Matai

Overview

Matai is a slow-growing New Zealand softwood with a close, even, dense grain, one of the finest of the country's native forest trees. Freshly cut it ranges from cream to amber to deep brown and darkens to a red-brown in air. It is picked for stable, hard-wearing floors, furniture and turned work, despite being technically a conifer.

Pros

• Dries well with minimal distortion and is very stable (National Association of Woodworkers NZ, NAW).
• Relatively easy to work and turn, and produces a lustrous silky finish.
• Hard-wearing and resists knocks; still valued as an attractive flooring timber.
• Heartwood is strong, tough and durable above ground.
• Straight grain with a fine, even texture.

Cons

• Not durable in ground contact: Tane's Trees says matai is not durable, similar to kauri, and its use for house blocks and posts was unwise.
• Heat cracks need to be avoided when turning, and some polyurethane finishes may not set properly (NAW).
• Hard to source outside New Zealand.
• Hardness figures I found are limited (about 940 lbf from Vienna Woods); test a sample.

Variants and subspecies

• Heartwood: the useful, durable zone; colour varies widely from board to board.
• Stump wood and burr: swirling grain with rich colour variation, particularly sought by woodturners.
• Recycled matai: reclaimed flooring and joinery; the realistic supply for most buyers.

Working and finishing

Machines well and turns easily on the lathe. Avoid heat cracks when turning. Test your chosen finish on a scrap, because NAW warns some polyurethanes may not cure properly on it, then use an oil or shellac if needed.

Staining and finishing colour

The colour moves toward red-brown on exposure to air, so allow for that before judging a stain. It finishes to a lustrous silky surface (NAW). Stain and dye should be tested on the same board because colour varies from cream to deep brown.

Sustainability and handling

Not in the CITES Appendices (checked 2026-09 against the Appendices in force from 5 March 2026). IUCN assessed the species Least Concern in 2013 (Wikipedia; GBIF, checked 2026-09). I could not confirm New Zealand's current rules on milling native matai, so ask suppliers for provenance, preferring recycled or licensed stock. The Lacey Act's 2008 amendment covers timber products (Wikipedia, Lacey Act), and the EU deforestation regulation applies to wood products from 30 December 2026 for large and medium operators. NAW lists possible health risks as none known.

Popular projects

Furniture, large bowls and platters, lidded boxes, hollow forms, and heavy-duty floors and joinery.

Buying notes

Sold in New Zealand by native-timber merchants as flooring and finished boards. One merchant's 2021 listing priced a 420 x 30 mm board at NZ$100 per metre, about US$10.60 per board foot at today's rate; this is not a US price.