Dark red meranti (Shorea spp.)
Dark red meranti (Shorea spp.) is the volume hardwood for Australian timber window joinery. AS 5604 DC3 above-ground; stable, paint-grade, kiln-dried.
Ask Chalkline about this →Dark red meranti (the trade name for several Shorea spp. timbers from South-East Asia) is the volume hardwood for Australian timber window and door joinery. It is the joinery shop’s workhorse: kiln-dried, stable, straight-grained, paint-grade, and priced below Western red cedar. Most factory-built timber windows sold into the Australian residential market have a meranti subframe.
What it is
The “meranti” trade name covers ~50 Shorea species traded from Indonesia, Malaysia, and the Philippines. The product split for builders:
| Trade name | Density (kg/m³) | Typical use |
|---|---|---|
| Dark red meranti | 550-700 | Window frames, doors, mouldings, sub-fascia |
| Light red meranti | 400-550 | Internal joinery, lighter dimensions |
| White meranti | 500-650 | Lower-grade joinery, internal |
| Yellow meranti | 500-600 | Internal, sometimes confused with light red |
“Dark red meranti” is the AS 2796-marketed grade with the density and durability for external joinery. The lighter merantis are not interchangeable for windows.
AS 5604 durability
- Above ground: Durability Class 3 (DC3). Service life 15-40 years if maintained.
- In ground: Durability Class 4 (DC4). Not used in ground.
- Termite: not termite-resistant. Outside the termite-prone zone only, or with protection.
DC3 means dark red meranti needs the paint or coating system to be maintained for its service-life rating to apply. A bare meranti window will rot at the sill in 5-7 years; a properly painted one runs 20-30.
Why builders pick it
- Dimensional stability. Kiln-dried meranti moves less than seasoned cedar after install, critical for sash-and-frame fit.
- Paint-grade surface. Straight grain, low silica, low resin. Sands clean, holds paint.
- Workability. Routes, profiles, and joints cleanly. Joiners like it.
- Price. Roughly 60-70% the cost of clear Western red cedar for equivalent section sizes.
- Availability. Volume-imported into AU; rarely a supply issue for standard sections.
Limits
- Not for exposed cladding. DC3 doesn’t suit unpainted exterior cladding; that’s Western red cedar territory.
- Not for ground contact. DC4 in-ground.
- Not termite-resistant. Don’t use untreated in termite-prone work without barrier and inspection regime.
- Supply-chain sustainability. Source from FSC or PEFC certified mills only. South-East Asian timber sourcing has had legality and traceability issues.
Maintenance
Painted meranti windows: recoat 7-10 years typical. Look for paint film failure at sills and meeting rails first; that’s where water sits.
For a builder
- Spec dark red meranti for paint-finish factory-built windows. It’s the standard.
- Spec Western red cedar for clear-finish exposed joinery. Cedar handles weathering bare; meranti needs paint.
- Always demand FSC or PEFC chain-of-custody documentation at order. Builders increasingly carry liability for unverified timber sourcing.
- Brief the owner on the recoat cycle. Add to the owner’s manual at handover.
Category: Timber / joinery.
Related
See also
Last updated: 2026-05-29. Verified: 2026-05-29. Quarterly review for currency.