Teak

Tectona Grandis is famous as teak, a large deciduous tree native to India, Thailand, Laos, Myanmar. It is one of the high quality timber species with high reistance to decay as well as insect damage. Indoors, it is extremely long-lived, an this heartwood changes from olive green ti golden brown after exposure. 

Teak is very easy to work, usually straight-grained, relatively-light weight, just hard enough to reists scratches and dents while still being easy to cut & shape. 

Common name(s) : Teak, Burmese Teak
Scientific name : Tectona grandis
Distribution : Native to southern Asia; Widely grown on plantations throughout tropical regions of Africa, Asia, and Latin America but not as good as naturally grown.
Tree Size : 100-130 ft (30-40 m) tall, 3-5 ft (1-1.5 m) trunk diameter
Average Dried Weight : 41 lbs/ft3 (655 kg/m3)
Specific Gravity (Basic, 12% MC) : .55, .66
Janka Hardness : 1,070 lbf (4,740 N)
Modulus of Rupture : 14,080 lbf/in2 (97.1 MPa)
Elastic Modulus : 1,781,000 lbf/in2 (12.28 GPa)
Crushing Strength : 7,940 lbf/in2 (54.8 MPa)
Shrinkage : Radial : Radial: 2.6%, Tangential: 5.3%, Volumetric: 7.2%, T/R Ratio: 2.0

Color/Appearance  : Heartwood tends to be a golden or medium brown, with color darkening with age.

Grain/Texture : Grain is straight, though it can occasionally be wavy or interlocked. Coarse, uneven texture and moderate to low natural luster. Raw, unfinished wood surfaces have a slightly oily or greasy feel due to natural oils.

Rot Resistance : Teak has been considered by many to be the gold standard for decay resistance, and its heartwood is rated as very durable. Teak is also resistant to termites, though it is only moderately resistant to marine borers and powder post beetles. However SAP wood is susceptible to all kind of termite attacks unless treated.

Workability : Easy to work in nearly all regards, with the only caveat being that Teak contains a high level of silica (up to 1.4%) which has a pronounced blunting effect on cutting edges. Despite its natural oils, Teak usually glues and finishes well, though in some instances it may be necessary to wipe the surface of the wood with a solvent prior to gluing/finishing to reduce the natural oils on the surface of the wood.

Odor : Teak can have a leather-like scent when freshly milled.

Pricing/Availability : Despite its widespread cultivation on plantations worldwide, Teak is very expensive and it is perhaps one of the most expensive lumbers on the market, at least for large-sized, non-figured wood of Burmese origin. Other woods are more expensive, but are typically only available in small pieces, (i.e., Gaboon Ebony or Snakewood), or they are valued solely for the figure of their grain (i.e., burl woods, Pommele Sapele, or Waterfall Bubinga).