Overview
The common name “jarrah” is also the aboriginal word for both the tree and timber. Jarrah timber reflects the tones of the southwest WA landscape from where it comes from, with very deep red colours seen in the heartwood. Jarrah has an attractive grain with some incidence of wavy or interlocking grain occurring, and a moderately coarse texture. Jarrah timber is quite similar to red ironbark in which it is a very dense and hard timber, both sharing the deep red colours. Jarrah is also naturally weather, rot, termite and marine borer resistant making it a highly durable timber for outdoor purposes, however the sapwood of the timber is Lyctid borer susceptible, so the sapwood present in decking may sometimes be treated. Jarrah availability is somewhat limited due to the slow growth of the trees and the fact the timber can only be sourced from old growth forest and native forest regrowth in WA. It’s for this reason jarrah decking is usually sourced from recycled means when obtainable.
Pros & Cons
| PROS | CONS |
|---|---|
| Highly durable and dense | Limited availability |
| Rot, termite and weather resistant | Sourced from old growth forests |
| Retains natural colour for longer due to close grain | Expensive |
| Little tannin leach | Requires pre-drilling |
| Mostly supplied in random lengths | |
| Lyctid borer susceptible |
Properties
| Name | Eucalyptus Marginata |
|---|---|
| Colour (Heartwood) | Deep brown and reds |
| Colour (Sapwood) | Pale yellow to pink orange |
| Durability | Class 2 |
| Density | 820 kg/m3 |
| Hardness | Janka rating 8.5 |
| Checking rating | |
| Shrinkage rating | |
| Availability | Limited Availability |
| BAL Rating | 12.5 19 |
| Termite Resistant | YES |
| Lyctid Borer Susceptible | YES |
| Tannin Leach | Little |
| Origin | WA |
