, red sandalwood. This page compares how the major standards and institutions name it, what must be disclosed when selling it, whether it can be worn every day, how it is treated and identified, and which source each conclusion comes from.
Price, rarity and origin are outside the scope of this wiki.
What this page can answer
This page covers
- How Wood forms and what gives its colourFormation setting, process and timescale, each finding graded and sourced
- Wood in English, Chinese and Japanese; national standard namesNames in four languages, the GB/T standard name and the suggested listing name; and: Has any of GIA, FTC, CIBJO or Gem-A put a name for it on record here?
- Listing and disclosing WoodThe listing name to use; what must be disclosed before sale
What we cannot conclude
- Whether one particular bead is natural, treated or synthetic — only a laboratory report can settle that.
- Geographic origin, unless an origin report accompanies the item.
- Price, rarity or investment value: this wiki covers naming and disclosure only.
Material research: formation, causes and history
What authoritative sources say about how this material forms, what causes its colour and optical effects, where its name comes from and how people have used it. Each statement carries an evidence grade and its sources; it describes the material in general, not any specific piece.
How it forms
'Sandalwood/Wood (species not verified; Chinese trade name: tanmu)' is not a single botanical taxon but a trade umbrella term spanning several genera (e.g. Dalbergia, Pterocarpus, Santalum), so there is no single 'formation process of sandalwood' — the species must first be resolved. As a woody plant material, it derives from the xylem (heartwood) of the corresponding tree species, harvested, dried and worked after growth. The cited source refers to the genus Dalbergia: Species+ records that genus (except species listed in Appendix I) as currently listed in CITES Appendix II, so international trade is regulated.
Scope: Covers the identity boundaries of "tanmu" as a trade umbrella term spanning several genera, and the CITES Appendix II status of the genus Dalbergia; does not apply to assessments of the species, origin or legality of specific wood samples.
Sources CITES Checklist
Where it forms
Tropical/subtropical forest habitat of the source tree species (the cited source points to Dalbergia); the material is the tree's heartwood.
Sources CITES Checklist
How it forms, step by step
First resolve which species/genus 'Wood (species not verified; Chinese trade name: tanmu)' refers to (e.g. the genus Dalbergia).
The corresponding tree grows in its natural habitat, forming xylem (heartwood) year by year.
The tree is harvested, and the wood is dried and worked into material.
Woods of different species are all called 'Wood (species not verified; Chinese trade name: tanmu)' in the trade and must be distinguished one by one.
Link to appearance
Wood appearance (colour, grain, aroma) varies by species; woods all called 'Wood (species not verified; Chinese trade name: tanmu)' may come from different genera, and appearance cannot substitute for species identification.
Sources CITES Checklist
Timescale
The cited sources give no absolute timescale for tree growth or wood formation.
Sources CITES Checklist
Related base materials
- Dalbergia spp.: The regulated timber-producing genus listed in CITES Appendix II, referred to in the cited source
Other research findings
'Wood (species not verified; Chinese trade name: tanmu)' is a trade umbrella term spanning several genera (e.g. Dalbergia, Pterocarpus, Santalum) and is not one tree species; the species must first be resolved before material properties are discussed.
Evidence grade CScope: Naming/identity judgement; the cited source points to Dalbergia and does not verify every other genus/species called 'Wood (species not verified; Chinese trade name: tanmu)'.
The CITES Checklist lists the genus Dalbergia (except species listed in Appendix I) in CITES Appendix II, effective 26/11/2019.
Evidence grade AScope: Current CITES Appendix-level status, updated at CoPs. 'Protected' does not mean a total trade ban: Appendix II trade requires permits and evidence of legal origin.
The CITES Checklist records a current reservation by India on the genus Dalbergia, effective 02/01/2017.
Evidence grade AScope: Describes a reservation as an institutional exception; it does not change the record of the genus being listed in Appendix II.
A CITES Checklist search also returns Aniba rosaeodora, commonly called rosewood (Appendix II, effective 12/06/2013), showing that 'tan' (rosewood) names span genera.
Evidence grade AScope: Illustrates that the name spans genera; this entry is Aniba, not Dalbergia.
Limits of this research
- Research status: Only partial material-specific findings found; gaps are stated as gaps
- The cited source covers only Dalbergia (plus Aniba rosaeodora) and does not verify every genus/species called by the Chinese trade names tanmu or tan (e.g. Santalum, Pterocarpus).
- A wood specimen's species, origin and legality cannot be judged from the name alone; species identification and legal-origin documents are required.
- CITES Appendix levels are current status and are updated at Conferences of the Parties.
Methodology
- Origin determination and its limits
- Quality grading and value factors
- How gemmology became a technical discipline
Evidence grades
- A
- Standards bodies, government geological surveys, peer-reviewed research and museum records
- B
- Institutional educational material
- C
- Specialist databases or cautious readings
A statement is never graded above its strongest source.
This section is LumaLark's own factual restatement of public authoritative sources, credited item by item; it contains no verbatim excerpts, images or third-party logos.
DecideListing name, disclosure, care and treatments
- Suggested listing name
- Wood (confirm the species and scientific name before naming it)
GB/T 16552—2017 5.1.1 b) · CITES Appendices 2026 “Pterocarpus santalinus”, #7
Construction or treatment status
Natural identity; treatment status unknown
Related:Disclosure and cautions
This page cannot answer
Natural? · Origin · Price
A lab report settles these; this wiki covers naming and disclosure.
Related:What this page can answer
Answer at a glance
"Wood (species not verified; Chinese trade name: tanmu)" is a market name rather than a mineral species name; before using it, verify: Biological species must be confirmed.
What this means for you
Before buying, check the recommended listing name "Wood (confirm the species and scientific name before naming it)" and any disclosed treatments on this page, and ask the seller for a grading report if in doubt.
Known uncertainty
- This entry's exact material identity is not fully settled.
- See “Disclosure and cautions” above
- Last reviewed
- 2026-09-01
Trade-name ruling
- Biological species must be confirmed.
- Suggested listing name
- Wood (confirm the species and scientific name before naming it)
VerifyNames, standards, technical facts, clauses and sources
Names
Besides Wood, the name register records "Indian sandalwood" and "red sandalwood", for which no restriction on use as a name is recorded.
Standard and listing namesThe Chinese trade material behind Wood (tanmu) is not included in GB/T 16552—2017 Annex A and can be named directly; the suggested listing name is tanmu (translate only after the wood species and scientific name are confirmed). Names in four languagesFour-language names are given in Simplified Chinese, Traditional Chinese, English (Wood, species unverified; Chinese trade name tanmu) and Japanese (tanmu wood, species unconfirmed). Trade and mineralogical namesAmong trade names, Indian sandalwood corresponds to Santalum album and red sandalwood may refer to Pterocarpus santalinus, while other names using the same Chinese character must be confirmed one by one; Indian sandalwood and red sandalwood are English market names, matched only once conditions are confirmed, and are high-risk names related to tanmu. Institution usageOn authority wording, the FTC text on file has no wording for this name (checked); GIA, CIBJO and Gem-A are unchecked. Trade and mineralogical namesThe qualification separated from the heading name, species unverified and Chinese trade name tanmu, applies to FTC as well as GIA, CIBJO and Gem-A, the qualifier coming from the entry's own English name; bodies without a recorded wording show the entry's own English name, which does not represent their position. Japanese namesFor the formal name of Japan's GSJ, the entry has its own Japanese name, and the wording of Japan's GSJ for tanmu is not yet verified by this site.
Name register
Every name recorded for this entry, with how it is classified, whether it may be matched to this entry automatically, whether it may be used as a product name, and the clause it rests on.
This table scrolls sideways on narrow screens.
| Name | Type | Matching | Use as a name | Basis |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| no restriction recorded (2) | ||||
| Indian sandalwoodEnglish | market name | matched only once the condition is confirmed | no restriction recorded | editorial ruling (no clause cited); Note: Related high-risk name “Sandalwood”. |
| red sandalwoodEnglish | market name | matched only once the condition is confirmed | no restriction recorded | editorial ruling (no clause cited); Note: Related high-risk name “Sandalwood”. |
How each authority words this name: see Names › Authority wording.
- GSJ (Japan) formal name
- 「檀木」木材（樹種未確認） (not yet checked for this body — the entry's own Japanese name is shown)
- Mineral / material name (not in GB/T 16552 Annex A; usable directly)
- 檀木 (GB/T 16552—2017 §5.1.1 b))
- Mineralogical name
- Unverified wood trade category; not a single botanical taxon
- Trade names and synonyms
- Indian sandalwood (market name; conditional name) · red sandalwood (market name; conditional name)
Four-language names
- 简体中文
- 檀木
- 繁體中文
- 檀木
- English
- Wood (species not verified; Chinese trade name: tanmu)
- 日本語
- 「檀木」木材（樹種未確認）
Qualifiers stripped from the headline name
See also: Misleading and prohibited trade names · Supplementary name index
Classification
- Origin
- Natural materials
- Material domain
- Natural organic and biogenic materials
- Browsing family
- Plant-derived materials
- Identity tier
- Organic or biogenic material
- Mineral chemical class
- Not applicable
- Construction or treatment status
- Natural identity; treatment status unknown
What it is and how it's identified
For Wood sold as “tanmu”, the registered material facts contain no material data that can be listed directly. None of the gemmological source texts consulted cover wood; specialist timber references give hardness by species, using Janka indentation hardness rather than Mohs hardness. In the timber trade, tanmu is a loose name that may mean sandalwood (Santalum album), red sandalwood (Pterocarpus santalinus) or another timber whose Chinese name contains the same character; the name itself cannot fix a specific species. As the material behind this market name is unconfirmed, no single material's facts are attached to it. Of the material found when rechecking online, some deals only with specific species (such as red sandalwood), and some is merchant or encyclopedia reposts; there is still no authoritative source defining what the general name tanmu means.
Registered material facts
Each row carries its own source and check date and can be cited on its own; “—” means the cited source gives no value, not “none”.
Care
Wood sold as tanmu — care (cleaning): When a cloth is dampened with water for dusting, the wood surface must be dried straight away.
NPS Museum Handbook, Appendix N
- Treatment state
- any treatment state
Source & check 2026-10-06
- Source
- National Park Service, Museum Handbook Part I, Appendix N: Curatorial Care of Wooden Objects (2002): p.N:17, body text (locator checked 2026-10-06)
- Fact checked on
- 2026-10-06
Wood sold as tanmu — care (heat): higher temperatures accelerate mould growth, insect activity and oxidation of wood.
NPS Museum Handbook, Appendix N
- Treatment state
- any treatment state
Source & check 2026-10-06
- Source
- National Park Service, Museum Handbook Part I, Appendix N: Curatorial Care of Wooden Objects (2002): p.N:16, body text (locator checked 2026-10-06)
- Fact checked on
- 2026-10-06
Wood sold as tanmu — care (light): light alters heartwood colour, darkening pale woods and bleaching dark ones; it also fades stains and makes finishes brittle; bare, unfinished wood should be lit at no more than 300 lux (most finished wood at no more than 200 lux).
NPS Museum Handbook, Appendix N
- Treatment state
- any treatment state
Source & check 2026-10-06
- Source
- National Park Service, Museum Handbook Part I, Appendix N: Curatorial Care of Wooden Objects (2002): p.N:16, body text (locator checked 2026-10-06)
- Fact checked on
- 2026-10-06
Wood sold as tanmu — care (storage): NPS Museum Handbook Appendix N gives about 50% RH, within five points either way, as the target for wooden objects in most US regions; a rise from 30% to 70% RH can swell wood by up to 2% across the grain; abrupt humidity swings can cause splitting and other serious damage; to keep fungi from growing, hold RH at roughly 45-55% and never let it go over 65%.
NPS Museum Handbook, Appendix N
- Treatment state
- any treatment state
Source & check 2026-10-06
- Source
- National Park Service, Museum Handbook Part I, Appendix N: Curatorial Care of Wooden Objects (2002): pp. N:8, N:15, N:16, body text (locator checked 2026-10-06)
- Fact checked on
- 2026-10-06
Each row's “Source & check” expands to the full source; the date beside it is the fact check date.
Evidence and sources
Authority basis and clause sources
Sources
- CIBJO – The World Jewellery Confederation. Gemmological Laboratories Book (Blue Book), Gemmological Commission 2024-1.
- CIBJO – The World Jewellery Confederation. The Gemstone Book (Blue Book), 2022.
- SAMR / SAC (China). GB/T 16552—2017 Gems — Nomenclature.
- CITES Secretariat. Appendices I, II and III, valid from 5 March 2026.
Further reading
Related entries and topic cluster
Parent entry and related pages on this site. Rows marked “Planned” are suggested new content and have no link yet.
This table scrolls sideways on narrow screens.
| Page | Content | Status |
|---|---|---|
| Browsing family | Plant-derived materials | Live |
| Related articles | To be added (placeholder) | Planned |
Who maintains this page
The names, standards basis and disclosure requirements in the Wood entry are maintained by the LumaLark wiki and matched one by one to the standard clauses or institutional sources they cite. The entry exists so that buyers and sellers can check naming, disclosure and material facts item by item.