Teak

Teak is the wood of Tectona grandis, a large deciduous tree native to the monsoon forests of South and Southeast Asia — chiefly India, Myanmar (Burma), Laos, and Thailand — and now grown on plantations throughout the tropics, from Africa to Central and South America. It is one of the world's most renowned utility and cabinet timbers, and for generations 'Burmese teak' has been the benchmark against which other durable hardwoods are measured.

At a glance the timber is a warm golden-brown to medium brown, with a straight to slightly wavy grain, a medium (somewhat coarse) but even texture, and an oily or waxy feel — exactly as seen on our sample. What sets teak apart is chemistry: its heartwood is loaded with natural oils and silica that give it outstanding resistance to water, rot, and insects with little or no finishing. That combination of stability, durability, and moderate weight is why it became the traditional wood for ship decks and outdoor furniture.

The heartwood ranges from golden to a warm honey-brown, often with darker brown or chocolate streaks, and mellows to a rich mid-brown as it ages; freshly milled stock can show an olive cast that oxidizes toward gold. Left outdoors and unfinished it weathers to a soft silver-grey. Sapwood is clearly distinct — pale yellow to whitish — and is usually cut away. Grain is typically straight but can be wavy or interlocked, giving ribbon-stripe or mottled figure, and the surface has a low, slightly oily luster. The wood often feels greasy and can leave an oily residue.

Teak is a medium-density, medium-hard wood, with a Janka hardness around 1,070 lbf — roughly comparable to black walnut and below white oak. It is not an especially hard wood, but it is strong for its weight, remarkably stable in service, and moves very little with changes in humidity.

Its standout property is natural durability: the heartwood is rated very durable, highly resistant to decay, fungi, marine borers, and termites even in wet and ground-contact conditions, thanks to natural oils and rubber-like extractives. The sapwood, by contrast, is not durable. The silica content that helps protect the wood is also what dulls tools quickly.

Teak's traditional home is on and near the water: ship and boat decking, rails, trim, and marine joinery, where its dimensional stability and rot resistance and its non-slip, low-splinter surface are hard to beat. It is equally the default wood for high-end outdoor and garden furniture, which can be left unfinished to weather naturally.

Beyond that it is a premier furniture and cabinet wood — indoor furniture, the classic mid-century Danish-modern pieces, doors, and architectural millwork — as well as flooring, veneer, and decorative paneling. Its durability suits it to window frames, garden structures, and countertops, and it turns and carves well for smaller work. It has also long been used for chemical and laboratory bench tops because it resists many acids.

Teak works fairly well with both hand and machine tools, but its high silica content has a strong blunting effect on edges, so carbide tooling is preferred and cutters need frequent sharpening. Straight-grained stock planes and machines cleanly; interlocked or wavy grain can tear out, so reduced cutting angles help. It nails and screws adequately, though pre-boring is wise given its density.

The natural oiliness is the main finishing challenge: it can interfere with glue bonds and slow the curing of some finishes, so surfaces should be wiped with a solvent (such as acetone) immediately before gluing or finishing. Once prepared it takes oil finishes especially well and can be polished to a fine surface, though many outdoor pieces are simply left to grey. It bends moderately and holds detail reasonably for its texture.

On safety: teak is a recognized sensitizer. Its dust can cause skin irritation and allergic dermatitis, along with eye and respiratory irritation, and has been associated with other reactions in sensitive workers; use effective dust extraction and a respirator. Tectona grandis is not listed under CITES, so trade in the species itself is unrestricted.

Genuine teak is one of the most expensive commonly available hardwoods. Old-growth Burmese teak commands the highest prices and is increasingly scarce and ethically fraught, while plantation-grown teak from Africa, Central and South America, and Southeast Asia is more widely available and more affordable, though often lighter in color and less oily than slow-grown wild stock. It is sold through specialty hardwood, marine, and outdoor-furniture suppliers rather than general lumberyards, and reclaimed teak (from old buildings and boats) is a popular premium source.

Tectona grandis is not CITES-listed, and it is not classed as globally threatened, so the tree species itself is not endangered. However, natural old-growth teak forests — especially in Myanmar — are under heavy pressure, and Burmese teak carries genuine legality and sustainability concerns (including trade sanctions in some markets). Buyers should favor FSC-certified or verified plantation and reclaimed material to ensure legal, sustainable sourcing.