Species data
Teak
Tectona grandis - a hardwood from native to southern Asia; widely plantation-grown across the tropics. Also sold as burmese teak, genuine teak.
Properties at a glance
| Janka hardness | 1,070 lbf |
| Stiffness (MOE) | 1,781,000 psi |
| Specific gravity | 0.66 |
| Density | 41.2 lb/ft3 (660 kg/m3) |
| Weight per board foot | 3.43 lb |
| Shrinkage, green to oven-dry | 5.3% tangential / 2.6% radial |
| Indicative price | $30.00 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 Teak compares
Measured against the 113 solid woods in this database: it is harder than 52% of them, heavier than 55%, and stiffer than 67%.
What that means in the shop
A 4/4 board 8 inches wide and 8 feet long is 5.33 board feet, so in Teak it weighs about 18.3 lb. A stack of ten is 183 lb - worth knowing before you load a rack or a car.
Against red oak, the trade's usual yardstick at 1,220 lbf, Teak is about 88% as hard and 94% as heavy.
Its shrinkage is 5.3% tangential against 2.6% radial, a ratio of 2.0 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 sits in that range.
Woods of similar hardness
Closest to Teak on hardness in this database: American Holly (1,020 lbf), Black Walnut (1,010 lbf), Chestnut Oak (1,130 lbf), Anigre (990 lbf). Similar hardness does not mean similar behaviour - check density and movement before substituting one for another.
Working with it
Workability. Mostly easy, though its silica dulls edges; despite natural oils it usually glues and finishes well
Durability. Very durable, often cited as a yardstick for decay resistance
Typical uses. boatbuilding, exterior construction, furniture, carving, turnings, veneer.
Related calculators
Sources
MOE, SG (12% MC), Janka and shrinkage from The Wood Database (cites USDA FPL Wood Handbook). Teak 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.