Exploring exotic hardwoods and veneers opens up a world of color, grain, and texture for crafts, inlays, and fine woodworking. This guide highlights a curated selection of veneer packs and kits that balance variety, quality, and workability. From unbacked sheets for marquetry to labeled, easy-to-use pieces for small projects, these options cover domestic and exotic species to suit a range of projects and budgets.
The following summary table provides a quick overview of the chosen products to help you compare options at a glance. Each item links to its Amazon listing for easy viewing of specifications and customer notes.
| Product | Brand | Size / Content | Highlights |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sauers – SCV-20-MXDOM & EXOTIC Veneer Variety Pack | Sauers & Company | 5.5″–7.5″ x 12″ sheets, 20 sq ft total | Unbacked exotic variety, budget-friendly |
| Sauers Mixed Variety Domestic & Exotic Veneer Pack | Sauers | 5.5″–7.5″ width, 12″ length, 10 sq ft | High quality, unbacked domestic & exotic |
| Wood Veneer Variety Pack 65 Pieces | Generic | 5″ x 8″ pieces, 18+ sq ft total | 65 pieces, broad exotic range |
| 40-6″ x 12″ Veneer Pieces Pack | Generic | 40 pieces, 6″ x 12″ each, 20 sq ft | Labelled, versatile for crafts |
| Wood Veneer Mixed Pack – 25 pc | Central Hardwoods | 4″ x 9″ sheets, raw/unbacked, 25 pcs | Domestic & exotic mix, sanded finish |
Sauers Exotics Variety Pack
This veneer set from Sauers & Company offers an unbacked exotic selection across 20 square feet. Sheets measure roughly 5.5″ to 7.5″ wide by 12″ long, providing a compact, affordable option for small and medium marquetry projects. The unbacked nature requires careful handling but allows for precise cutting and edge-to-edge adhesion in crafts like jewelry boxes, guitar inlays, and customized panels. Expect a diverse mix with rich contrasts and visually striking grain patterns suitable for highlight pieces in a project.
Key features to consider: portable sheet size, unbacked construction suitable for precise shaping, and a broad exotic palette that can yield dramatic accents or centerpieces in your work.
Sauers Mixed Variety Domestic & Exotic Veneer Pack
This 10 sq ft pack from Sauers emphasizes a mix of domestic and exotic species with widths from 5-1/2″ to 7-1/2″ and a 12″ length. It’s marketed as high quality and unbacked, making it a flexible choice for varied applications—from marquetry borders to cabinet accents. The unbacked format offers a smooth surface for sanding and finishing, though it requires careful alignment during gluing to avoid lifting or warping.
Consider this option when you want a curated blend of familiar woods alongside striking exotics, without committing to a single species. It’s well-suited for artists and woodworkers experimenting with color contrasts and grain directions in small-to-medium pieces.
Wood Veneer Variety Pack With Over 18 Sq Ft
This pack contains more than 18 square feet across 65 pieces of 5″ x 8″ veneer sections. It emphasizes a wide variety of exotics and deeply figured pieces, with the contents varying by batch—perfect for crafters who want ongoing discovery in each project. The assortment supports marquetry, inlays, and decorative panels, enabling rapid prototyping and testing of different species and finishes before committing to a single choice for a larger build.
40-6″ x 12″ Labeled Exotic & Domestic Pack
With 20 square feet of labeled veneer pieces, this pack targets crafters who value clear identification of wood type and origin. Each piece is 6″ x 12″ and 1/42″ thick, offering a uniform thickness that simplifies cutting, routing, and finishing. The labeling assists in quick project planning and ensures consistent results across multiple pieces, whether creating marquetry accents, cabinet inlays, or decorative game boards.
Wood Veneer Mixed Pack – 25 Pcs
This 25-piece set from Central Hardwoods blends domestic and exotic species on raw, unbacked sheets, measuring 4″ x 9″ with a thickness of 2/83″. The raw finish allows sanding and finishing to your preferred sheen, while the moderate size makes it suitable for small borders, marquetry panels, and inlays. It’s a practical option for hobbyists building up a library of veneers for future projects and testing finishes on different woods.
Peachtree Woodworking Veneer Variety Pack
This 15 square foot assortment from Peachtree Woodworking Supply offers domestic and exotic veneers in various grains and dyed colors, including mahogany, redwood burl, chestnut, purpleheart, teak, and zebrawood. The veneers are approximately 1/42″ thick, making them flexible for cutting and shaping. The mix is designed for marquetry, inlays, and color experiments, with each pack differing to foster creative variation. All veneers are produced in the USA, enhancing traceability and quality control for projects ranging from guitars to heirloom boxes.
Barrington Hardwoods Exotic Variety Pack
This import-focused assortment from Barrington Hardwoods highlights exotic species such as Padauk, Zebrawood, Purpleheart, and Merbau in a compact 3/4″ x 2″ x 12″ format with eight pieces. The pack is described as having beautiful grain and being kiln-dried, with two sides sanded to 3/4″ thickness. It’s suitable for inlays, accent panels, and small furniture details where bold color and dramatic grain can serve as focal points. The compact size supports quick experiments with different exotics in single projects.
Sauers Exotic Species Wood Identification Kit
This identification kit from Sauers includes 25 pieces of 4″ x 9″ veneer samples, each labeled for easy recognition of species and origin. The collection spans woods from India to the USA and beyond, enabling users to compare textures, colors, and finishes before selecting a primary veneer for a project. It serves as a practical learning tool for new woodworkers and a reference library for seasoned crafters planning inlays, marquetry, or furniture enhancements.
Buying Guide: Key Purchase Considerations And Comparisons
- Project requirements: Determine whether you need unbacked sheets for easy edge-to-edge adhesion, or labeled pieces for quick identification and assembly.
- Species range: Exotic packs typically offer bolder color and grain contrasts, while domestic options provide familiar textures and predictable outcomes. Consider the final look you want and the finishing process you favor.
- Sheet size and thickness: Smaller sheets (4″–5″ wide) are ideal for inlays and borders; larger pieces suit panels and cabinet veneers. Thicker boards offer more durability for edge work; thinner sheets are easier to bend for marquetry.
- Finish and workability: Unbacked veneers require careful gluing and sanding. Backed varieties can be easier to handle for beginners but may limit some shaping options.
- Labeling and organization: Labeled sheets simplify project planning, reduce misidentification, and speed up the selection process for multi-species projects.
- USA vs imported: Local production can offer faster turnaround, consistent quality control, and easier sourcing for ongoing projects; imported packs may provide rare exotics and more diverse color palettes.
- Budget and project scale: Variety packs deliver a broad range at a lower cost per square foot, making them ideal for experimentation and learning, while larger, uniform lots are better for cohesive, multi-piece builds.
- Finish compatibility: Consider how your chosen finish (oil, polyurethane, dye, or oil + wax) will interact with the veneer species to avoid blotching or color shifts.
- Care and storage: Veneers should be stored flat and in a humidity-controlled environment to prevent warping and checking before use.
All selections aim to balance variety, quality, and practicality for American makers pursuing marquetry, inlay, and fine woodworking projects. The listed products span a spectrum from compact, portable packs to larger assortments, enabling experimentation with both exotic and domestic species while maintaining manageable budgets and straightforward workability.