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Composite Decking: What the Spec Sheet Tells You
Caps, board sizes, joist spacing, two kinds of warranty and the heat note most buyers miss. Four capped lines from Trex, TimberTech, Fiberon and Deckorators, read from the makers' own pages.
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A composite deck is sold on a colour swatch. The numbers that decide whether it lasts 25 years or 50 sit in the spec sheet and the warranty PDF. This guide reads those numbers from four makers' own pages, for four capped board lines, and says where each maker is quiet.
The sheet
| Figure | Trex Transcend | TimberTech Legacy | Fiberon Concordia | Deckorators Vista |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cap | "Shell" protection | Four sides, incl. grooves | Four sides (PermaTech) | Three sides, incl. groove |
| Board, actual | 0.94 x 5.5 in | 0.94 x 5.36 in | 0.94 x 5.4 in | 7/8 x 5.5 in |
| Lengths | 12, 16, 20 ft | 12, 16, 20 ft | 12, 16, 20 ft | 12, 16, 20 ft |
| Joist spacing | 16 in (12 commercial) | 16 in max (12 angled) | 16 in (12 at 45°) | Not published |
| Fade and stain warranty | 50 yr | 30 yr | 50 yr | 25 yr |
| Structural warranty | In the same document | 30 yr | Lifetime | 25 yr |
| Recycled content | 95% | About 85% | 94% | 95% |
Maker figures, read October 26, 2026. "Not published" = not on the pages we read. A ^ marks the strongest figure in a row.
The cap
Every board on this sheet is capped: a polymer shell over a core of plastic and wood fibre. The cap is what stops stains and fading. Read how many sides it covers.
TimberTech caps Legacy on all four sides, including the grooves, and says the cap holds "no wood fibres."2 Fiberon caps Concordia on four sides.3 Deckorators caps Vista on three sides, including the groove.4 Trex describes Transcend's cap as a "shell" without saying how many sides.1
Board size
A "5.5-inch" board isn't always 5.5 inches. TimberTech lists Legacy at 5.36 inches wide and Fiberon lists Concordia at 5.4, against 5.5 for Trex and Deckorators.1,2,3,4 It sounds small. Over a 16-foot deck, the board count changes.
Joist spacing
Joist spacing is the most important number for a builder. Fiberon publishes 16 inches on centre for boards laid square to the joists, 12 inches for boards at up to 45 degrees, and 12 inches on stair stringers.3 Trex states 16 inches for homes and 12 for commercial decks.1,8 TimberTech's product page points to its installation guide, which gives 16 inches at most and 12 for angled or commercial decks.2 Deckorators doesn't state it on the Vista page.4
Lay the boards at an angle and most makers want the joists closer. Plan the frame before you pick the board.
Two warranties, not one
A decking warranty is usually two promises. One covers fading and staining: how the board looks. The other covers the board itself: rot, splitting, structural failure.
Trex Transcend carries 50 years against fading and staining, and the same warranty limits fading to 5 Delta E for 25 years.1,5 Fiberon pairs 50 years of fade and stain cover with a lifetime performance warranty on Concordia.3,6 TimberTech gives Legacy 30 years on both.2 Deckorators gives Vista 25 on both.4
Read the fade clause, not just the year count. A number like "5 Delta E" is a measured limit you can hold a maker to; "will not fade excessively" isn't.
Recycled content
Trex states "95% recycled plastic film and reclaimed sawdust."1 Deckorators states "95% recycled plastic and renewable sawdust."4 Fiberon states 94% recycled material, and TimberTech "approximately 85%."3,2
Heat in the sun
Trex is the only maker of the four that says it plainly on the product page: "the darker the color, the hotter the deck will feel in the sun." It adds that its cooler boards "stay cooler" but "will get hot in direct sun."1 If your deck faces south and the family goes barefoot, pick a light colour.
The code report
An ICC-ES evaluation report shows a board has been checked against the building code. Search results list ESR-3168 for Trex Transcend and Select, and ESR-4947 for Fiberon.9 We couldn't open either report file on October 26. TimberTech's technical page lists a Canadian report for its PVC boards and a report for its railing, not one for this composite line.7 Ask your builder which report your inspector wants to see.
The checklist
Questions
How much does composite decking cost per foot?
None of the four makers publishes a per-foot price on the pages we read. Trex sells a 3.5-inch sample for $5.1 Prices come through dealers.
Can I lay composite boards on 24-inch joists?
Do composite boards get hot?
Yes. Trex says darker colours get hotter and even its cooler boards get hot in direct sun.1
- Trex, Transcend decking product pages, trex.com/products/decking/transcend/ read October 26, 2026
- TimberTech, Pro Legacy and Pro Terrain collections, timbertech.com read October 26, 2026
- Fiberon, Concordia decking, fiberondecking.com/products/concordia-decking read October 26, 2026
- Deckorators, Vista decking, deckorators.com/products/vista-decking (read through a text reader) read October 26, 2026
- Trex, Residential limited warranty (2023 update PDF), trex.com read October 26, 2026
- Fiberon, Warranty, fiberondecking.com/pages/warranty read October 26, 2026
- TimberTech, Technical resources, timbertech.com/resources/technical-resources/ read October 26, 2026
- Trex, 2024 installation guide (joist chart, via search result) seen October 26, 2026
- ICC-ES report numbers for Trex (ESR-3168) and Fiberon (ESR-4947), via search results seen October 26, 2026, report files not opened
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We may earn a commission when you buy through links on this page. As an Amazon Associate we earn from qualifying purchases. Every spec below is the maker's own published figure, with the source and the date we read it.
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