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Ipe Decking Dilemmas

May 22, 2012 By Sozo Staff Leave a Comment

As a premier wholesale lumber dealer, we do our very best to keep plenty of popular products such as Ipe decking on hand. However, the classic concepts of supply and demand certainly affect our pricing. In order to help those who are in the market for wholesale lumber, we’d like to give you a brief overview of the issues at play.

Ipe Decking Sources

While Ipe decking is far from being an endangered species, its supply is limited. It originates in the South American country of Brazil, where the government’s forestry program carefully oversees forestry practices. Each mill with which we work is subject to unique regional regulations and local ordinances. Before we begin a partnership with an individual mill, we conduct an on-site analysis of its quality and supply. We also consult with local attorneys. We often personally view and grade the lumber in our first purchase from a new partner mill. Once our first shipment from a new mill arrives in our own wholesale lumber yard, we can more accurately compare its quality to what we viewed when on location.

Ipe Decking Growing Seasons

In addition to the hands-on research required for us to work with each independent mill, Ipe decking is like many tropical hardwoods in that we’re dealing with the fact of a different hemisphere and opposite seasons. Just as we’re gearing up for barbeques and building, South America is in the middle of their rainy season, which prohibits harvesting of Ipe and transportation of lumber to the mills. While harvesting will be able to resume in June and July, the time to transport and mill the lumber into decking products means that this summer’s stock won’t make it to the US until Christmas, at the earliest. As a result of this timeline, the amount of wholesale lumber we have during any given spring will not be able to be replenished until after the heat of our summer is a distant memory.

Ipe Decking Solutions

You can rest assured that the professional wholesale lumber buyers at J. Gibson McIlvain carefully study the market and make calculated decisions based on the economy and prior numbers from the prime decking season. One way that we could provide a more continuous supply of Ipe decking without subjecting our customers to heightened pricing would be to give in to pleas from less-than-reputable saw mills. However, doing so would mean more than risking our own good reputation and robbing our customers of the quality they deserve: We would become promoters of the kind of reckless harvesting that jeopardizes the entire market and our global ecology.

As a customer, you can be least affected by these perennial issues by planning your need early and buying at the beginning of decking season. Here at J. Gibson McIlvain, we want to give you the best price possible while continuing to provide the kind of quality wholesale lumber that has earned us your trust.

Read articles from the McIlvain blog:

  • Choosing tropical decking woods
  • Ipe is subject to a supply and demand battle
  • Dispelling the myth that lumber importing is bad for the environment

Filed Under: Construction

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