IPE - What is Ipe?
Ipe is often referred to as one of the hardest woods known to man, Ipe will outlast most all other decking products on the market. It's rich and warm appearance is arguably the most attractive decking that exists.
Ipe (aka. Ironwood) is one of many commercial names used for the the imposing Lapacho group of trees from the various species of Tabebuia.The trees generally grow from 140 to 150 feet, but some can reach heights of 200 feet. Some other common names for the trees from this group include Bethbara and Lapacho, and a host of names used in the countries where the trees grow. The trees are mostly found in Brazil as well as throughout Central and South America and some of the Lesser Antilles.
Ipe has strong, tough resilient properties which make it an excellent material and increasingly popular choice for commercial/residential decking and outdoor furniture. Ipe is prized for its stability, durability, strength and natural resistance to decay, wet conditions, and infestation by termites and borers. It is available in long lengths and relatively easy to season. Ipe has a Class A fire rating, the same rating given to concrete and steel.
Ipe's heartwood is olive brown to black and usually features striping. The sapwood is much lighter, usually white or yellow. It's extreme density makes it difficult to cut and plane. High quality Carbide tipped blades are recommended when cutting. Pre-drilling is highly recommended when surface fastening to minimize checking.
Our Ipe decking is harvested from the Northern Region of Brazil which produces the dark and extremely dense lumber that is sought after in the market. Ipe originating from the Mato Grosso and Rondonia states in Brazil tend to be much lighter in colour and less dense. If you’re seeking top grade, deep rich coloured, and dense Ipe decking we’re your source.
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Ipe and the Environment
Quality Timber Supplies are dedicated to ensuring that its Ipe supplying mills adhere to the strict guidelines for responsible forestry management set forth by the Brazilian Government and IBAMA. Because we contract from a few select mills, instead of purchasing in the open market, we're able to maintain tighter control on where logs are being sourced and the activity surrounding sustainable forestry practices.
Ipe decking and other tropical wood species originating from Brazil are harvested under strict guidelines from IBAMA. IBAMA is the Federal governing body over agriculture and forestry in the country of Brazil. One of their responsibilities is to enforce the management and environmental impact of logging. Timber companies must submit project plans and approved projects will receive permits to log certain species only in specific regions. These projects include information on what specie, tree size, and total volume in targeted logging areas for harvest. Once a permit is issued, the timber company is authorized to take only what is approved by IBAMA relative to the permit. In this scenario, a paper trail is created from forest to finished product to export per timber company.
Brief summary of process
1. Logging Company scouts the forest for stands.
2. Upon determining what species to harvest, the individual trees are tagged with GPS coordinates.
3. An "harvest project plan" is then submitted to IBAMA (Brazil's governing body of forestry/agriculture) outlining how many trees and what species they wish to take.
4. IBAMA will then submit or deny permitting based on their guidelines of sustainable forestry management.
5. Once the permit has been issued, it is broken down by specie, size of tree, and estimated yield.
6. Everything produced in finished product for export must match the initial permit given for the log or it will not be liberated for export and the mill could subsequently be shut down.( 13 mills were shut down last year for not adhering to IBAMA guidelines.)
This aerial photo depicts a selective cutting project where a concentration of logs
were taken in specific area.