Royal IPE.
The ipe look, without the ipe upkeep.
Royal IPE is the deep mahogany-amber colorway of TrueGrain Deck, American Pro's flagship capped cellular PVC. It captures the warm, saturated tone of Brazilian ipe hardwood on a board that won't rot, splinter, or grey out, and never needs oiling.
A hardwood color,
engineered as PVC.
Royal IPE (also spelled Royalipe) is a color, not a wood species. It is one of the six hardwood-inspired finishes of TrueGrain Deck by American Pro, designed to give the deep mahogany-amber look of Brazilian ipe hardwood on a moisture-resistant cellular PVC core with a weatherable ASA cap.
Royal IPE is one of six TrueGrain Deck colors, alongside New England Birch, Coastal Driftwood, Aged Oak, Embered Taupe, and Tropical Walnut.
Ipe color.
None of the ipe problems.
Brazilian ipe is a beautiful hardwood and a hard one to live with. It is dense enough to blunt carbide bits, needs regular oiling to hold its color, silvers out quickly when it doesn't, and is increasingly hard to source responsibly. Royal IPE TrueGrain Deck is designed to give you the color without the compromises.
No oiling
Ipe needs oiling once or twice a year to hold its amber tone. Royal IPE's decorative surface is sealed under a weatherable ASA cap. No oil, no sanding, no sealing.
No splintering
Real ipe splinters and checks as it ages. Royal IPE is cellular PVC with no exposed wood fiber, so it will not splinter, crack, or throw slivers underfoot.
No greying out
Untreated ipe silvers out fast under UV. Royal IPE is warrantied against abnormal color change beyond 2 Delta E for 25 years, full coverage years 1 through 5, prorated thereafter.
Easier to install
Ipe is dense, heavy, and hard on tools. Royal IPE cuts and fastens like any TrueGrain board, top-fastened with color-matched screws or hidden with the InvisiClip system.
More on TrueGrain
and cellular PVC decking.
Everything you need to compare Royal IPE against the rest of the TrueGrain lineup and against other decking materials.
» TrueGrain Deck full product page
» All American Pro PVC decking
» Legacy PVC decking (solid colors)
» InvisiClip hidden fastener system
» TrueGrain project gallery
Common questions
about Royal IPE decking.
What is Royal IPE decking?
Royal IPE is one of the six hardwood-inspired colors of TrueGrain Deck, American Pro's flagship capped cellular PVC decking. It is a deep mahogany-amber tone modeled on Brazilian ipe hardwood, delivered on a moisture-resistant PVC core with a weatherable ASA cap and a laminated wood-grain surface.
Is Royal IPE the same as real ipe wood?
No. Royal IPE is a PVC decking color, not a wood species. It is engineered to visually mirror the deep mahogany-amber color of Brazilian ipe hardwood while behaving like cellular PVC. There is no wood fiber in the board, so Royal IPE does not need oiling, will not splinter, and will not silver out the way natural ipe does.
Is Royal IPE a good alternative to Brazilian ipe hardwood?
Yes, especially where the goal is the ipe look without the ipe upkeep. Brazilian ipe is dense, expensive, hard to work with, and greys out quickly without regular oiling. Royal IPE by American Pro delivers a similar color palette while resisting rot, splintering, and fade, and it carries a 25-year limited residential warranty on the decorative surface.
Does Royal IPE fade in the sun?
The Royal IPE color is protected by a weatherable ASA capstock over the decorative foil. TrueGrain Deck carries a 25-year limited residential warranty against abnormal color change beyond 2 Delta E and against cracking, full coverage in years 1 through 5, prorated thereafter.
Is Royal IPE cool underfoot?
Darker decking colors generally run warmer than lighter ones in direct sun. TrueGrain Deck uses cool-deck technology that reflects more solar energy than traditional dark composite decking, and the ASA cap is formulated to stay comfortable underfoot for typical residential use. For all-day sun exposure, lighter colorways such as New England Birch or Coastal Driftwood will feel cooler.
Can I get free samples of Royal IPE?
Yes. American Pro ships free 6-inch hand samples of any TrueGrain color, including Royal IPE, anywhere in the continental United States. Request a sample from the American Pro samples form so you can see the exact grain and amber tone in your own daylight.
How do I install Royal IPE TrueGrain decking?
Royal IPE installs the same as any other TrueGrain Deck color: top-fasten with color-matched screws, or use grooved boards with the InvisiClip hidden fastener system for a screw-free surface. Grooved TrueGrain boards also accept universal side-clip systems designed for grooved decking.
Where is Royal IPE decking made?
Royal IPE TrueGrain Deck is extruded by Patwin Plastics at its vertically integrated polymer extrusion facility in Linden, New Jersey. The PVC core, capstock, and decorative finish are produced on the same domestic line.