Plantation Teak Specs
- Common Names
- Teak, genuine teak
- Scientific Name
- Tectona grandis
- Origin
- Native to southern Asia; widely grown on plantations throughout tropical regions of Africa, Asia, and Latin America.
- Appearance
- Heartwood tends to be a golden or medium brown, with color darkening with age. Grain is straight, though it can occasionally be wavy or interlocked. Coarse, uneven texture and moderate to low natural luster. Raw, unfinished wood surfaces have a slightly oily or greasy feel due to natural oils.
- Avg. Dried Weight
- 41 lbs/ft3 (655 kg/m3)
- Janka Hardness
- 1070 lbf
- Modulus of Rupture
- 14,080 lbf/in2 (97.1 MPa)
- Elastic Modulus
- 1,781,000 lbf/in2 (12.28 GPa)
- Crushing Strength
- 7,940 lbf/in2 (54.8 MPa)
- Shrinkage
- Radial: 2.6%, Tangential: 5.3%
- Durability
- Teak has been considered by many to be the gold standard for decay resistance, and its heartwood is rated as very durable. Teak is also resistant to termites, though it is only moderately resistant to marine borers and powder post beetles.
- Workability
- Easy to work in nearly all regards, with the only caveat being that teak contains a high level of silica (up to 1.4%) which has a pronounced blunting effect on cutting edges. Despite its natural oils, teak usually glues and finishes well, though in some instances it may be necessary to wipe the surface of the wood with a solvent prior to gluing/finishing to reduce the natural oils on the surface of the wood.
Plantation Teak Grading
Teak wood comes in three grades:
- FEQ: The highest grade of Teak available. Mostly clear boards, virtually free of sapwood. Wavy grain less than 5%. Free of pitch, bark, open knots. The market standard for high end yacht building were near perfect long/clear boards are demanded.
- Premium: Mostly clear on one or more faces. No open knots, but small tight knots and pin knots are allowed. Best face to contain 95% or more of heartwood. Back face may allow a higher amount of sapwood and natural defects.
- Select/Common: A mix of select boards and #1 common boards. Select/common boards are great for most furniture projects. Boards may have a high percentage of clear cutting on one face, but one or more faces may also contain some sapwood, solid knots, bug holes, or wavy grain.
Only naturally occurring Burmese Teak produces FEQ grade lumber. Plantation Teak is only available in Premium and Select/Common grades.