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When looking for the right material for your next decking project, we understand that it’s challenging to select the right material. Let us help you by comparing bamboo decking with alternative materials.
Selecting the right material for your deck depends on the expectations and the application. In general, there are different requirements for a garden terrace than for a terrace in a commercial application, such as a hotel/restaurant or in a shopping centre. Nevertheless, requirements in terms of durability, stability and appearance are often along the same lines. In the table below, we list the different material properties for you. When possible, values for durability classification, hardness and fire safety have been compared based on testing which is common for wood. It should be noted that not all materials have been or can be tested in the same way. If you have any questions about the information in the overview, please contact our bamboo experts.
| Bamboo X-treme® | Hardwood, Ipe | Softwood, impregnated pine | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Colour | Dark brown | Brown | Light brown / beige |
| Looks | A lasting natural look | A lasting natural look | A lasting natural look, but mold can occur fast |
| Hardness (Brinell) | ≥ 9.5 kg/mm² (EN 1534) | 5.8 kg/mm² | 1.5 kg/mm² |
| Stability | Extremely stable | Most species stable, but depending on the quality deformation can occur | Can undergo severe shrinking, swelling, deformation, warping, and splitting |
| Durability Class (EN350) | Durability Class 1 (expected lifetime 25 years) | Durability Class 1 (expected lifetime 25 years) | Durability Class 4 (expected lifetime 5-10 years) |
| Biological Use Class | Use Class 4 | Use Class 3-4 | Use Class 2-4 |
| Density | 1150 kg/m³ | 1050 kg/m³ | 400-600 kg/m³ |
| Warranty | 25 year | Usually 1 - 20 year | Usually 1 year |
| Fire Class | Fire Class Bfl-s1 following EN 13501-1 and Class A following US standard ASTM E84, without fire retardant | Fire Class Cfl-s1 or Bfl-s1 following EN 13501-1 and Class A or B following US standard ASTM E84, usually without fire retardant | Usually Fire Class Dfl-s1 (EN 13501-1), extra treatment / impregnation needed to reach Fire Class Bfl-s1 |
| Resource | Abundantly available and renewable, stems harvested after 4-5 years | 50 - >100 years, avoid illegal logging | Abundantly, tree harvested after 25-30 years |
| Sustainability | Stores 1.662 kg CO2 per m³, which is more than the energy used during production | Stores 1.634 kg CO2 per m³ | Stores 793 kg of CO2 per m³ |
| Installation | Fast with clips, or screwed down, relatively little amount of sub structure material needed thanks to the high stability and strength | Screwed down or exclusive woods fast with clips + relatively little amount of sub structure material needed thanks to the high stability and strength | Screwed down + relatively high amount of sub structure material due to stability |
| Brittleness | Hardly brittle | Not brittle | Not brittle |
| Weathering | Even and natural | Even and natural | Even and natural, splitting can be visible |
| Maintenance | Cleaning and or oiling | Cleaning and or oiling | Sanding, cleaning and oiling |
| Costs per m² in €* | 100 | 80-150 | 30 |
| Bamboo X-treme® | Composites (WPC's) | |
|---|---|---|
| Colour | Dark brown | Large variety |
| Looks | A lasting natural look | Wood-print pattern, repetitive, artificial and unnatural |
| Hardness (Brinell) | ≥ 9.5 kg/mm² (EN 1534) | Very variable, depending on the brand |
| Stability | Extremely stable | Very variable, can warp, expand and shrink strongly, depending on the production quality |
| Durability Class (EN350) | Durability Class 1 | 1-3, plastic never decomposes but technical function does |
| Biological Use Class | Use Class 4 | N/A |
| Density | 1150 kg/m³ | 1000-1300 kg/m³ |
| Warranty | 25 year | 10 - 25 year |
| Fire Class | Fire Class Bfl-s1 following EN 13501-1 and Class A following US standard ASTM E84, without fire retardant | Fire Class Dfl-s1, Cfl-s1 or Bfl-s1 following EN 13501-1 and Class A or B following US standard ASTM E84, depending on the brand |
| Resource | Abundantly available and renewable, stems harvested after 4-5 years | Roughly 60% plastic / 40% wood dust/particles |
| Sustainability | Stores 1.662 kg CO2 per m³, which is more than the energy used during production | High energy use during production and in raw material, CO2 storage only in wood dust/particles |
| Installation | Fast with clips, or screwed down, relatively little amount of sub structure material needed thanks to the high stability and strength | Fast with clips + relatively high amount of sub structure material due to limited load capacity |
| Brittleness | Hardly brittle | Can become brittle overtime due to uv |
| Weathering | Even and natural | Not naturally, colours will fade after time |
| Maintenance | Cleaning and or oiling | Cleaning |
| Costs per m² in €* | 100 | 50-120 |
| Bamboo X-treme® | Ceramic tiles | |
|---|---|---|
| Colour | Dark brown | Large variety |
| Looks | A lasting natural look | Different textures and patterns available |
| Hardness (Brinell) | ≥ 9.5 kg/mm² (EN 1534) | N/A, stone is very hard and stable making these tests unnecessary |
| Stability | Extremely stable | Extremely stable |
| Durability Class (EN350) | Durability Class 1 | N/A |
| Biological Use Class | Use Class 4 | N/A |
| Density | 1150 kg/m³ | 2700-3100 kg/m³ |
| Warranty | 25 year | N/A |
| Fire Class | Fire Class Bfl-s1 following EN 13501-1 and Class A following US standard ASTM E84, without fire retardant | Class A fire rated |
| Resource | Abundantly available and renewable, stems harvested after 4-5 years | Mixture of clay, sand, feldspar, quartz and water. |
| Sustainability | Stores 1.662 kg CO2 per m³, which is more than the energy used during production | Very high energy use during production, no CO2 stored in end product |
| Installation | Fast with clips, or screwed down, relatively little amount of sub structure material needed thanks to the high stability and strength | On the ground in special sand or concrete with adhesive, floating on pedestals |
| Brittleness | Hardly brittle | Can be very brittle |
| Weathering | Even and natural | Little weathering |
| Maintenance | Cleaning and or oiling | Cleaning |
| Costs per m² in €* | 100 | 30-100 |
| Bamboo X-treme® | Aluminium | |
|---|---|---|
| Colour | Dark brown | Any colour like paint |
| Looks | A lasting natural look | Silver, shiny metal look |
| Hardness (Brinell) | ≥ 9.5 kg/mm² (EN 1534) | N/A, metal is extremely hard |
| Stability | Extremely stable | Extremely stable |
| Durability Class (EN350) | 1 | N/A, aluminium is extremely durable |
| Biological Use Class | 4 | N/A |
| Density | 1150 kg/m³ | 2700-2900 kg/m³ |
| Warranty | 25 year | > 25 year |
| Fire Class | Fire Class Bfl-s1 following EN 13501-1 and Class A following US standard ASTM E84, without fire retardant | Class A fire rated |
| Resource | Abundantly available and renewable, stems harvested after 4-5 years | 20-80% recycled aluminium, there is always virgin material needed |
| Sustainability | Stores 1.662 kg CO2 per m³, which is more than the energy used during production | Very high energy use during production and to mine the raw material, no CO2 stored in end product |
| Installation | Fast with clips, or screwed down, relatively little amount of sub structure material needed thanks to the high stability and strength | Installation is quick + very stable with complete (aluminium) system |
| Brittleness | Hardly brittle | Not brittle |
| Weathering | Even and natural | Little weathering |
| Maintenance | Cleaning and or oiling | Cleaning |
| Costs per m² in €* | 100 | 65-115 |
| Bamboo X-treme® | Bamboo N-durance® | |
|---|---|---|
| Colour | Dark brown | Caramel brown |
| Looks | A lasting natural look | A lasting natural look |
| Hardness (Brinell) | ± 9.5 kg/mm² (EN 1534) | ± 9.5 kg/mm² (EN 1534) |
| Stability | Extremely stable | Extremely stable |
| Durability Class (EN350) | Durability Class 1 | Durability Class 1 |
| Biological Use Class | Use Class 4 | Use Class 4 |
| Density | 1150 kg/m³ | 1200 kg/m³ |
| Warranty | 25 year | 25 year |
| Fire Class | Fire Class Bfl-s1 following EN 13501-1 and Class A following US standard ASTM E84, without fire retardant | Fire Class Bfl-s1 following EN 13501-1, without fire retardant |
| Resource | Abundantly available and renewable, stems harvested after 4-5 years | Abundantly available and renewable, stems harvested after 4-5 years |
| Sustainability | Stores 1.662 kg CO2 per m³, which is more than the energy used during production | Stores 1.637 kg CO2 per m³, which is slightly less than the CO2 emitted during production and transportation |
| Installation | Fast with clips, or screwed down, relatively little amount of sub structure material needed thanks to the high stability and strength | Fast with clips, or screwed down, relatively little amount of sub structure material needed thanks to the high stability and strength |
| Brittleness | Hardly brittle | Not brittle |
| Weathering | Even and natural | Even and natural |
| Maintenance | Cleaning and or oiling | Cleaning and yearly oiling |
| Costs per m² in €* | 100 | 100 |
| More information | Bamboo X-treme® Decking | Bamboo N-durance® Decking |
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