Best Wood for Decks and Fences
Decks and fences are outdoor projects at bulk scale. The wood must survive weather and, near posts, ground contact, and you'll buy it by the hundreds of board feet, so cost per foot shapes the ranking almost as strongly as rot resistance does. The winners are species with proven exterior service that stay affordable at quantity.
What matters here
Weather survival
Only naturally decay-resistant species make the list at all.
Decking and exterior pedigree
Species documented for decking, fencing, siding, and structural exterior use score highest.
Affordable at scale
A 300-square-foot deck makes price per board foot a first-class criterion, not an afterthought.
Top picks, ranked
Scored from Janka hardness, workability, seasonal movement, cost tier, and documented uses in our species database.
- Softwood420 lbf$$ · ModerateExcellent workabilityOutdoor-friendly
Survives weather · Built for decks and exterior · Affordable for big spans
Lightweight, stable, and famously rot-resistant, with a rich red color, the classic premium decking and outdoor wood. Soft and easy to work, but splinters and dents.
- Softwood900 lbf$$ · ModerateGood workabilityOutdoor-friendly
Survives weather · Built for decks and exterior · Affordable for big spans
The aromatic cedar of closets and chests, its scent repels moths, and it's highly rot-resistant. Hard for a softwood, knotty, and beautifully two-toned.
- Softwood510 lbf$$ · ModerateGood workabilityOutdoor-friendly
Survives weather · Built for decks and exterior · Affordable for big spans
A swamp-grown softwood famed for rot resistance and strength, stronger than cedar, ideal for anything that gets wet. Old-growth 'pecky' cypress has a prized pocketed figure.
- Softwood350 lbf$$ · ModerateGood workabilityOutdoor-friendly
Survives weather · Built for decks and exterior · Affordable for big spans
Lightweight, aromatic, and naturally rot-resistant, the go-to for outdoor projects that won't see hard wear.
- Hardwood1700 lbf$$ · ModerateFair workabilityOutdoor-friendly
Survives weather · Built for decks and exterior · Affordable for big spans
One of the most rot-resistant woods on earth and brutally hard, a domestic answer to tropical decking. Tough to work but lasts for decades outdoors.
- Softwood830 lbf$$ · ModerateFair workabilityOutdoor-friendly
Survives weather · Built for decks and exterior · Affordable for big spans
An unusually hard, strong softwood with decent decay resistance, a deciduous conifer. Tough and stiff like Douglas fir, good for flooring and exterior work.
- Hardwood1925 lbf$$$ · PremiumFair workabilityOutdoor-friendly
Survives weather · Built for decks and exterior
A decay-resistant Southeast Asian hardwood used widely for decking, with natural tannins that bleed on first exposure to rain.
Deciding between two of these?
Before you buy
Spend your money where the water sits: posts and ground-contact members deserve the most rot-resistant stock, while rails and pickets can be a step down.
Recommended joinery
Structural outdoor carpentry: joints carry real loads, live in weather, and are usually fastened rather than glued.
Structural screws and bolts
Decks and fences are built with corrosion-resistant structural fasteners sized to the load; carriage bolts for posts, deck screws for boards.
Metal connectors/brackets
Joist hangers and post bases transfer load and are code-standard for deck framing.
Notched/housed joints for posts
Notching a rail into a post adds mechanical support beyond the fastener alone.
Joint choice depends on the build more than the wood. Measured joint strength varies widely by wood, size, glue, and load direction, so these are ranked by suitability and reasoning rather than by a single strength number.
Different constraints?
The Wood Guide layers your budget and skill level onto these rankings and re-scores every species for you.
Picked your wood?
Build a cut list in the board-foot calculator and get the exact lumber to buy, with waste allowance.