Home / Wood Compare / Merbau vs Balau
Professional Comparison · Verified Engineering Data · Updated 19 July 2026
Merbau VS Balau
Which wood is better for your project? Scores are computed from the verified figures on each species page — how we score.
🥇
Merbau
84/100 Library Score
🪵Hardwood🌧Outdoor💧Moisture Stable
- Higher durability (EN 350 Class 1 vs Class 2)
🥈
Balau
81/100 Library Score
🪵Hardwood🌧Outdoor💧Moisture Stable
- Close second across most categories
- Solid choice where its profile fits the project
Visual comparison
MerbauBalau
Winner by category
There isn't one universally best wood — there's a best wood for each purpose.
| Category | Winner |
|---|---|
| Durability | Merbau |
| Stability | Tie |
| Hardness | Tie |
| Strength (MOR) | Balau |
| Stiffness (MOE) | Balau |
| Flame spread | Tie |
| Machining ease | Tie |
| Lightness | Merbau |
Engineering data
| Property | Merbau | Balau |
|---|---|---|
| Janka Hardness | 1712WD lbf | 1700WD lbf |
| Density | 0.74FPL g/cm³ | 0.78FPL g/cm³ |
| MOE | 15.4FPL GPa | 18.0FPL GPa |
| MOR | 116.0FPL MPa | 138.0FPL MPa |
| Durability | Class 1 Very Durable | Class 2 Durable |
| Stability | Good | Good |
| Fire (E84) | Class B indicative | Class B indicative |
| Radial Shrink | 2.7WD % | 3.5WD % |
| Tangential Shrink | 4.6WD % | 6.5WD % |
| T/R Ratio | 1.7 | 1.86 |
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 | 🥇 Merbau | ★★★★☆ |
| Exterior cladding | 🥇 Merbau | ★★★★☆ |
| Flooring / wear surfaces | 🥇 Merbau | ★★★★☆ |
| Furniture / interior joinery | 🥇 Merbau | ★★☆☆☆ |
| Structural / load-bearing | 🥇 Balau | ★★★★☆ |
Advantages & limitations
Merbau
Advantages
- Rated for exterior exposure (EN 350 Class 1)
- Hard wear surface, dent-resistant
Limitations
- Hard on tooling; pre-drilling recommended
- Heavy — consider structure and handling
Balau
Advantages
- Rated for exterior exposure (EN 350 Class 2)
Limitations
- Hard on tooling; pre-drilling recommended
- Heavy — consider structure and handling
Recommendation
Choose Merbau if…
- The project lives outdoors and service life is the priority
Choose Balau if…
- Its profile matches the application better than a single overall score
Frequently asked questions
Which is more durable, Merbau or Balau?
Merbau — it carries the better EN 350 rating (Class 1 vs Class 2). Lower class numbers mean higher natural durability.
Which wood is better for outdoor use?
Merbau — outdoor performance combines decay durability with dimensional stability, and it leads on that combination.
Is Merbau harder than Balau?
Yes — Janka 1712 lbf vs 1700 lbf.
How we score. Each wood gets a weighted composite of the verified figures shown above: durability 22%, stability 18%, hardness 12%, bending strength 12%, machining ease 12%, stiffness 8%, flame spread 8%, lightness 8%. The Library Score is that composite's percentile rank within our 60-species library — 50 means the library median, 90 means it outperforms nine of every ten species we cover. No price data is scored — cost guidance is qualitative. The score summarises the data; it does not replace judgement about your specific application.