Species data
Ipe
Handroanthus serratifolius - a hardwood from tropical Central and South America. Also sold as lapacho, brazilian walnut.
Properties at a glance
| Janka hardness | 3,490 lbf |
| Stiffness (MOE) | 3,089,000 psi |
| Specific gravity | 1.05 |
| Density | 65.5 lb/ft3 (1,050 kg/m3) |
| Weight per board foot | 5.46 lb |
| Shrinkage, green to oven-dry | 7.1% tangential / 5.5% radial |
| Indicative price | $12.00 per board foot (estimated) |
Values are at about 12% moisture content. Density is specific gravity times 62.4; a board foot is one twelfth of a cubic foot, so weight per board foot is that density divided by twelve. Anything marked estimated is our own figure, not a measured one.
How Ipe compares
Measured against the 113 solid woods in this database: it is harder than 98% of them, heavier than 96%, and stiffer than 98%. Hard enough to be tough on edges and on machinery. At this density a full sheet or a long board gets heavy fast; check the shelf-sag and weight tools before you size anything.
What that means in the shop
A 4/4 board 8 inches wide and 8 feet long is 5.33 board feet, so in Ipe it weighs about 29.1 lb. A stack of ten is 291 lb - worth knowing before you load a rack or a car.
Against red oak, the trade's usual yardstick at 1,220 lbf, Ipe is about 2.9x as hard and 1.50x as heavy.
Its shrinkage is 7.1% tangential against 5.5% radial, a ratio of 1.3 to 1. The wider that ratio, the more unevenly a flatsawn board moves across its width as humidity changes, and the more it wants to cup; anything near or above 2 to 1 is worth quartersawing or restraining for panels and wide tops. This one moves comparatively evenly.
Woods of similar hardness
Closest to Ipe on hardness in this database: Cumaru (3,330 lbf), African Blackwood (3,670 lbf), Pink Ivory (3,230 lbf), Massaranduba (3,130 lbf). Similar hardness does not mean similar behaviour - check density and movement before substituting one for another.
Working with it
Workability. So hard and dense, cutting is slow and edges dull quickly; bonds badly and tears at interlocked grain
Durability. Shrugs off rot and insects and weathers outstandingly, though marine borers can attack it
Typical uses. decking, flooring, exterior lumber, tool handles, turned objects, veneer.
Related calculators
Sources
MOE, SG (12% MC), Janka and shrinkage from The Wood Database (cites USDA FPL Wood Handbook). Ipe is not listed in the FPL/Hoadley dimensional change coefficient table, so CT/CR are omitted. Uses, region, durability and workability summarized from The Wood Database. Price indicative.
These calculators are for planning and estimation. Engineering results (shelf sag, wood movement) use published average material properties; real boards vary by grade, grain, moisture and defects. Verify load-bearing designs with a professional.