Red Balau - Bangkirai hardwood

Red Balau is not a new decking product. In fact you have probably already seen it in other products. The Shorea genus brings us a multitude of products known by other names.

Red Balau is just one of the species in the Shorea genus and has been on the market as a decking product for many years as well. It is an excellent tropical decking solution with superior insect and rot resistance.

It is hard and durable and much more color consistent than other tropical decking species like Meranti, Ipe and Cumaru. The grain is tight with smaller pores and despite its interlocked grain, so you won’t find the striping and raised grain common with other products. Best of all it is a beautiful, rich reddish brown decking board that is clear of defects, so you have much less waste during the installation.

Red Balau not only is a beautiful and durable alternative to Meranti, Ipe or Cumaru, but it can often be obtained much cheaper! The key difference with our Red Balau and the popular Meranti decking products is that we source a specific species of the Shorea genus, and therefore can give you a much more consistent color match between boards. Most Meranti decking is a conglomeration of multiple Shorea species with variegated grain and color.

All our Red Balau decking is from sustainable, permanent forests, and is available with FSC certification.

Names: Bangkirai / Red Balau / Damar Laut / Selangan Batu / Shorea atrivernosa
Origin: Indonesia and Maleisia
Color: Brown red
Hardness Janka: 7.300 N
Application class: 4
Durability class: 2 - durable - 15-25 years