The objective of this study was to follow the process of photodegradation of the natural color of wood surface of two tropical species when exposed to ultraviolet radiation. It were used the wood of jatobá (Hymenaea courbaril) with reddish brown coloration, and tauari (Couratari oblongifolia) with yellowish olive coloration. Samples of these woods were subjected to four cycles of ultraviolet radiation (UV) amounting to a total of 168 hours of irradiation and at 350 nm of wave length. Changes of the woods natural color, indicative of the photodegradation process, was monitored by spectrocolorimetry. Both species underwent changes in color caused by photodegradation, since the irradiation caused darkening which was quantified by the intensity of reflected light. Tauari demonstrated greater resistance to UV radiation and jatobá showed greater tendency to redden up. Both species were classified as woods with very appreciable variation in color.
CIELAB System; photochemical degradation; tropical woods