Jarrah Decking

With its rich red to deep brown colour and attractive grain pattern, jarrah is one of Australia’s most prized timbers. A Western Australia native, jarrah is a tall and stately tree that grows to a height of up to 40 metres and can have a trunk of up to 3 metres in diameter. Often chosen for indoor use, jarrah is also a popular decking timber. How does jarrah decking stand up to other decking timbers?

With a rating of 8.5, jarrah is a dense timber, but still soft enough to work with relatively easily with sharp tools. Unlike merbau and some other decking timbers, jarrah is not overly oily. It can be sanded smooth and covered with a transparent finish, producing a gleaming surface that is the pride of many Australian homes.

Jarrah is a Class 1 timber for above ground use, but only a Class 3 timber for use at ground level and is often considered a Class 2 timber overall. This makes it less suitable for decking than Class 1 timbers such as blackbutt, cypress pine, red gum, spotted gum and tallow wood. In practical terms, a Class 2 timber will last about 25 years, while a Class 1 timber can last 50 years or more. However, jarrah has excellent termite resistance and can still be an excellent decking timber.

Although jarrah grows only in parts of Western Australia, it is currently not under threat thanks to responsible, sustainable harvesting.