Customers fret over having the best woods when it comes to hardwood floors. Why don't these same concerns carry over into the deck market? How about offering your customers hardwoods as an alternative to the standard wooden decking materials currently on the market? There's a new breed of woods, the "hardwoods" of decking material. These woods, formerly used mainly in the commercial industry, are now crossing over into the residential market. Timber Holdings Ltd. has imported these materials under the Iron Woods trademark for over 35 years.

One famous project constructed of these materials is the Boardwalk in Atlantic City. A few years back my family and I had a chance to walk the Boardwalk. I remember it vividly because I couldn't figure out what type of wood was used for the surface. It appeared to be some type of hardwood, but I couldn't put my finger on it. I later discovered it was Ipe and Cumaru, both woods offered under the Iron Woods name. Other species include Ekki (used in engineered structures, including bridges), Jarrah (great for interior hardwood floors), Macaranduba, Dinizia, and Bangkarai. All of these woods are selectively harvested or farmed in Brazil, Australia, Indonesia and Africa.

These hardwoods feature a 25-year-plus durability rating (Figure 11-15). Along with their incredible strength, hardness and resistance to splintering, they have a natural resistance to chemicals, rot, termites and marine borers. The wood is very dense and heavy. Depending on the species, it can weigh as much as 69 pounds per cubic foot for green material (air dried). To compare that with domestic woods, redwood weighs 28 pounds and Southern pine is 35 pounds. They carry the NFPA (National Fire Protection Association) and UBC (Uniform Building Code) Class A-1 rating (the same as steel or concrete).

Figure 11-15A (below) CCA-treated pine after 5 years on the boardwalk Photo Courtesy of: Timber Holdings, Ltd.

Figure 11-15B (below) Iron Woods decking after 24 years on the boardwalk Photo Courtesy of: Timber Holdings, Ltd.

Interestingly enough, these woods aren't kiln dried. In fact, they're milled after air drying. The wholesaler can expect to receive the product with a moisture content around 18 to 20 percent. I've been told this moisture content helps to minimize expansion. However, the wood will experience some shrinkage -- about ¹/₁₆ inch or less in width for a 4-inch wide board, with no measurable shrinkage in length. Getting a 16-foot stick isn't uncommon (20 feet or longer by special order), and neither is clear all-heart. Iron Woods are available in four grades: FEQ (First Export Quality) All Heart, FEQ First One Face, #2 Second Grade, and FAS (First And Second) Mill Run.

Ipe and Cumaru both have a rich golden-red color which can be maintained with a minimum of oiling. However, if left natural, they turn to a soft silver over a period of months depending on its exposure to the sun. These woods, along with the rest of the Iron Woods family, resist splintering, twisting, cupping, and checking.

Timber Holdings Ltd. is committed to the sustainable management of these unique timbers. They only use sources that are registered with IBAMA (Brazilian Institute for the Environment and Renewable Natural Resources) for harvesting from well-managed, sustained-yield forest lands. They comply with the sustainable forest management guidelines of the ITTO (International Tropical Timber Organization) and Brazilian Forest Code Law 4.771. Using these unique hardwoods gives the standing timber added value. This helps the local economy and provides incentives to properly manage these renewable resources rather than burning them to clear fields for subsistence farming, commercial agriculture, or fuel wood.

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