Wood types: Meranti vs Iroko
The wood behind every Voshill chair
Every chair we make starts with a choice of timber. Here's how our two woods differ, and how to pick the right one for where your chair will live.
Meranti
Our standard wood, and the right choice for a chair that's yours alone. Lighter in tone and gentler on the budget, it suits the chair that lives on your own stoep or travels with you at weekends.
Looked after — kept dry, wiped down, stored out of the worst weather — a Meranti chair will serve you well for years.
Iroko
Our premium hardwood, built for chairs that see many different people, day after day — lodges, camps, and communal spaces. It's a notably harder wood than Meranti, so it shrugs off scratches and knocks that come with heavy rotation.
Iroko also handles shifting temperatures well, from cold bushveld mornings to hot afternoon sun, making it the sturdier choice outdoors.
| Meranti | Iroko | |
| Best suited to | Personal, individual use | Lodges & high-traffic settings |
| Hardness | Good, with care | Harder — scratch resistant |
| Temperature swings | Standard tolerance | Handles them well |
| Price tier | Standard | Premium |
Which one is right for you?
If the chair is coming home with you, Meranti is a beautiful, dependable choice. If it's headed for a lodge, camp, or anywhere many hands and bodies will use it, Iroko is worth the investment — it's built to take the wear.