Considering Ipe vs Black Locust for your deck or other outdoor project? Here’s what you need to know about how Ipe compares to Black Locust.
Background on Ipe vs Black Locust
For the past 20 years, trees marketed as Ipe have been a popular choice for high-end, long-lasting decking boards. Ipe has been prized for its strength, rot-resistance, and attractive appearance. But recently the global population of the 106 different species that comprise Ipe has declined rapidly, heading towards the brink of extinction.
This is mainly because Ipe trees take hundreds of years to grow to a harvestable height. And they can only survive in low-densities, which means forests can only support 1 Ipe tree per several acres.
Environmentally conscious homeowners and landscape architects began seeking a sustainable alternative to Ipe, which has led to the re-birth in the use of Black Locust.
For hundreds of years, Black Locust was ubiquitous in outdoor projects on the east coast of the United States. This included fence posts, foundational timbers, boat building, railroad ties and more. It’s native to most of the Eastern USA and re-grows incredibly quickly, so there is always a renewable supply. Like Ipe, Black Locust is strong, rot-resistant, and attractive. Ironically, it fell out of favor because it re-grows incredibly quickly and at a high-density. In fact, some people consider it an invasive species. And it’s so long-lasting that once it was installed, it would essentially never need to be replaced.
Everything old is new again and today Black Locust is resuming its role as the sustainable wood of choice for outdoor projects. Here’s a breakdown that compares Ipe vs Black Locust. Use this information to decide which product makes sense for your outdoor wood project.
Ipe vs Black Locust Comparison Table
| FACTOR | WINNER | BLACK LOCUST | IPE |
| LIFESPAN | EVEN | Both Ipe and Black Locust will last 30-50 years or more. | |
| RESISTANCE TO ROT | BLACK LOCUST | Both are rot-resistant but for different reasons. | |
| Naturally rot-resistant due to its closed-grain cell structure and presence of anti-fungal compounds in the wood. | Gets its rot-resistance from Silica and harmful chemicals (lapachol, deoxylapachol, lapachenole). | ||
| APPEARANCE | BLACK LOCUST | Both are attractive natural woods, however Ipe lacks grain detail and can’t be stained or painted. |
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| IMPACT ON ENVIRONMENT | BLACK LOCUST | Black Locust grows and re-grows incredibly quickly – just 20-40 years on average to a lumber-producing tree. | Takes hundreds of years to re-grow in low densities. Ipe is trending toward extinction and will likely be included in the CITES list. |
| STRENGTH | IPE | 2 of the strongest woods in existence but Ipe has a tiny edge. | |
| 10,180 MCS (Max Crushing Strength);
1,700 Janka Hardness |
13,000 MCS (Max Crushing Strength) 3,600 Janka |
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| SAFETY | BLACK LOCUST | No safety concerns with the sawdust. The wood is easy to work with and does not damage drill bits or blades. | Ipe sawdust is considered toxic due to silica and toxic chemicals. Installers should use protective equipment to avoid potential infection. It also damages saw blades and drill bits. |
| COST | BLACK LOCUST | Ipe prices vary by provider, but worldwide supply of Ipe will become limited once it is added to the CITES endangered species list. | |
| MAINTENANCE | EVEN | Both Black Locust and Ipe are low-maintenance products. Other than End Seals, no finishes are required. Both may be washed and optionally stained for color preference. | |
