TAMO ash — why Japanese cabinetmakers keep asking for it
2026-07-30 — Yachidamo team
Where the name comes from
"TAMO" (タモ) is the Japanese trade name for Fraxinus mandshurica, the ash species native to the Russian Far East and northern Manchuria. It's the same tree used for baseball bats, high-end furniture, and traditional Japanese joinery. Confusingly, TAMO is often marketed simply as "Japanese ash" or "Russian ash" depending on the destination market — but botanically it's always F. mandshurica.
What makes TAMO different from European or American ash
- Slower growth, tighter rings. Vladivostok winters are longer than most European ash origins, so TAMO develops finer growth rings — visible in the finished board as a calmer, more uniform figure.
- Density. TAMO air-dries around 640–700 kg/m³, harder than European ash (600–680) but slightly softer than white oak.
- Grain figure. TAMO's most sought-after quality: the ripple ("figured") variant, produced by tension wood, gives a shimmering three-dimensional pattern that Japanese cabinetmakers use for feature panels and drawer fronts.
- Colour. Cream to pale straw when fresh; ages to a warm honey tone. Takes clear, stained and white-oiled finishes cleanly.
Typical applications
- Kitchen cabinet doors and drawer fronts
- Interior wall paneling (vagonka)
- Solid table tops, both painted and clear-finished
- Sports equipment (bats, hockey sticks, tool handles)
- Sliced veneer for high-end doors and furniture
What we produce in TAMO
- Finger-jointed panels — 18 / 20 / 27 / 40 mm thick, up to 1250 × 5000 mm
- Solid-lamella panels, tangential (flat-sawn) and radial (quarter-sawn) — same size range
- Tongue-and-groove wall paneling
- Sliced veneer (0.5 / 0.6 mm sheets, colour-matched sets)
See the TAMO ash species hub for the full spec and finish options, or request a sample.