Merbau

An excellent choice for when selecting a high quality, exotic hardwood species.

Merbau grows in the Indo-Malayan region, as well as in the Philippines, Indonesia, Australia, and many of the western Pacific islands. "Merbau" is the Malayan term for this wood. When freshly cut, the heartwood of merbau is a yellowish to orange-brown color, but then darkens to brown or red brown. The grain of this coarse-textured wood varies from straight to interlocked or wavy. One of the distinctive properties of this wood is that surface of the boards may have yellow "flecking" in the pores; thus, when finished, the wood may appear almost flecked with gold.

Merbau is almost as stable as teak. And although comparable to hickory in strength, merbau has a much lower density. Merbau is one of the most hard and durable wood floor options. It is just under one third harder than red oak, and is roughly eighteen percent harder than hard maple.