We are often asked about the Fire Retardancy of Hardwood, particularly in regards to vandalism and the general life span of the timber, as it is natural to assume that all timber burns and deteriorates easily, when this is not the case.
In the document available to download in the box on this page, is a reproduction of the content of a TRADA published report “The Charring Rates of Certain Hardwoods”. (A PDF of the original report is available, but it has been reformatted here for your ease)
The report confirms that the denser the Hardwood the better the charring rates. Less dense Hardwoods and Softwoods will char far more than heavier denser Hardwoods.
Woodscape have been manufacturing Street Furniture and timber components for over 40 years using some of the most dense and durable timbers commercially available.
Greenheart and Balau Hardwoods, both with a density in excess of 900Kg/m2 have been our principle timbers for much of this time. With the increasing demand for FSC Hardwoods we have been able to source certified alternatives which are about as dense, namely Cumaru and Iroko.
Based on the findings of the report it would suggest that these newer FSC alternatives with a high density offer very good resistance to charring. Additionally, very dense timbers require the heat intensity of a blow torch to maintain combustion of the wood gases and unless these components are regularly stoked they will cease to burn.
Woodscape do not claim ownership of the report available via the download, and provide it reformatted for reference purposes only.
Click the image below to download this page as a PDF.
