Innate Materials

Red Beech timber for decking

A New Zealand native hardwood with warm colour, fine grain and a practical place in exterior decking when the right heartwood, product and project conditions come together.

New Zealand beech forest with mature trees and fern understorey
New Zealand beech forest.

Identity

Red Beech is its own species.

Red Beech is endemic to New Zealand. Its accepted botanical name is Fuscospora fusca. You may also see Nothofagus fusca, its former botanical name, in older publications.

“Red Heart Beech” is useful product language for the selected heartwood boards. It is not a different tree species.

Species
Red Beech
Botanical name
Fuscospora fusca
Former name
Nothofagus fusca
Innate supply
Selected heartwood from the West Coast

Heartwood

The part of the board matters.

A species name alone does not describe every part of a tree. Innate decking is supplied as guaranteed heartwood. If sapwood is found, Innate replaces the affected boards.

Appearance

Warm, varied and unmistakably timber.

Red Beech moves through honey, peach, red and brown tones, often with darker streaks and fine, flowing grain. Natural colour variation and occasional sound character are part of the material, not an attempt to imitate a uniform manufactured surface.

Boards are appearance-checked as part of order preparation. Real sample pieces are the best way to judge the raw timber and the Walnut exterior-oil finish.

Installed Red Beech decking showing natural variation between boards
Natural variation across installed boards.
Close view of coated Red Beech decking grain in sunlight
Fine grain and warm colour in direct light.
See the decking sample pair

Decking

The Innate profiles.

90 × 19 mm

Pencil-round, random 1–5 m lengths, $10.50/LM incl. GST.

115 × 19 mm

Pencil-round, random 1–5 m lengths, $13.40/LM incl. GST.

Fixed lengths

Finger-jointed lengths up to 6 m are quoted on request.

Finish

Raw or factory-coated in Walnut exterior oil for $1.15/LM incl. GST.

Red Beech decking boards with visible face fixings and even gaps
Existing Red Beech decking with visible face fixings.

Orders are made to order with a 10 LM minimum, a 20% deposit and an expected lead time of approximately 12 weeks. Nationwide freight is quoted for the destination and order.

Standards context

A recognised, conditional durability pathway.

New Zealand’s current B2/AS1 durability pathway references NZS 3602:2003. The standard lists beech—including Red Beech—in dressing-heart grade, without preservative treatment, for a defined replaceable, unroofed decking context.

The reference is not a blanket approval for every board or deck. Product grade, finished dimensions, deck design, drainage, ventilation, exposure, surface requirements, installation and maintenance all remain relevant.

Review the public sources

Next step

Start with a sample or a rough deck size.

You do not need a finished specification to get in touch. A deck area, delivery region and preferred board width are enough to begin.