General Characteristics

Installation Guidelines

Structural & Decking Span Values

Mechanical Properties

Comparison Chart

An incredibly durable Brazilian Hardwood rated by the US Forest Lab for 25 years plus. Naturally resistant to fire (rated class A by the NFPA or class 1 by the UBC) insects, moisture, and movement, this air dried hardwood (16-20%) is perfect for exterior commercial and residential applications such as decks, docks, or exterior furniture. In service for over 25 years from Diner Key Marina in Miami, to the Atlantic City Boardwalk, IPÊ has proven durability. It can be sealed to maintain its natural beauty or it can be allowed to weather to be a beautiful silver gray.

It is available in a variety of standard dimensional lumber sizes and can be used for entire projects. It is easily cut with standard carbide tipped blades but requires pre-drilling and screwing with stainless steel screws. Hidden fastening systems are also available. Standard decking size is 4/4 material (net 3/4"  thickness) not 5/4 or 8/4 and on 24" centers the 4/4 material will provide a 100 lb live load rating far surpassing any cedar, redwood or CCA pressure treated material. It has a hardness rating of 3640 Janka, almost 3 times that of northern Red Oak at 1260 Janka.  IPÊ also resists surface checking and is naturally resistant to molds, which are the two most destructive forces to the face of decks.

When compared to other decking materials such as redwood, cedar, or copper chromium arsenate pressure treated materials, IPÊ gives longer life (3-5 times the life span), stronger resistance to fire, weather, insects and movement and is competitively priced with high grades of cedar and redwood. If you compare the one time cost of IPÊ to the 3-5 times you replace other materials over the life span of IPÊ, the value of IPÊ becomes very clear!

It is the best timber product for exterior usage, period!

GENERAL CHARACTERISTICS

Tabebuis spp.  (Lapacho Group)
Ipe, Bethabara, Lapacho, 

Family: Bignoniaceae

Other Common Names: Amapa (Mexico), Cortez (Honduras,, Nicaragua, Costa Rica), Guayacan (Panama), Guayacan polvillo (Columbia), Flor Amarillo (Venezuela), Greenhart (Surinam), Madera negra (Ecuador), Tahuari (Peru), IN (Brazil), Lapacho negro (Paraguay, Argentina).

Distribution: Throughout continental tropical America and some of the Lesser Antilles. The Tree grows on a variety of sites, from ridge tops to riverbanks and marsh forests.

The Tree: May grow to 140 to 150 ft in height with trunk diameter of 6 ft. Frequently to heights of 100 ft and diameters of 2 to 3 ft. Boles are clear to 60 ft and more,  with or without buttresses.

The Wood:   Heartwood olive brown to blackish, often with lighter or darker striping, often covered with a yellow powder: sharply demarcated from the whitish or yellowish sapwood. Texture fine to medium; luster low to medium; grain straight to very irregular; rather oily looking; without distinctive odor or taste.

Weight: Basic specific gravity (oven dry weight/green volume) 0.85 to 0.97; air-dry  density 66 to 75 pcf.

Drying and Shrinkage: Generally reported to air-dry with only slight checking and
warping. Kiln schedule T3-C 1 is suggested for 4/4 stock. Shrinkage green to oven dry:
radial 6.6%; tangential 8.0%; volumetric 13.2%. Movement after manufacture is rated as small.

Working Properties: Moderately difficult to work especially with hand tools; has a blunting Effect on cutting edges, finishes smoothly except where grain is very roey. The fine yellow dust produced in most operations may cause dermatitis in some workers.

Durability: Heartwood is very resistant to attack by decay fungi and termites; not resistant to Marine borers. T. guayacan, however, is reported to have good resistance in Panama waters.

Preservations: The wood is reported to be extremely resistant to preservation treatments.

Uses: Outdoor furniture and decking, turnery, shingles, home siding as well as railroad crossties, tool handles, industrial flooring, textile mill items, decorative veneers, and more.

See our USES page
for more ideas!

Products, specifications, and techniques shown are meant as a guide to better understanding for the designer, builder, and/or homeowner.

Everwood Decking Partners, Ltd. assumes no liability for and makes no claim to the suitability of any products shown other than to report its history of usage.

It is the sole responsibility of the owner or installer to adequately test for product suitability for a particular application.

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COMPARISON CHART:

MECHANICAL PROPERTIES:
 (First and third sets of data based on the 2-in. standard, the second on the 1-in. standard.)

IPÊ STRUCTURAL TIMBER SPAN VALUES