Buying guide
Buying Exotic Tonewood Legally
CITES restricts international trade in specific tree species, not "exotic wood" in general — most rosewoods and several ebonies need a permit to cross a border, plenty of other exotic species don't. The species is what matters, not how rare or expensive the wood looks. Here's what actually needs a permit, and how to check before you buy.
Last updated 8 September 2026 · Kayu
What CITES actually is
CITES — the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species — is an international treaty, not an EU or US-specific rule. Signatory countries agree to control trade in species listed on one of three appendices. For timber, that control usually means an export permit from the country of origin, and often an import permit on the receiving end too. Moving a listed species across a border without one isn't a customs technicality — it's the kind of thing that gets a shipment seized.
Three appendices, three different levels of restriction:
| Appendix | What it means |
|---|---|
| I | Trade banned except in narrow, permitted circumstances — the strictest tier. Brazilian rosewood (Dalbergia nigra) is the tonewood example. |
| II | Not banned, but every international shipment needs an export permit (and often an import one). Most regulated tonewood sits here. |
| III | One country asked other signatories for help controlling trade in a species it already protects domestically — narrower in scope than I or II. |
Which tonewoods actually need a permit
This is what Kayu's own species catalogue records today — checked and corrected against the real regulatory history where the data disagreed with it, not taken on faith. It's not exhaustive; CITES covers far more species than any one marketplace stocks.
| Species | Common name | Appendix |
|---|---|---|
| Dalbergia melanoxylon | African Blackwood | II |
| Dalbergia cultrata / D. fusca | Burmese Blackwood | II |
| Dalbergia retusa | Cocobolo | II |
| Dalbergia latifolia | Indian Rosewood | II |
| Dalbergia sissoo | Shisham | II |
| Diospyros celebica | Macassar Ebony | II |
| Swietenia macrophylla | Honduran Mahogany | II |
| Juglans regia | European Walnut | III |
Six of the seven Appendix II rows above are Dalbergia species — that's not a coincidence, it's the rule: every species in the genus Dalbergia has needed a CITES permit since January 2017, except Brazilian rosewood, which has needed one since 1992 under the stricter Appendix I. If a wood is genuinely a rosewood — whatever the seller calls it — assume Appendix II applies until you've checked the actual species.
CITES isn't the only requirement
A permit for a listed species and general import legality are two separate questions, and it's easy to assume clearing one clears both. The EU Timber Regulation (and its 2023 successor, the EU Deforestation Regulation) requires due diligence on all timber entering the EU — proof of which forest it came from and that cutting it was legal — whether or not the species is CITES-listed at all. A piece of wood can need both a CITES permit and due-diligence paperwork, just the due-diligence half, or neither, depending on the species and where it's headed. Checking one doesn't answer the other.
Checking before you buy
- Identify the actual species, not just the trade name. "Rosewood" alone covers dozens of species with different rules; the scientific name is what CITES actually regulates.
- Check the appendix for that species — the table above covers the ones Kayu stocks; the CITES Species+ database covers everything else.
- Confirm the seller has the paperwork for a listed species before assuming a piece can ship internationally — on Kayu, an accurate shipping price on a listed species already implies this.
- Ask about due diligence separately if you're importing into the EU, even for a species with no CITES restriction at all.
Frequently asked
What is CITES and why does it matter for buying wood?
CITES is the international treaty controlling trade in specific species across borders. For tonewood, certain species — most rosewoods and several ebonies among them — need a permit to legally cross an international border, regardless of who's buying or selling.
How do I know if a specific piece of wood needs a CITES permit?
Check the species, not the common name. Kayu records CITES status per species on every listing; a protected species without a registered CITES authority number shows "contact seller" for delivery instead of a shipping price.
Is CITES the same as the EU Timber Regulation?
No. CITES restricts trade in listed species specifically. The EU Timber Regulation (and EUDR) requires due diligence on all timber entering the EU, whether or not the species is CITES-listed.
Which tonewoods most commonly need a CITES permit?
Nearly every Dalbergia (rosewood) species since 2017, Brazilian rosewood since 1992, several Madagascar ebony species, and mahogany (Swietenia macrophylla) since 2003. Always check the specific species.
See how rosewood and ebony actually compare for fretboards.