Grades of Teak Furniture

Teak furniture is made from teak wood, and is manufactured by several methods. It is important to understand the grades of teak wood, the process for the wood, and the manufacturing process.

Teak Wood is graded by appearance, knots (and their location) and by the kind of wood. There are three main grades in teak wood. Grade A (the Best), Grade B, Grade B/C and Grade C. The Grade of Teak plays a major role in outdoor performance and durability of the furniture. We hope this article helps you  distinguish between the highest quality teak and inferior timber.

Grade A teak is the highest quality teak wood.

Grade A Teak wood is produced from the center of the tree (commonly known as the 'heart' wood). Characteristics: close grain, warm/honey color, oil rich and knot free.  It refers to timber that is taken from the very center of the log (heartwood) of a fully mature tree. Grade A teak products can be recognized by a uniform, golden brown color, close grains and glossy surface that feels oily to touch. It is high in teak natural oils which play a key role in teak outstanding resistance to outdoor elements by protecting it from unfavorable weather elements and repelling insects. Grade A Teak Heartwood is only a small percentage of the log, and is therefore the most expensive wood.

Grade A Teak Furniture specifications generally are - no streaks of white, no knots on top side, very few (live knots only - where there is discoloration but no fill - on the underside) knots, and these knots have to be less than 0.5 inch in diameter, and present only once in every 3-4 linear feet. This kind of wood is expensive and is used in machine made teak furniture, since it is risky for the manufacturer to allow a cottage industry person to play with expensive, high quality wood and expect mediocre to bad results.

Goldenteak Grade A Quality - Click on picture for more detail. GOOD QUALITY TEAK	Bad quality from Cheaper competition - note the lighter sapwood, non uniformity. We have NEVER seen such bad quality being offered for sale. BAD QUALITY TEAK.
GRADE C WOOD CAMOUFLAGED WITH STAIN. Some Sellers try to take bad quality teak (Grades B/C)  and make it look like good quality with a stain or coating. Some times these sellers also provide a touch up kit to make the dowels  to make the dowels match their stain. Grade B/C Quality teak is 40 to 60% cheaper in Indonesia, and has a host of problems down the road. Basically it is bad cheap wood camouflaged to make it look better. Sap wood is porous and does not last long, nor is it as strong.	GRADE C and B Teak Wood being used by competition in the creek. The quality is deceptively called Grade A - but is really the cheap grade C/B/ See the sap wood on the legs. Further, as mentioned - fully assembled, handmade product sounds good, but is not really good because glue and shims are used to "fit" inaccurately made pieces. The product is much cheaper than precisely machine made (still made by humans but with drawings, jigs and fixtures) product as availble from Goldenteak. Goldenteak can replace parts of product (in case of problems) - which is impossible with imprecisiely cottage made Grade C product. Look at our references and testimonials.

Grade B teak refers to timber from the outer heartwood section, making up about one fourth to one-third of the log. In comparison to grade-A teak, grade B teak has a lighter color, uneven grain and less shine. It contains only traces of teak natural oils and as a result, it is unable to withstand exposure to the outdoor extremes without protective treatments. But even then, it doesn’t last even close as long as furniture made from the highest quality teak.

Grade B Teak wood has a warm color with occasional streaks of black and some splotches and discoloration. It contains only traces of teak natural oils and as a result, it is unable to withstand exposure to the outdoor extremes without protective treatments. But even then, it doesn’t last even close as long as furniture made from the highest quality teak. Grade B teak wood has more allowance for knots per linear feet. Grade B teak wood is sometimes used in "œsemi machine made" product. Semi Machine Made implies that personnel use electric saws to cut the wood, but there is no concept of a jig and fixture to make all the slats the same size or make the process repeatable. Semi Machine made product does not allow the end consumer the luxury of finding a replacement part, since all parts are unique and made to fit a specific piece. Semi machine made also means that the tenons "float" in the mortices (the joint is not exact, and there are gaps). This is usually filled with epoxy, and generally the furniture comes completely assembled, because the end customer would not tolerate the sloppiness.

Grade C teak is an inferior quality teak wood. It refers to timber from the outer sections of a mature log (sapwood) and logs of immature trees. Grade C Teak Wood has a dark color in places, mixed with a very white color in places. The white is the young sapwood. There is an allowance for dead knots (where the knot was weak, has been gouged out and filled with epoxy or putty) These knots may be on the top side or the bottom side. Grade C teak wood is most often used in "hand crafted" outdoor teak furniture. This is completely outsourced to the village industry and follows no process for drying and manufacture. Hand crafted also means that the tenons "float" in the mortices (the joint is not exact, and there are gaps). This is usually filled with epoxy, and generally the furniture comes completely assembled.

Grade C teak contains virtually no teak natural protective oils, has a very uneven colour and is easily damaged because it is very soft. Furniture that is made from grade C teak is even considered unsuitable for indoor use due to its softness that makes it highly susceptible to damage. Although it is taken from the very same tree species, grade C teak has no similarity to the highest quality teak with respect to  outdoor performance, beauty or durability. Grade C teak garden furniture is inexpensive but it has a very short lifespan even if it is treated with a protective coating or periodically oiled.

In summary - Grade A teak wood will most likely be machine made. Grade B and C will most likely be "semi machine made" or "hand crafted". Grade A teak Wood Pieces are more expensive, manufactured using better techniques and will last longer and have a longer warranty.

Manufacturing

Machine made makes the parts precise and interoperable. This implies that if a part on your chair or table breaks, you can get a like replacement.

Semi Machine made furniture is a cheaper method of manufacture, more prone to error, and every piece is unique, with little possibility of replacing parts exactly

"Hand Made“ - means everything in that piece of furniture was made without jigs and fixtures, and that there is a wide variation between items, plus the incidence and danger of warping (mainly in the legs).

So, in conclusion - Grade A teak combined with Machine made production and kiln drying (not air drying) offers the best furniture.