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PZC Chatometry

A standard system to measure wood chatoyance

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  • Home
  • What is Chatoyance?
    • Curl
    • Ribbon Stripe
    • Other Figures
    • Flecks
    • Growth Rings
    • Knots
  • The PZC method
    • Scale example 1
    • Scale example 2
    • Scale example 3
    • Scale example 4
  • Woods
    • Summary Table
    • Africa
      • Abura
      • Afrormosia
      • Agba
      • Agba
      • Afzelia
      • Aniegre
      • Avodire
      • Azobe
      • Bilinga
      • Bilinga
      • Bomanga
      • Boire
      • Bubinga
      • Cola
      • Ebiara
      • Ebony, Gaboon
      • Etimoe
      • Faro
      • Faro
      • Framire
      • Guarea
      • Iroko
      • Lati
      • Khaya
      • Kosipo
      • Kotibe
      • Kotibe
      • Koto
      • Limba
      • Limba, Black
      • Makore
      • Mansonia
      • Moabi
      • Movingui
      • Niangon
      • Niove
      • Obeche
      • Ocotea
      • Ocotea
      • Ovangkol
      • Okoume
      • Padouk
      • Purpleheart
      • Ramin
      • Rosewood, African Blackwood
      • Rosewood, African Blackwood
      • Rosewood, Madagascar
      • Sapele
      • Sipo
      • Tali
      • Tiama
      • Wenge
      • Walnut, African
      • Zebrawood
    • Asia
      • Acacia, unspecified
      • Ailanthus
      • Albizia, unspecified
      • Alstonia
      • Artocarpus
      • Ash, Tamo
      • Bintangor
      • Bamboo
      • Camphor
      • Coconut
      • Ebony, Black and White
      • Ebony, Macassar
      • Fig, misc.
      • Kapur
      • Keruing
      • Mango
      • Meranti
      • Merbau
      • Mersawa
      • Narra
      • Paulownia
      • Rosewood, Indian
      • Satinwood
      • Sen
      • Sucupira
      • Teak
    • Europe
      • Alder
      • Apple
      • Ash, European
      • Ash, Olive
      • Beech, European
      • Birch
      • Birch, Karelian Burl
      • Black Locust
      • Bog Oak
      • Cedar, European
      • Cherry, Sweet
      • Chestnut, Horse
      • Chestnut, Sweet
      • Cypress, Mediterranean
      • Elm
      • Fir, European Silver
      • Hawthorn
      • Hazelnut
      • Hornbeam
      • Laburnum
      • Lagerstroemia
      • Larch, European
      • London Plane
      • Lime, European
      • Madrone
      • Maple, European
      • Mulberry
      • Oak, Sessile
      • Olive
      • Olive, Russian
      • Poplar, Yellow
      • Pine, Maritime
      • Pine, Swiss Stone
      • Pine, unspecified
      • Pear
      • Poplar
      • Spruce, Fiemme (Ciresa tonewood)
      • Sumac
      • Walnut, European
      • Yew
    • North America
      • Ash, American White
      • Alder, Red
      • Beech, North American
      • Beech, North American
      • Boxelder
      • Butternut
      • Catalpa
      • Cedar, Eastern Red
      • Cedar, Western Red
      • Cherry, Black
      • Cypress, Bald
      • Cypress, Lawson
      • Desert Ironwood
      • Desert Ironwood
      • Dogwood
      • Fir, Douglas
      • Giant Sequoia
      • Hackberry
      • Hemlock
      • Hickory
      • Holly
      • Honey Locust
      • Juniperus misc.
      • Koa
      • Magnolia
      • Maple, Bigleaf
      • Maple, Bigleaf
      • Maple, Hard
      • Mesquite
      • Mesquite
      • Oak, Red
      • Oak, White
      • Osage Orange
      • Osage Orange, Green
      • Red Gum
      • Pecan
      • Pecan
      • Redwood
      • Sassafras
      • Service Tree
      • Sycamore, American
      • Sycamore, American
      • Walnut, Black
      • Walnut, Claro
      • Walnut, Claro
      • Willow
    • Oceania
      • Agathis
      • Ash, Crow’s
      • Australian Blackwood
      • Black Bean
      • Cedar, Australian Red
      • Eucalyptus, unspecified
      • Ash, Mountain
      • Gum, River Red
      • Oak, Tasmanian
      • Jarrah
      • Maple, Queensland
      • Oak, Northern Silky
      • Oak, Southern Silky
      • Pine, Huon
      • She-Oak, River
      • Spotted Gum
      • Tasmanian Myrtle
      • Walnut, Queensland
    • South and Central America
      • Angelim
      • Araucaria
      • Aspidosperma
      • Bloodwood
      • Bocote
      • Canarywood
      • Carapa
      • Cedar, Spanish
      • Cerejeira
      • Chechen
      • Cumaru
      • Curupixa
      • Freijo
      • Garapa
      • Goncalo Alves
      • Goupie
      • Granadillo
      • Guanacaste
      • Guatambu
      • Imbuia
      • Ipe
      • Jacareuba
      • Jatoba
      • Jequitiba
      • Katalox
      • Leopardwood
      • Lignum Vitae
      • Louro Faia
      • Louro Preto
      • Mahogany, Cuban
      • Mahogany, Honduras
      • Massaranduba
      • Nothofagus
      • Osage Orange, Argentine
      • Pao Rosa
      • Peroba Rosa
      • Piquiarana
      • Podocarpus
      • Primavera
      • Rosewood, Brazilian
      • Rosewood, Cocobolo
      • Rosewood, Honduras
      • Rosewood, Kingwood
      • Rosewood, Santos
      • Tatajuba
      • Timbauba
      • Tineo
      • Tulipwood (Brazilian)
      • Ziricote
  • Case studies
    • Roasting Curly Maple
    • Epoxy resin
    • Bleaching Sapele
    • Sapwood vs Heartwood
    • Different Materials
    • Sunlight & Weather
      • Sunlight exposure on purpleheart
      • Sunlight & Weather exposure on sweet cherry
      • Sunlight exposure on field maple
      • Sunlight exposure on Tasmanian Blackwood
      • UV light exposure
    • Finishing
      • Finishing Maple
      • Finishing Curly Maple
      • Finishing Curly Maple – part 2
      • Surface preparation on Curly Maple
      • Incremental grit and finishing on Curly Maple
      • Finishing Okoume
      • Finishing London Plane
      • Finishing Blonde European Walnut
      • Finishing European Ash
      • Finishing European Elm
      • Finishing Etimoe
      • Finishing Sweet Cherry
      • Finishing Ovangkol
      • Finishing European Oak
      • Finishing Birch
      • Finishing Teak
      • Finishing Iroko
      • Finishing Sapele
      • Finishing Sumac
      • Finishing Redbud
      • Finishing Kotibe
      • Finishing Indian Rosewood
      • Finishing Hackberry
      • Finishing Paldao
      • Finishing Bocote
      • Finishing Merbau
      • Finishing Snakewood
      • Finishing Purpleheart
      • Finishing Padouk
      • Finishing Mulberry
      • Finishing Niangon
      • Finishing Tasmanian Blackwood
    • Progressive grit sanding
    • Ultra-fine sanding
    • Supersurfacing
    • Raw Veneer vs fine sanded
    • Cleaning Black Walnut
    • Quartersawn vs Flatsawn
      • Quartersawn vs Flatsawn on London plane
      • Quartersawn vs Flatsawn on Red Oak
      • Quartersawn vs Flatsawn on European Beech
      • Quartersawn vs Flatsawn on Louro Faia
    • Runout Angle
    • Mud Curing on Osage Orange
    • No. 1 – Hawaiian Koa
    • High-res videos
    • Large GIFs [heavy pages…]
      • Large GIFs 1
      • Large GIFs 2
      • Large GIFs 3
      • Large GIFs 4
      • Large GIFs 5
      • Large GIFs 6
      • Large GIFs 7
      • Large GIFs 8
      • Large GIFs 9
      • Large GIFs 10
      • Australian species
    • Wood samples
    • Fresh-cut wood
    • From firewood to PZC results
    • Hunting for Tasmanian Blackwood
    • Included branches and Crotches
    • Chatoyance distribution within a tree
    • Tasmanian Blackwood – heartwood and sapwood
    • Stabilization
    • Microscope pictures
    • Out of the tablesaw
    • Chatoyance vs Fluorescence
    • Patch of Black Cherry trees
    • Spalting
    • Bark
    • Thuya Burl
    • Dying Curly Maple
    • Ammonia fuming
  • Services
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What is Chatoyance?

Chatoyance is a surface optical property of some materials which causes them to appear differently when seen from different angles. The term is coined from the French œil de chat (‘cat’s eye’) referring to gems such as tiger’s eye quartz:

This is especially evident for many woods, such as figured Maple, Sapele, Etimoe and many others.

Example – chatoyance on Sapele

Within woodworking, chatoyance is often sought as a decorative effect.
As an example, curly maple violin backs exploit wood chatoyance to highlight the wavy grain pattern within the wood.

Chatoyance is often highlighted by figure; however, chatoyance can be considered as a property of the material, while figure is related to the specific piece of wood under analysis. Figure creates contrast patterns which make chatoyance much more evident; yet if there is no chatoyance, the figure won’t show.

Figure highlights (relatively low) chatoyance in this Pear wood specimen
Plain grain does not highlight chatoyance on this Pear wood specimen
High chatoyance shows figure on this European Walnut specimen
Very low chatoyance fails to highlight figure on this Olive specimen
High chatoyance meets figure yielding spectacular results on this Iroko specimen

These pages show examples of interaction between chatoyance and different types of wood figure. PZC results are reported, aimed at showing how difficult it is to evaluate by eye how chatoyant a figured surface really is.

Ribbon Stripe (Interlocked Grain)

Flecks

Curl

Other Figures

Growth Rings

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