Ipe (Tabebuia spp., lapacho group) in numbers: hardness, weight, strength, shrinkage, movement and decay resistance, taken from the tables of the USDA Forest Products Laboratory’s Wood Handbook, followed by what the wood is like to work and what it is used for. The values are averages from small, clear, straight-grained test specimens; real boards with knots, sloping grain or a different moisture content will differ.
| Property | Ipe |
|---|---|
| Janka side hardness, 12% moisture | 3,680 lbf (16,369 N) |
| Janka side hardness, green | 3,060 lbf |
| Hardness rank | harder than 166 of the 168 woods with a 12% hardness value in our database |
| Density at 12% moisture | 64.0 lb/ft³ (1,025 kg/m³)† |
| Weight per board foot (12%) | 5.33 lb† |
| Specific gravity (ovendry weight, green volume) | 0.92 |
| Specific gravity at 12% moisture | 0.92† |
| Bending strength (modulus of rupture), 12% | 25,400 psi |
| Stiffness (modulus of elasticity), 12% | 3.14 million psi |
| Crushing strength (compression parallel to grain), 12% | 13,010 psi |
| Shrinkage green to ovendry: radial / tangential / volumetric | 6.6% / 8.0% / 13.2% |
| Tangential / radial shrinkage ratio | 1.21 |
| Dimensional change per 1% moisture (radial / tangential) | not reported |
| Heartwood decay resistance | very resistant |
What it is
Ipe is the common name for the lapacho group of Tabebuia, about 20 species found in practically every Latin American country except Chile; it is also sold as guayacan and lapacho. The sapwood is wide and yellowish gray to gray-brown, sharply different from the light to dark olive-brown heartwood. The texture is fine to medium and the grain straight to very irregular, often narrowly interlocked.
Working properties
Ipe is very heavy: the Handbook gives an average of about 64 lb/ft³ at 12% moisture content, and air-dried heartwood generally sinks in water. Its hardness is two to three times that of white oak. Because of its density it is moderately difficult to machine, though it can be brought to a glassy surface; pre-drill for every fastener. The heartwood is highly resistant to decay and to subterranean and drywood termites, but susceptible to marine borers.
Weight and density
At 12% moisture content ipe weighs about 64.0 lb per cubic foot (estimated from its specific gravity and shrinkage), so one board foot (144 cubic inches) weighs about 5.33 lb. An 8 ft board of actual size 3/4 × 5-1/2 in. (a 1×6) holds 0.229 cubic feet and weighs about 14.7 lb; an 8 ft piece 1-1/2 × 3-1/2 in. (a 2×4 size) weighs about 18.7 lb. Green wood is much heavier because of the water it holds.
Density here is ovendry weight plus 12% water, divided by volume at 12% moisture content (Wood Handbook Eq. 4-12: density = specific gravity at 12% × 62.43 lb/ft³ × 1.12).
How it compares
| Species | Janka (lbf) | Density (lb/ft³) | Bending (psi) | Stiffness (Mpsi) | Tangential shrink (%) | Decay resistance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ipe | 3,680 | 64.0† | 25,400 | 3.14 | 8.0 | very resistant |
| Courbaril (jatoba) | 2,350 | 53.8* | 19,400 | 2.16 | 8.5 | resistant |
| Purpleheart | 1,860 | 49.8* | 19,200 | 2.27 | 6.1 | very resistant |
| Teak | 1,000 | 40.1* | 14,600 | 1.55 | 5.8 | very resistant (old growth); moderately resistant (young growth) |
| White oak | 1,360 | 47.5 | 15,200 | 1.78 | 10.5 | resistant |
| Shagbark hickory | 1,880 | 50.3 | 20,200 | 2.16 | 10.5 | slightly or nonresistant |
Uses
Heavy-duty and durable construction: decks, truck and boxcar flooring, railroad ties, turnery, tool handles and decorative veneer.
Frequently asked questions
What is the Janka hardness of ipe?
The Wood Handbook gives a side hardness of 3,680 lbf (16,369 N) for ipe at 12% moisture content, about 2.7 times white oak.
Does ipe float?
Usually not when air-dried. The Handbook reports an average density of about 64 lb/ft³ at 12% moisture content, heavier than water at 62.4 lb/ft³, and notes that thoroughly air-dried heartwood generally sinks.
Is ipe rot resistant?
Yes. Ipe heartwood is in the very resistant decay class and resists subterranean and drywood termites. It is not resistant to marine borers.
Sources
- USDA Forest Products Laboratory. Wood Handbook: Wood as an Engineering Material. General Technical Report FPL-GTR-190, 2010. Chapter 2 (species descriptions), Chapter 4 (Tables 4-3, 4-4 shrinkage; Eq. 4-7, 4-9, 4-12 density), Chapter 5 (Tables 5-3b, 5-5b strength and hardness), Chapter 13 (Table 13-5 dimensional change coefficients), Chapter 14 (Table 14-1 decay resistance)
- USDA Forest Products Laboratory. Wood Handbook, 2021 edition (FPL-GTR-282)
Last reviewed: 22 October 2026. Numbers are generated from our parsed copy of the Handbook tables, so every page uses the same data. Values marked * are estimates computed with the Handbook’s own equations. Spotted an error? Please let us know.