Buyers guide - A wise read for Teak outdoor furniture buyers everywhere

Teak (tectona grandis) is one of the most valuable timbers in the World and for good reason. The mature tree gives harvest to timber that is strong, beautiful and has superior properties of great durability and resistance to fungal and insect attack. Like all trees, the timber harvested is in two forms, Sapwood and Heartwood. There is a huge difference between Sapwood and Heartwood teak.

Heartwood from mature trees is the highest quality and most expensive Teak timber money can buy. It is deep golden to brown in colour and often streaky with dark lines seperating the annual rings. It is the only Teak that Teakita LTD use. We purchase the mature logs at auction from Perum Perhutani - the Indonesian government agency responsible for sustainable forestry.

The demand for quality logs from mature tress with long lengths and wider girths means they are upto 10 times more expensive. These are the logs that we buy buy and most high quality Teak manufacturers buy. The Teak logs from immature trees with high sapwood content, low oil content and generally weak unattractive timber are bought by manufacturers who sell cheap, inferior Teak furniture. This timber is normally used in general construction around Asia but has recently started being used to make cheap Teak furniture because of the huge cost savings. Inferior furniture made from this cheap Teak has NO price comparisons in the UK to normal high quality Teak in better Garden centres and department stores because it is so different in its properties. Inferior furniture constructed from this cheap Teak even when finished reasonably well is still inferior furniture and creates problems for the with high failure rates.