Best Decking of 2026, Tested by Experts
Our testing exposes samples made from aluminum, composites, plastic, and wood to extreme conditions for multiple years
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Pretty much any deck will look great when it’s brand-new, but a deck built with subpar materials will start showing its age in a year or two. Fast-forward a decade, and a wooden deck that was beautiful that first summer might have warped or cracked wooden boards. Even a composite deck might have a faded finish or a sagging section between joists.
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Best Overall Decking Material
Best Wood Decking
Best Composite Decking
Best Plastic Decking
How We Pick the Best Decking
Decking comes with trade-offs depending on which brand, material, and species you choose. As a rule, wood tends to resist flexing better than composites. Composites, on the other hand, generally resist staining better because they have a manufactured outer shell that’s nonporous. For this article, we’ve whittled down the best decking option within each material type, ensuring that all of the deck boards here have the following in common:
They’re strong. Every option here earns at least decent marks for resistance to flexing. The best of the bunch ace that test, so they’ll hold up under grills and outdoor furniture, no problem.
They’re slip-resistant. The options we’ve highlighted are less likely to turn a spilled drink or some residual rainwater into a major accident.
They hold up in weather. Some decking may rot or discolor due to years of exposure to rain and sun. These options all proved their ability to retain their good looks even after years of exposure to the elements.
How CR Tests Decking
For wood alternatives, we test individual product lines from brands such as Azek, Fiberon, and Trex. With wood, we simply test by species (like yellow pine, cedar, and ipe). Wood of a particular species should perform similarly, regardless of where it’s milled or sold.
In our Yonkers, N.Y., test facility, we use specialized instruments to test each decking sample for resistance to flexing to ensure that boards won’t bow or bend if you’re entertaining a crowd or if you park a heavy grill in one spot all summer long. Next, we size up which materials resist common stains, such as ketchup and mustard, and which offer some slip resistance—particularly important if you’re installing a deck near a pool.
We also drop weights of various sizes on the surface of each board to see which samples dent on impact. And we send more than a dozen samples of each material to two areas with extreme climates: hot and dry Arizona, and Florida, where the humidity presents a different challenge to certain materials. We assess those samples annually for three years, evaluating their appearance and retesting for all the attributes above to see how age and exposure to the elements affect overall performance. Wood products are tested without a stain or sealer.
