What people love about Ipe is its natural, superior strength, durability, and the beautiful look of its mid to dark brown tones. When looking at budget-friendly substitutes, you don’t want to lose all the things you favour about Ipe. You want to find an option that offers the same quality characteristics with a similar aesthetic appeal. There are two materials that we believe are perfect for the job.

Yellow Balau

Yellow Balau is often labelled as a budget-friendly Ipe alternative, and of all the options, it’s definitely the cheapest. It possesses all the quality characteristics that you know and love about Ipe, like its excellent durability with an extended life expectancy of 25 – 50 years. Both Yellow Balau and Ipe are incredibly dense timbers which makes them both as equally naturally resistant to fire, water absorption, decay and harmful pests. Whether you’re interested in the 19 x 90mm profile or the 21 x 145mm of Ipe, we stock both profiles in Yellow Balau too, there’s even the options for grooved faces (Castle/Reeded). You’ll also be pleased to know that Yellow Balau is sustainably sourced just like Ipe.

Of course, a lot of the appeal with Ipe comes from its charm, capturing the true essence of natural wood with its varied mid to dark brown pigment. On the lighter side of the spectrum, Yellow Balau is also widely praised for its earthy appearance with the occasional lighter and darker boards. It offers an impressively warm, golden hue similar to the likes of Western Red Cedar which is why for those working on a larger project with Cedar cladding or fencing, the two timbers are generally viewed as a match made in heaven.

Jatoba

A durable, hardwearing, sustainably sourced timber, an ideal option to replace Ipe as your hardwood decking material. It might be slightly pricier than Yellow Balau when looking at cheaper options, but that doesn’t mean it’s not as cost effective since there’s an extremely low volume of natural defects meaning you save on wastage. The brilliant thing about Jatoba as an alternative that you won't find elsewhere is that it’s also available in the hidden fix option. A lot of people know and love this about Ipe decking, drawn in by the ability to have a flush and smooth finish, and if this is you but Ipe is proving to be far too costly, then Jatoba is the way to go. Furthermore, Jatoba has the same FSC certification that Ipe does so you can trust the timber is responsibly soured. However, unlike Yellow Balau, there’s less option when it comes to profile size as we only stock the 21 x 145mm.

While the traditional fascination of this hardwood applies with the varied brown tones across each board, Jatoba has a very unique attraction to it due to its famous rosy tint. That’s why you’ll often find Jatoba referred to as Brazilian Cherry Wood in the indoor flooring industry.

As one of the UK’s leading suppliers of hardwood decking, we’re more than aware that Ipe isn’t the most affordable. That’s why we turn our attentions to the more competitively priced choices like Yellow Balau and Jatoba. When starting a new outdoor project, don’t let the cost of your decking materials be the thing that bankrupts you! Consider the alternatives before you make your decision.

Get your decking today at the price that suits you.