IMO none of them are cool if exposed to S hot sun.

Get some samples and do your own test. A cheap infrared thermometer is all you'll need. Light colors will be cooler than dark colors (or less hot...)

Good idea, just ordered one. Will see if the marketing lives up to the reality.

I have a medium gray deck in savannag ga and you DO NOT walk on it barefoot in the summer. Ask me how I know. Ours is Azek ‘dark hickory’. I love that it doesn’t have a fake wood grain and isn’t slippery when wet.

Will post results for the samples I can test - will take a few days. I have some Trex Transcend, MoistureShield, and some TimberTech already.

Excellent blog you wrote @Steveworks LLC, thanks! Good info.

Some results from IR temperature measurements for decking samples..

Three manufacturers: Trex (Enhance & Transcend), TimberTech (including Azek by TimberTech), and MoistureShield. 20 samples in all. Deck is medium dark, unstained, south-facing redwood. Accuracy of IR thermometer was about 3 degrees F.

Results of two days (Trex & TimberTech) compared to deck temp (120-140 degrees) ...

Lighter samples (L Gray, mixed Gray, lighter Brown) were 6-10 degrees above deck temp.

Darker samples (Dark Gray, Dark Brown) were a solid 10 degrees above.

One off-white sample was 20 degrees below deck temp.

The MoistureShield product claim to fame is that it runs 30% cooler than other brands. These 2 samples (L Gray, Brown) were 20 degrees below deck temp. More like 20% below deck with lighter colors but definitely respectable.

As expected lighter colors ran cooler (6+) , medium-to-dark were a solid +10. Off-white doesn't seem like a practical deck color but ran coolest. MoistureShield ran cooler (-20) than the deck.

Take all this with grain of salt - I averaged measurements best I could, temperatures varied across samples with mixed color densities (like Trex Island Mist - Gray with some black components). All samples composite, no PVC tested.

@HALLETT & Co. Am considering Azek/Dark Hickory for my deck; faces NW so still receives a good amount of mid-day and afternoon sun. Average Summer temps here are in the low to mid 30s Celsius (80 to 95 Fahrenheit). In your experience, and specifically during the Summer, do your boards get "springy" (and if so, is it annoyingly so or noticeable but not a bother?) and have you noticed permanent bowing/cupping under heavier furniture left out all season? Thanks in advance for sharing your experience.

Replaced our deck this summer with Timber Teck in a light grey color. I could walk on it barefoot even in full sunlight. Loving it so far.

My deck was framed for composite decking- 16” oc. No issues with being springy and I have a very heavy iron and granite dining table sitting on it.

I have a Trex deck that came with the house. I hate it and can't wait for the day I have the funds to rip it out and put in a stone patio. It is pink. I'm going to presume the previous owner chose a terracotta color -- I thought this stuff wasn't supposed to fade/change color? But it is pink. It's also gotten dirty from debris/tree leaves over the years, and I can't get the stains out, even scubbing with deck cleaners won't get the stains out. It looks fake and cheap. And, directly to your question -- yes it is very hot to walk on, it's a southern exposure.

Here's some photos of my ugly Trex deck; it's gotten dirtier and uglier since time has worn on:

Mxk yes the first generation composite decks were notorious for fading and staining. They bear little similarity with modern composite decking.

"Mxk yes the first generation composite decks were notorious for fading and staining. They bear little similarity with modern composite decking."

Ah ha! So I'm not FOS! LOL! Well, the previous owner put it in, I can't take the blame for this one. But, it has completely tainted my opinion of composite decking (as you can tell...).

Yes my SIL has a deck from the first iteration of trex and you can see the outline of every leaf that has ever fallen on it even though she scrubs and power washes… My deck luckily is pristine two years in.