Teak furniture – why is it more expensive?

teak-furniture

True teak (tectona grandis) is rare and difficult to grow.  It only grows in certain parts of the world, none of them near the US and Europe, where demand is highest.  Indonesia and Burma are two of the largest suppliers.

Only Tectona Grandis has the premium qualities associated with “teak”, although many woods are marketed as “teak”.  Because items made from tectona grandis are so valuable, many companies market furniture as being made from “teak” despite being made from lesser related species, and occasionally from wood that is not even related to teak, allowing these products to be sold at significantly lower prices.

teak-woodThe tectona grandis tree takes 80 years to mature.  Clear cutting is prohibited by law in the countries where tectona grandis grows, so all legal teak (ie that sold by premium name brands like Barlow Tyrie and Kingsley-Bate among others) comes from officially licensed farms with sustainable yield harvesting practices.  In the short run, this is a far more expensive method of harvest and is the chief reason for the high cost.  But in the long run, it leads to an assurance that teak will not go extinct and will always be available, and also leads to more stable prices in the long run, since future supply is predictable.   When consumers insist on sustainably harvested true teak, they not only get a far longer lasting product and therefore a better value, but they help contribute to responsible environmental policy and increased political stability – and often better human rights – in the countries that produce this wood.