The white keys of grand pianos were traditionally manufactured using ivory, whilst black keys were made from ebony. However, the practice of using ivory in the manufacture of grand pianos is very now very uncommon as there are numerous laws and treaties in place to restrict the hunting of animals for their ivory. Very limited amounts of ivory are available legally; however it is extremely rare to see new grand pianos that use ivory for their keys. Plastics are typically used now by manufacturers of grand pianos to produce their white keys, a layer of plastic is layered over the wooden body of the key. Some companies have produced grand pianos which included special plastic keys which look and feel very similar to ivory keys.
Some piano restorers will be able to acquire used ivory to replace damaged ivory on grand pianos as new legal new ivory is very hard to come by. However, many people argue that it is better to use grand pianos that have a plastic veneer on their keys as ivory is very susceptible to chipping. Also the ethics of using grand pianos that have ivory keys can be called into question.
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