Cambara is a South American hardwood sold for exterior decking, fencing, and millwork. It has the warm brown tones of more expensive tropical species at a lower price point, which makes it a frequent choice for homeowners who want solid wood without paying ipe prices. Decking choices span a wide range of systems, from the metal floor decking used in commercial structures to solid boards and composites, and cambara sits near the middle of that range on both price and performance.
Cambara is often grouped with the mid-tier tropical hardwoods, the species that give a deck a premium look at roughly half the installed cost of the top-tier ironwoods. Knowing where it sits on that ladder is the first step in deciding whether it fits your project. This article covers where cambara comes from, its hardness and durability numbers, how it compares with other decking woods, installation practices that prevent early failure, fastener options, and the maintenance routine that extends its life.
What cambara is and where it comes from
Cambara comes from Erisma uncinatum, a tree native to the forests of Brazil, Guyana, Suriname, and Venezuela. It is also sold under names like quariuba and jaboty. The wood is a medium-weight hardwood with straight grain and a fine, uniform texture, and its color ranges from pale tan to medium reddish brown.
Cambara occupies the middle of the decking market between pressure-treated softwoods and composite decking. It costs more than treated pine but less than the premium tropical species, and it requires more maintenance than composites.
The lumber arrives from the tropics as rough sawn or surfaced boards, usually in 4/4 to 8/4 thicknesses. Most decking stock is sold in 12- to 20-foot lengths, which suits long straight runs and reduces waste on a typical 12- by 16-foot deck.
Common names and sources
- Erisma uncinatum is the botanical name.
- Quariuba, jaboty, and cambara are regional trade names.
- The tree grows across the Guiana Shield and the Amazon basin.
- The lumber is sold as decking, siding, and general millwork.
Appearance
Freshly milled cambara is a light tan to medium brown with occasional darker streaks. It weathers to a silver-gray if left unfinished, or keeps a warm tone when protected with a penetrating oil that includes UV blockers.
Strength, hardness, and durability data
Cambara is a solid performer without being extreme. Its Janka hardness lands around 1,400 pounds-force, noticeably softer than ipe and cumaru but harder than western red cedar, redwood, and most domestic hardwoods. Air-dry density runs about 41 to 46 pounds per cubic foot.
Sourcing matters for environmental and legal reasons. Cambara is harvested across managed and unmanaged tropical forests, and buyers can ask suppliers for documentation of legal harvest and, where available, certification from programs that verify sustainable forestry practices. If the sourcing questions around tropical timber bother you, some builders choose reclaimed wood for porch decking instead, reusing old structural lumber and skipping new tropical harvests entirely.
Key properties
| Property | Typical value |
|---|---|
| Janka hardness | About 1,400 lbf |
| Air-dry density | 41 to 46 lb/ft3 (660 to 740 kg/m3) |
| Natural durability | Moderately durable, Class 2 to 3 |
| Dimensional movement | Moderate; gap boards and pre-drill |
| Workability | Machines cleanly; blunts cutters faster than softwoods |
Working characteristics
Cambara machines and sands cleanly, and it accepts screws and nails without splitting when pre-drilled, but it blunts cutters faster than softwoods. Carbide tooling is the practical choice for production work, and pilot holes near board ends are not optional.
How cambara compares with other decking woods
The practical comparisons are hardness, rot resistance, price, and lifespan. Cambara sits below the ironwood-class species on hardness and above the cedars, and its price follows the same order.
Species comparison
| Species | Janka (lbf) | Rot resistance | Relative cost | Typical life |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cambara | About 1,400 | Moderate | $$ | 15 to 25 years |
| Ipe | About 3,500 | Very high | $$$$ | 30 to 40 years |
| Cumaru | About 3,300 | Very high | $$$$ | 30 to 40 years |
| Garapa | About 1,600 | High | $$$ | 20 to 30 years |
| Genuine mahogany | About 900 | Moderate | $$$ | 15 to 25 years |
| Western red cedar | About 350 | Moderate | $$ | 10 to 20 years |
| Pressure-treated pine | About 690 | High with treatment | $ | 10 to 15 years |
For a closer look at how the tropical species age in service, the tropical hardwood deck durability comparisons cover meranti, balau, and mahogany, which behave differently from cambara on hardness and decay resistance.
Installed cost is where cambara wins. Typical material pricing lands between $4 and $7 per board foot for cambara, compared with $8 to $12 for ipe, and the difference on a 300-square-foot deck runs into thousands of dollars before labor.
Budget tiers
If ipe is out of budget, cambara, garapa, and massaranduba are the usual alternatives; if the deck must last four decades, the ironwood species justify their premium. Matching the wood to the expected service life avoids paying for durability you will never use.
Installing cambara decking
Installation failures, not material failures, end most cambara decks early. The wood moves with moisture, so the deck has to be built with room for that movement from day one. Boards installed tight and screwed without pilot holes are the two most common causes of early cracking.
Boards that are screwed without pre-drilling often split near the ends, producing the cracks that restoring weathered decking guides walk you through. Fifteen minutes of pre-drilling saves years of repair work.
Ventilation is part of installation. Keep the underside of the deck open and clear of vegetation so air moves under the boards; trapped moisture is the fastest way to shorten the life of any solid wood deck, cambara included.
Installation sequence
- Acclimate the boards in open air for a week or two before cutting.
- Support the boards on joists at 16-inch centers maximum.
- Pre-drill fastener holes, especially within 3 inches of board ends.
- Use stainless steel or silicone-bronze fasteners; plain steel reacts with the wood’s tannins and stains.
- Leave a 1/8- to 1/4-inch gap between boards for expansion.
- Seal cut ends with an end-grain sealer before installation.
- Order 10 percent extra for waste and defect removal.
Fastener schedule
Two fasteners per joist is the standard pattern, staggered to avoid splitting along the grain. Face screwing is fastest; hidden clips and concealed systems take longer but leave the surface clean.
Fastener systems and hidden options
The fastener system changes the look, the install time, and the repair options. Face screws are the fastest and easiest to replace, but every head is visible. Hidden systems attach the boards from below or the side and leave a smooth surface.
Hidden decking fasteners are a common choice for tropical hardwoods because they avoid the pre-drill-and-plug cycle of face screwing, and the clips hold the board down while allowing lateral movement.
Install time differences are real. A 300-square-foot deck with face screws takes an experienced crew about a day to fasten; the same deck with hidden clips adds several hours but eliminates the visible fastener line.
Fastener options
- Face screws: fastest, visible heads, easy board replacement.
- Biscuit-style clips: hidden, good hold-down, moderate cost.
- Groove-and-clip systems: require a routed groove in the board edge.
- Top-down hidden screws: angle-driven, with the holding power of a screw and a concealed head.
Whatever system you choose, verify that it is rated for hardwood decks. Softwood-rated clips can fail to hold boards that cup and twist.
Maintenance, finishing, and lifespan
A cambara deck can last 15 to 25 years with a reasonable maintenance routine. The wood does not need a finish to survive, but unprotected boards gray within a season or two and can develop surface checking in dry climates.
Maintenance schedule
- Clean twice a year with a deck cleaner and a soft brush.
- Reapply penetrating oil with UV blockers every 12 to 24 months if you want color.
- Let the deck gray naturally if you prefer zero finish work.
- Inspect fasteners and replace any that back out.
- Trim nearby vegetation so the boards dry out between rains.
Refinishing
When an oiled deck starts to look patchy, clean it, let it dry fully, and apply a fresh coat. Sanding is rarely needed if the oil was maintained; heavy sanding removes the weathered layer but also removes wood, so reserve it for neglected decks. Watch the fastener metal too, because tannins in cambara can stain fasteners that are not corrosion-resistant, and replacing stained fasteners is a repair job nobody wants.
Concealed fastener systems for screw-down decks offer a middle ground between face screws and clip systems, combining the holding power of a screw with a clean surface. Whether you face screw, clip, or conceal, the same rules apply: pre-drill, gap the boards, and protect the cut ends.