The Wood Guide · Choosing and comparing
Buying guideA decking board stays down for fifteen to thirty years. The choice you make now decides how much work it gives you in all those years — and how it looks as it ages.
Wood for your deck
A decking board stays down for fifteen to thirty years. The choice you make now decides how much work it gives you in all those years — and how it looks as it ages.
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The "best" wood species does not exist. The best choice for your deck does — and it follows from these four answers.
If you never want to think about it, choose durability class 1 and let it turn grey. If you want to keep the warm colour, plan on a treatment every year — with every species.
Full sun and driving rain speed everything up: the greying, the drying out, the small cracks. A sheltered deck under a canopy can go one class lower.
Some species splinter more easily than others. Around a pool or where children walk, choose a dense, splinter-free species or a smooth board.
Tropical hardwood lasts the longest; European species have a short supply chain. Both are defensible — simply ask your supplier where the timber comes from.
From tropical hardwood to modified softwood — each with its own character and its own drawback.
Also known as yellow balau. Warm golden brown, very strong and weather-resistant — the classic for large, heavily used decks.
To be fair: bangkirai can splinter, and in the first year it leaves brown tannin streaks on light-coloured tiles.
Extremely dense and hard, with a rich dark brown colour. Hardly splinters and lasts for decades — the luxury class.
To be fair: ipé is extremely heavy, needs carbide-tipped tools and sits in the highest price bracket.
Warm, honey-coloured European hardwood, naturally resistant to rot and fungi. The sustainable alternative to tropical timber.
To be fair: robinia does not grow dead straight — expect a little more work when aligning the boards.
Softwood heated in a low-oxygen environment. More stable and moisture-resistant without chemicals, with a warm dark tone.
To be fair: the heating also makes the wood more brittle — it is less suitable for load-bearing parts.
Softwood treated with acetic anhydride. Exceptionally stable and durable, light in colour — ideal for a modern look.
To be fair: Accoya comes close to tropical hardwood on price, and the light colour takes some getting used to.
Not a classic decking choice, but a workable one: class 3 heartwood, affordable, and it greys to an even silver grey.
To be fair: this has the shortest lifespan of the five, and it needs care with the details.
| Wood species | Durability class | Origin | Weight | Strongest point |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ipé | Class 1 | South America | Very heavy | Hardly splinters, lasts for decades |
| Bangkirai | Class 1–2 | Southeast Asia | Heavy | Strong and more affordable than ipé |
| Robinia | Class 1–2 | Europe | Heavy | European, no treatment needed |
| Accoya | Class 1 | Europe (modified) | Light | Exceptionally dimensionally stable |
| Thermowood | Class 2–3 | Europe (modified) | Light | Treated without chemicals |
| Douglas fir | Class 3 | Europe | Medium-heavy | Price, and it greys beautifully |
A deck of class 1 timber that is laid badly lasts less long than Douglas fir that is laid well. These points count for more than the species.
Just as with garden furniture, you choose between letting it grey and keeping the colour. Doing it halfway is not an option: a deck you oil once and then forget looks blotchy.
E-woodproducts does not supply decking boards. This guide is here because the question often comes together with the choice of furniture: anyone laying a deck is usually also looking for a table, bench or lounge chair to go with it. For the timber for your deck, you are best off going to a specialist timber merchant.
There is no absolute winner. If you want decades without work, choose ipé or bangkirai; if you want European wood, robinia; if you want a light, exceptionally stable board, Accoya or thermowood. On a budget you end up with Douglas fir, with a shorter lifespan.
Allow at least 21 mm with a joist spacing of 40 cm, and 28 mm at 50 to 60 cm. Thinner boards start to flex, and you feel that under your feet straight away.
Not for the durability of class 1 timber. You use oil to prevent greying; if you do, do it every year — a half-oiled board looks blotchy.
UV light breaks down the lignin in the surface. That is not decay but patina: the core stays completely intact. Almost every untreated deck does this within one to two years.
Fresh tropical species leach out tannin in the first months. The streaks usually disappear by themselves; on light-coloured tiles you can help them along by rinsing briefly after rain for the first few weeks.
Better not. It blasts away the soft fibres between the growth rings and makes the surface rough and prone to splintering. A brush, water and a little patience work better — the same advice as in our maintenance guide.
Anyone who lays a deck thinks next about what goes on it. We build that part.
Have a question about your project? Just ask — we're happy to help.
Photos via Wikimedia Commons: Dufferin Terrace, Québec — Wilfredor, CC0 · Fraxinus excelsior — Anubis100, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Green algae on wet decking: smooth and slippery — Fabian Horst, CC BY-SA 4.0
