Teak, Teak Lumber, Tropical Hardwoods, Boatbuilding Teak

Teak is one of the most valuable of all woods. It has long been the choice of the boatbuilding industry for its superb durability, strength and rot resistance. Architects, interior and landscape designers and craftsmen favor teak in Scandinavian and Asian influenced design and furnishings, however, its high cost often limits its use to the marine applications for which it is uniquely suited or to the manufacture of extremely high end cabinetry and furnishings.

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Teak, Teak Lumber, Tropical Hardwoods, Boatbuilding Teak

Our teak offers an alternative to the high cost teak available on the market today. Here's why -
Teak is a tropical hardwood native to India, Burma, Thailand and Indochina, including Indonesia. Limitations in the exportation of teak lumber harvested in its native environment have caused continued increases in the cost of this beautiful, remarkably versatile and durable wood for interior and exterior wood product manufacturing. As teak grown in its native environment becomes increasingly scarce, plantations are becoming the ecologically responsible and cost-effective answer to supplying teak lumber. Numerous plantations have been developed within its natural range and also in tropical areas of Latin America and Africa. Because it can be harvested in as little as 16 years, it is an ideal plantation species.

Nearly all suppliers in the New England region provide teak sourced from its native range, often marketed as 'Burma' teak AND they offer only the highest priced premium FEQ (first European Quality) teak. This grade requires clear boards with minimum dimensions of 6" width and 8' length.

Our teak is plantation-grown in South America. We acquire logs from 16-30" in diameter and up to 20' long from trees that are 20-40 years old. Our selection of teak offers the buyer a valuable resource for acquiring many grades of teak and utilizing the grade best suited for each aspect of their manufacturing processes. Yes, we have FEQ grade too, but we don't market it as FEQ. We've simplified our grading system to market our clear teak lumber as 'Select' and offer it in all widths and lengths.

Our Grading System:
Select clear both sides, no knots.

#2 clear one face, 2nd face with small sound knots and minimal sap.

#3 both faces with small sound knots and minimal sap.

#4 Both sides with sound knots, sap and varied color. Perfect for decking and flooring stock.

General Information on Teak
Teak (Tectona grandis)
Family: Verbenaceae
Other Common Names: Kyun (Burma), Teck (French), Teca (Spanish).
On favorable sites, teak trees may reach 130 to 150 ft in height with clear boles to 80 to 90 ft; trunk diameters usually 3 to 5 ft; older trees fluted and buttressed.
Teak Lumber / Wood Characteristics: Heartwood dark golden yellow, olive or light to dark brown turning a dark brown with exposure, often very variable in color when freshly machined showing blotches and streaks of various shades; sapwood pale yellowish, sharply demarcated. When first cut, teak is a tawny color streaked with dark brown and gold. The color of teak can look white when it has been aged and sun bleached. Grain is straight, sometimes wavy; texture coarse, uneven (ring porous); dull with an oily feel; scented when freshly cut. Heartwood is rated as very durable with respect to decay fungi and termites; not immune to marine borers. Silica content variable, up to 1.4% is reported. Dust may cause skin irritations.
Drying and Shrinkage: Seasons slowly but with little or no degrade, large variations in drying rates reported. Kiln schedule T10-D4S is suggested for 4/4 stock and T8-D3S for 8/4. Shrinkage green to ovendry: radial 2.5%; tangential 5.8%; volumetric 7.0%. Movement in service is rated as small. High resistance to water absorption.
Weight: Basic specific gravity (ovendry weight/green volume) 0.55; air-dry density 40 pcf. Janka side hardness 1,000 to 1,155 lb for dry material. Forest Products Laboratory toughness 116 in.-lb average for green and dry wood (5/8-in. specimen).
Working Properties: Easily worked with both hand and machine tools and dresses to a very smooth finish if tools are kept sharp; the presence of silica often dulls tools. Finishing and gluing are satisfactory, although pre-treatment may be necessary to ensure good bonding of finishes and glues. As noted, may cause dermatitis in some individuals.
Uses: Shipbuilding, joinery, furniture, flooring, carving, cabinetwork, paneling, turnery, tanks and vats, fixtures requiring high resistance to acids.

For valuable information regarding native teak and plantation grown teak, a comparison study by the USDA Forest Service Forest Products Laboratory evaluates the weathering performance (dimensional stability, warping, surface checking, splitting and erosion rate) in outdoor/marine conditions of ten tropical hardwoods along with naturally grown teak from Burma and plantation grown teak from Central America.

To view a copy of the full report, a PDF document, click on the following link: http://www.fpl.fs.fed.us/documnts/pdf2001/willi01d.pdf

The report documents the following differences: Density (kg/m3) - Burma Teak 640, Plantation Teak 730; Volumetric swelling from 30-90% humidity - Burma Teak 4.4%, Plantation Teak 5.0%; Color change after UV and intermittent water exposure 600 hours - Burma Teak moderate, Plantation Teak severe; UV and H20 exposure 2400 hours - Burma Teak severe, plantation teak severe. Surface roughness after UV and intermittent water exposure 600 hours - Burma Teak moderate, Plantation teak slight change; surface roughness exposure 2400 hours - Burma Teak moderate to severe, Plantation teak - slight change to moderate.