Ipe Decking Information

Discover More About Ipe Decking:
Ipe Decking	Photos	Specs	Install Instructions	Price

Ipe (pronounced EE-pay) is the finest quality wood available. From the Atlantic City Boardwalk, to Las Vegas' Resort Hotel Treasure Island, to your own backyard, nothing keeps it's integrity or lasts as long as Ipe Decking. Ipe is an exotic hardwood that is naturally resistant to rot and decay, is 8 times harder than California Redwood, and is guaranteed for 20 years without preservatives!  Our Ipe Decking is responsibly harvested from managed forest to provide a truly renewable resource. Ipe has many benefits over teak and is available at a fraction of the cost. We ship our Ipe decking products direct to your home or jobsite.

Click here for the Ipe Decking online price list.

Ipe Deck With A Pool

Ipe Decking Specs

Botanical Name:  Tabebuia spp. (Lapacho group)

Common Name:  Ipe

Other Common Names:  Brazilian Walnut, Amapa, Cortez, Guayacan polvillo, Flor Amarillo, Greenheart, Madera negra, Tahuari, Lapacho negro

Common Trade Names:   Pau Lope, Diamond Decking, Ironwood, and many others.

General Characteristics: Dark brown walnut color.  Gives a green dust when cut.  The texture is fine to medium.  The tree may grow to 150 feet in height with trunk diameters of 6 ft.   Frequently to heights of 100 ft an diameters of 2 to 3 ft.  Boles are clear to 60 ft and more.

Weight:  Basic specific gravity (ovendry weight/green volume) 0.85 to 0.97, air dry density 66 to 75 pounds per cubic foot.  A 3/4" thick finish material weights aprox 4.5 pounds per square foot.

Moisture Content of Decking:  Air dried to aprox 12% for use on exterior projects. (We also sell Kiln dried material for interior use, do not use kiln dried for exterior use as it will expand.  Air dried inside will shrink.)

Janka side hardness:   3,060 lb for green material and 3,680 lb at 12" moisture content. 

Bending Strength:   22,560 psi

Maximum Crushing strength: 10,350 psi

STRENGTH - ASTM-D143 tested; Three times stronger than Cedar, our Ipe Decking exceeds all existing code requirements for exterior constructions.

Forest Products Laboratory toughness average for green and dry material = 404 in.-lb (5/8" specimen.)

Drying and shrinkage (green to ovendry): Radial 6.6%, tangential 8.0%, volumetric 13.2%.   Movement after manufacture is rated as small.  Typical movement for a air dried decking board 6" wide board is 1/16" in between seasons.

Working Poperties:  Has a blunting effect on cutters, use of carbide tipped saw blades is necessary.  Routs nicely.  Must be predrilled for fastening.

Distribution:  Throughout the continental tropical America and some of the lesser Antilles.  The tree grows on a variety of sites from ridge tops to riverbanks and marsh forest.  Our Ipe is responsible harvested from managed forest.  We also support extensive replanting programs.  Ipe is as widespread in tropical America as Yellow Pine is in the United States.

Durability:  Heartwood is very resistant to attack by decay fungi, mod, and termites.  Last 40+ years left untreated, up to 100 years with deck oil applied to surface.  U.S. FOREST PRODUCTS LABORATORY - Class ( Very Durable - 25 years ) This is the highest rating available from the forest laboratory.

Uses: Exterior Decking, Benches, Adirondack furniture, Truck and Fishing vessel flooring, fine interior cabinetry and flooring, Archery Bows, Heavy marine dock construction.

TERMITE RESISTANCE - U.S. NAVAL RESEARCH LABORATORY - ( 15 years in ground without attack by termites ) Highest Rating.  

HARDNESS - ASTM-D143 tested; Approximately seven times harder than Cedar, our Ipe decking stands up to the harshest conditions imaginable.

SLIP RESISTANCE - ASTM-C1028-89 tested; Our Ipe Decking exceeds the  Americans with Disabilities Act requirements for Static Coefficient of friction in a wet environment

Compare the available decking woods. Read the following comparison and then give us a call1.877.232.3915. By any measure (hardness, strength, durability, appearance), our Ipe Decking is clearly the superior decking material across the board. Don't take our word for it, ask for a sample. Our Ipe Decking speaks for itself! All Ipe decking is not the same.  Our mills in Brazil cut only the finest logs for our decking production.
We stock Ipe Decking boards up to 20 foot long!!!

Finished Deck	Unfinished Deck (weathered)
Applying U.V. Plus for Hardwood Decks will protect and condition your Ipe deck while also maintaining a natural appearance.  The finish is NOT a stain but a protectant for the wood. The Ipe will darken slighty with the application of the decking oil, but will not stain the wood. The U.V. inhibitor will prevent your deck from fading in the sun.	If you choose to not "finish" your Ipe deck it will naturally fade in the sunlight. Your Ipe deck will maintain its integrity and will NOT rot, splinter, or decay. Your Ipe deck will just turn a fine silver-gray color .
Either one of these options is a good choice when it comes to your Ipe deck. It is just a matter of taste weather or not you choose to "finish" your Ipe deck. Please feel free to ask any of our salesmen additional questions if you may have them.

Note:  Ipe Is a very strong material.  The joist spacing shown is very conservative and designed to pass most area building codes and to have nearly zero deflection under standard loads.  The joist spacing shown is also valid if the decking is laid in a diagonal patern to the joist.  The spans shown are typically used even with heavy loads such as hot tubs.

Check out our new website for Ipe Decking.  Go to www.IpeDepot.com The largest Ipe Decking resource on the web.

Click HERE to go to the Ipe Decking price list.

Find out why Ipe Decking is the perfect decking material in our Ipe Decking Reviews.

Be Sure To Visit Our Ipe Flooring Sale

Click HERE to see the special Ipe Installation process!