Timber is sold by volume, in cubic feet (CFT), so the first question every buyer asks is “what is the rate per CFT?” The honest answer is that there is no single rate: two logs of the same size can be worth very different amounts. This page explains what moves the price, so you can read a quote properly and compare two of them fairly.
Rates also move with the market, so we do not publish a price list that would be out of date next month. Send us your sizes on WhatsApp and we will quote the rate that applies today.
How timber is priced
Every quote is built the same way:
Amount = volume in CFT × rate per CFT
So a quote has only two moving parts. The volume you can check yourself with our wood CFT calculator - it uses the same formulas we use on our slips. The rate is what the rest of this page is about.
Seven things that change the rate
1. Species and origin
Teak is not one product. Burma teak from old natural forest, Nilambur teak from Kerala's long-established plantations, and plantation teak from South America or Africa are priced quite differently, because the timber itself differs in grain, oil content and the amount of usable heartwood. Mahogany and manjiyam sit in their own brackets again. Comparing a rate without naming the wood tells you nothing.
2. Girth
A thicker log is worth more per CFT, not just in total. Wide logs yield wide boards - a door panel, a table top, a bed rail - that simply cannot be cut from a thin log. That is why we list our teak and mahogany by girth range, and why the rate steps up as the girth does.
3. Length and straightness
Long, straight logs cut with far less waste. A bend, a twist or a taper means shorter usable pieces, so the rate drops. Ask whether a quoted length is the full log or the usable length.
4. Grade and defects
Knots, splits at the ends, insect damage and a hollow centre all reduce what can be cut from a log. Quotes often carry a first-quality and a second-quality rate for exactly this reason: the same stack can contain both. Second quality is not bad timber - it is timber with more to work around, and it can be the sensible buy for framing or hidden work.
5. Heartwood and sapwood
The dark heartwood is the durable part. The pale sapwood at the outside is not termite resistant and is usually trimmed away. A log with a thick band of sapwood gives less usable timber, and the rate reflects that.
6. Seasoning
Freshly felled timber holds a lot of water. It is heavier, it shrinks as it dries, and furniture built from it can crack or warp months later. Seasoned timber costs more because it has been held, dried and taken the loss of that shrinkage already. Always ask how long the wood has been seasoned.
7. Quantity
A single log for one door is priced differently from a lorry load for a project. If you are buying in bulk - builders, contractors, furniture makers - tell us the quantity when you ask, because it changes the rate.
Round logs and sawn timber are priced differently
A round log is measured by the quarter-girth rule, which already allows for the rounded outside being lost when the log is squared up. Sawn timber is measured on the finished pieces, so the volume you pay for is the volume you take away - but the sawing itself, and the slabs and sawdust it produces, are part of what you are paying for.
| Round log | Sawn timber | |
|---|---|---|
| Measured by | Girth & length (quarter-girth rule) | Width × thickness × length of each piece |
| CFT formula | girth² × length ÷ 2304 | width × thickness × length ÷ 144 |
| Waste | Allowed for in the measurement | Already removed - you pay for finished pieces |
| Best for | Buyers who will saw it themselves, or want to choose the cuts | Buyers who want timber ready to use |
If you are comparing a log rate against a sawn rate, they are not the same number and never will be. Compare like with like, or ask us to quote both ways - we cut to your sizes.
What our quote includes
- The wood and grade being quoted.
- Each size, the number of pieces and the CFT for every line.
- The rate per CFT, and a second-quality rate where both are available.
- Cutting or sizing charges, when you ask us to cut.
- Delivery, quoted for your location - ask and we will include it.
- Taxes as applicable at the time of billing.
How to compare two quotes fairly
- Same wood? “Teak” alone is not a specification - ask which teak and where it is from.
- Same measurement? Round log or sawn, and girth over or under bark.
- Same grade? A first-quality rate and a second-quality rate look very different on paper.
- Seasoned or green?
- What is extra? Cutting, loading, transport and taxes.
Asking for today's rate
Send us this and you will get a firm number back rather than a range:
- The wood you want - for example Burma teak, Nilambur teak, mahogany, manjiyam.
- Round logs or sawn timber. For sawn, give width × thickness in inches and length in feet.
- How many pieces, or the total CFT you need.
- What it is for - doors, frames, furniture, construction - so we can suggest the right grade.
- Your delivery location.
Not sure of the volume? Work it out first with the CFT calculator, then send the list straight to us from that page. You can also browse what we stock: teak wood logs, Burma teak, Nilambur teak, mahogany and all wood logs.