This is waaaaaaaaay after the fact, but Balau is good for outdoor furniture. It compares favorably with teak, which is one of the standards for outdoor furniture. It's generally considered more durable, and is considered stronger than teak.

Depending on the quality, most people favor teak's appearance, and it does weather slightly better than Balau, at least that's what I've read. For strength and durability, Balau gets the nod. Shorea is another, common name for Balau.

Another wood for you to consider if you should find it is Ipe(E-pay). Very dense, very heavy, strong wood. It has a dark tone to it, and ages very evenly. It's become fairly popular for decks.

Nyatoh should be a ways down your list of choices. It's not terribly hard or dense, and generally won't last well.

Okay, Dave, this was too late; I had not looked for late replies. this year I bought a couple of nyatoh wood curved benches on sale, to put around a tree trunk. I will see how well they last!

What is the best wood for decking cedar or ipe? want: no cupping, cracking, maintenance. Any input is appreciated greatly! jgalla999@yahoo.com

ipe.

Ipe (Brazilian Walnut, Tabebula spp., lapacho group) ranks second (3680) on the Janka Hardness Scale with Patagonian Rosewood (3840) at the top of the scale. The test measures the force required to push a steel ball with a diameter of 11.28 millimeters (0.444 inches) into the wood to a depth of half the ball's diameter. Any of the Cedar (Chamaecyparis species) only range from (350 to 720) on that hardness test. Thus, you will be replacing your deck quite often. While you might save some money it will cost you in labor and maintenance quickly. I would not waste my time with a cedar deck at all. Ipe is the way to go if you can afford it. It weathers to a beautiful silver.