Ipe Wood is the Best All-Around Wood. Period.
Yes, better than Cumaru, Massaranduba, TigerWood, Purpleheart, Angelim Pedra, Southern Yellow Pine, California Redwood, Cambara, Bankirai, Yellow Balau, Western Red Cedar and any other wood!
- Class A fire resistant
- Has an outdoor life of 75+ years.
- More than 2.7 times harder than even White Oak.
- So dense it sinks in water.
- Resistant to scratching.
- Harvested legally and in a sustainable fashion.
- Life is so long, wood is so strong and so resistant to decay and rot that it is used for railroad ties.
- Splinter-resistant.
- Does not require any treatment (untreated it turns a beautiful grey)
Don’t take our word for it here are the facts!
Strength and Durability Characteristics of Typical Residential and Commercial Decking Woods
| SPECIES | Approximate Weight per MBF at 10% MC | Modulus of Rupture (psi) | Modulus of Elasticity (1000 psi) | Maximum Crushing Strength (psi) | Side Hardness (lbs) | Shear (psi) |
| Ipe | 6,400 | 25,400 | 3,140 | 13,010 | 3,680 | 2,060 |
| Cumaru | 6,300 | 24,800 | 3,050 | 12,200 | 3,200 | 1,980 |
| Massaranduba | 6,400 | 27,300 | 3,450 | 11,640 | 3,190 | 2,500 |
| TigerWood | 4,600 | 20,120 | 2,390 | 10,320 | 1,850 | 1,960 |
| Purpleheart | 4,800 | 21,300 | 2,420 | 11,380 | 2,060 | 1,830 |
| Angelim Pedra | 4,400 | 17,600 | 2,050 | 8,990 | 1,720 | 2,010 |
| Southern Yellow Pine | 3,100 | 14,200 | 1,880 | 7,750 | 750 | 1,490 |
| California Redwood | 2,600 | 7,900 | 1,100 | 5,220 | 420 | 1,110 |
| Western Red Cedar | 2,500 | 7,500 | 1,110 | 4,560 | 350 | 990 |
WINNER: IPE
Moisture Related Shrinkage, Expansion and Stability
| SPECIES | Shrinkage Radial to Grain | Shrinkage Perpendicular to Grain | Differential Shrinkage | Volumetric Shrinkage | Stability Ranking |
| Ipe | 6.6% | 8.0% | 1.4% | 14.1% | #1 |
| Cumaru | 5.4% | 8.4% | 3.0% | 13.3% | #6 |
| Massaranduba | 6.3% | 9.4% | 3.1% | 15.1% | #8 |
| TigerWood | 4.0% | 7.6% | 3.6% | 11.3% | #7 |
| Garapa | 6.5% | 10.0% | 3.5% | 15.9% | #11 |
| Purpleheart | 3.2% | 6.1% | 2.9% | 9.1% | #2 |
| Angelim Pedra | 4.4% | 7.1% | 2.7% | 11.2% | #3 |
| Bankirai, Yellow Balau | 4.5% | 8.3% | 3.8% | 12.4% | #9 |
| Red Balau | 4.8% | 8.8% | 4.0% | 13.2% | #10 |
| Dark Red Meranti | 3.4% | 6.6% | 3.2% | 9.8% | #5 |
| Cambara | 4.2% | 9.1% | 4.9% | 12.9% | #14 |
| Southern Yellow Pine | 4.8% | 7.4% | 2.6% | 11.8% | #4 |
WINNER: IPE
Ipe lasts the longest. Has the best characteristics and is the most stable species of all the ironwoods. You can buy with confidence knowing Ipe is the best.