The chestnut is ranked among the most naturally durable wood species in Slovenia. Our aim was to determine the durability of the chestnut's heartwood to wood decay fungi. In previos studies on oak wood it has been proven that width effect durability of wood. Hence, we decided to analyse this phenomenon in the heartwood of the chestnut as well. Samples made of chestnut wood with various rings widths were exposed to five wood decay fungi, namely: Gloeophyllum trabeum, Antrodia vaillant, Pleurotus ostreatus, Trametes versicolor and Stereum hirsutum. In parallel control samples made of spruce and beech wood were exposed to fungi as well. Mass loss was determined gravimetrically after sixteen weeks of exposure. The results showed that the natural durability against wood decay fungi is not affected by the ring chestnut heartwood. Mass loss of the all investigated sweet chestnut wood species was lower than 5 %, which ranks this wood among the durable wood species.
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