Durable Wood | Types of Hardwood | Most durable wood

What wood is best for your exterior project? Most Durable Wood, Types of Hardwood and more

We have compiled a series of league tables to help compare and rate the properties of wood. All of our assessments are based on kiln dried timber (with the exception of the Green Oak and the Season Oak) starting from sawn, square edged boards.

These tables can be beneficial when attempting to choose a wood for a particular application. Here we look at durability of commonly available timbers here in the UK. These are timbers we offer on our website, available for a wide range of products.

To make this assessment we have considered a number of factors; firstly we gave each timber a rating in terms of its resistance to decay. We then added a rating based on its density/weight. These combined factors enabled us to rate the timbers, not only in terms of their longevity when exposed to the elements, but also their ability to withstand impact when used in high traffic areas.

As an example; Western Red Cedar is naturally very durable but it is lightweight, soft and therefore will bruise easily. This brings its overall rating (for the purposes of this table) to a modest 12^th. Western red cedar is still, however, extremely good for cladding and external frames (Cedar is often used for timber greenhouses). It is not considered ideal where water will sit or directly impact the wood – such as for thresholds or cills.

What wood is best for decking?

This table is ideal to identify which timbers that are best for decking, or high traffic areas. The species at the top of our table are, not only highly resistant to decay, but they are very heavy, hard and dense. These are therefore ideal timbers for decking.

Even the wood species that don’t perform well on this table can be transformed into a durable option through various treatment procedures. Click here to read more about timber treatment.

For more about wood click here.

PLEASE NOTE: The information provided in this table if for guidance purposes only and no scientific experiments have been conducted by Wooduchoose. This is based on our extensive experience and knowledge of the timber species shown.  

To download this table as a PDF please click here.

Here are some recommended publlications to help with using wood. 

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For more on what timber is best for which applications please do not hesitate to contact us – info@wooduchoose.com