Wood comparison
Suarwood vs teak — which one and why?
Suarwood and teak are both Indonesian tropical hardwoods that look superficially similar. They have distinct properties, price points, and visual signatures. This page explains the difference without marketing fluff.
Use suarwood for wide live-edge dining tables and slab work. Use teak for sculptures, seating, and anything outdoors or in a humid space. For the price of one solid teak dining table you often get a comparable suar table plus a teak sculpture.
1. What are they?
Suarwood (Albizia saman, also 'monkeypod' or 'raintree') is a fast-growing tree from tropical Asia and Central America. It grows abundantly on Java and Bali and reaches trunk diameters of 100-150 cm within 25-40 years, producing massive slabs ideal for live-edge dining tables of 200 cm or longer — a format almost impossible with European hardwoods.
Teak (Tectona grandis, locally 'jati') was originally Burmese but has been cultivated for decades in Java plantations managed by Perhutani. Teak grows slower, is denser, and naturally contains silicon dioxide and oils that make it nearly immune to insects and weather.
2. How do they look?
Suarwood has a warm chocolate-brown heartwood with a striking cream sapwood band along the live edge. That contrasting band is its visual signature: you instantly recognise a suar live-edge table by the light sap stripe along the curve. The grain is open and lively, often with cloud-like figured patterns.
Teak is more uniform: honey-gold to warm amber with straight or slightly interlocked grain and minimal contrast between heart and sap. No dramatic live-edge band. Teak therefore reads calmer and more formal than suar.
3. Where do you use each?
Suarwood is ideal for wide slab work: live-edge dining tables, console tables, bar tops. Its maximum slab width (often 90-110 cm from one tree) is unique. Suar is slightly softer than teak; perfect indoors, fine on a covered terrace, but not the first choice for years of rain exposure.
Teak is ideal for sculpture, carving, and anything outdoors or in damp spaces (bathroom, kitchen island). Its density and oil content make teak the standard for hand-carved animals and outdoor furniture. WoodLife Atelier uses teak for all our sculptures for this reason.
4. What about sustainability?
Suarwood is not on the CITES list. It grows fast and abundantly in Indonesia, often in agroforestry systems where the tree shades coffee or cacao plantations. Sourcing impact is therefore relatively low.
Teak requires more care. Plantation teak from Perhutani-managed forests on Java is FSC-traceable and enters Europe under CITES paperwork. We only buy Perhutani teak; rainforest teak (illegally logged from Burmese old growth) is not eligible.
| Attribute | Suarwood | Teak |
|---|---|---|
| Latin name | Albizia saman | Tectona grandis |
| Plantation origin | Java + Bali | Java (Perhutani) |
| Density (kg/m³) | ~600 | ~650 |
| Max slab width | 100-150 cm from one tree | 60-80 cm |
| Visual signature | Cream sapwood band along live edge | Uniform honey-gold |
| Outdoor suitable | Covered yes, prolonged rain no | Yes, even untreated |
| Maintenance | Hard-wax oil twice a year | Teak oil 1-2x/year or let silver |
| CITES / FSC | Not required | FSC-traceable via Perhutani |
| Best application | Live-edge dining + console tables | Sculpture, outdoor, carving |
| Price guide 240cm table | EUR 2,000-2,500 | EUR 3,500-4,500 |
Vragen / Questions
- Is suarwood as strong as teak?
- Almost. Suar is slightly less dense (~600 kg/m³ vs ~650 for teak) and has less natural oil, but for indoor use they perform comparably. For long-term rain exposure teak wins.
- Can I put a suarwood table outside?
- Under a porch or covered terrace yes, sustained rain not recommended. The wood will fade faster and may move under extreme moisture cycles. For an open terrace: choose teak.
- Why is a teak sculpture so much more expensive than one in another wood?
- Teak strikes the right balance between density and carvability for monumental sculpture. Density holds fine carving (eye, fingers, muscle definition) without tear-out; oils prevent cracking during transport from Java to Europe. Softer wood carves faster but loses detail; harder wood (oak, beech) splits under the chisel.
- How do I know I'm really getting suarwood and not eucalyptus?
- Look at the live edge: only suar has that wide cream sapwood band with a sharp contrast to the heartwood. Eucalyptus and mango look colour-wise similar to suar but lack that band. We supply each table with an origin certificate listing the tree's location and a block number.
- Which to choose if you want both: a suar table with a teak sculpture on it?
- A common combination. Suar's warm sapwood band reads calmly next to teak's honey colour; visually they pair better than suar with oak or teak with walnut. We regularly deliver this combination to clients in one delivery slot.