Home / Wood Compare / Balau vs Bangkirai
Professional Comparison · Source-attributed engineering data · Updated 19 July 2026
Balau VS Bangkirai
Which wood is better for your project? Scores are computed from the verified figures on each species page — how we score.
🥇
Balau
81/100 Library Score
🪵Hardwood🌧Outdoor💧Moisture Stable
- Better dimensional stability (Good vs Moderate)
🥈
Bangkirai
78/100 Library Score
🪵Hardwood🌧Outdoor🔥Low Flame Spread
- Close second across most categories
- Solid choice where its profile fits the project
Visual comparison
BalauBangkirai
Winner by category
There isn't one universally best wood — there's a best wood for each purpose.
| Category | Winner |
|---|---|
| Durability | Tie |
| Stability | Balau |
| Hardness | Bangkirai |
| Strength (MOR) | Tie |
| Stiffness (MOE) | Tie |
| Flame spread | Bangkirai |
| Machining ease | Balau |
| Lightness | Balau |
Engineering data
| Property | Balau | Bangkirai |
|---|---|---|
| Janka Hardness | 1700WD lbf | 1798PROSEA lbf |
| Density | 0.78FPL g/cm³ | 0.85PROSEA g/cm³ |
| MOE | 18.0FPL GPa | 18.0 GPa |
| MOR | 138.0FPL MPa | 142.0 MPa |
| Durability | Class 2 Durable | Class 2 Durable |
| Stability | Good | Moderate |
| Fire (E84) | Class B indicative | Class A indicative |
| Radial Shrink | 3.5WD % | 4.2PROSEA % |
| Tangential Shrink | 6.5WD % | 9.3PROSEA % |
| T/R Ratio | 1.86 | 2.21 |
Figures carry the same source status as the species pages they come from — verified where cited, indicative where marked.
Best for
| Application | Recommended | Suitability |
|---|---|---|
| Outdoor decking / pergola | 🥇 Balau | ★★★★☆ |
| Flooring / wear surfaces | 🥇 Balau | ★★★★☆ |
| Furniture / interior joinery | 🥇 Balau | ★★☆☆☆ |
| Structural / load-bearing | 🥇 Bangkirai | ★★★★★ |
Advantages & limitations
Balau
Advantages relative to Bangkirai
Limitations relative to Bangkirai
- Fire (E84) is Class B vs Class A — one class lower on flame-spread rating
Bangkirai
Advantages relative to Balau
- Fire (E84) is Class A vs Class B — one class better on flame-spread rating
Limitations relative to Balau
Recommendation
Choose Balau if…
- Decking, marine and freshwater construction, wharves, jetties, bridges and railway sleepers where the Class B fire class is acceptable in specification and either Shorea species performs comparably on hardness and stiffness
- Heavy-traffic flooring and boat framework where the shared Class 2 durability profile is the working baseline
Choose Bangkirai if…
- Applications where a Class A flame-spread rating is required — the meaningful differentiator between the two closely related Shorea species
- Exterior joinery and cladding where the higher fire class is worth specifying alongside the same-durability, near-same-strength profile
Frequently asked questions
Which is more durable, Balau or Bangkirai?
Neither — both carry the same EN 350 rating (Class 2, Durable). For outdoor work the separation is movement, not decay: Balau moves 6.5% tangentially against 9.3%, which decides board width and fixing spacing more than the durability class does.
Which wood is better for outdoor use?
Balau — outdoor performance combines decay durability with dimensional stability, and it leads on that combination.
Is Balau harder than Bangkirai?
No — Bangkirai is harder (Janka 1798 vs 1700 lbf).
How we score. Each Library Score is a weighted composite of the verified figures above, expressed as a percentile against our 60-species library. Cost is handled qualitatively, never scored. Full weighting and what it excludes.