Cedar (Eastern Red)
Aromatic, decay-resistant softwood with a fine texture. Traditionally used for chest lining and closet interiors because the oils discourage insects.
Properties
- Family
- Wood
- Category
- wood
- Species
- Juniperus virginiana
- Density
- 0.47 g/cm³ · 470 kg/m³
Densityhow cedar (eastern red) compares
Wood propertiesUSDA clear-wood values at 12% moisture content
- Species measured
- Eastern redcedar (Juniperus virginiana)
- Specific gravity
- 0.47
- Modulus of rupture
- 8,800 psi · 60.7 MPa
- Modulus of elasticity
- 0.88 ×10⁶ psi · 6.07 GPa
- Shrinkage, green to oven-dry
- 3.1% radial · 4.7% tangential · 7.8% volumetric
The tabulated side hardness for eastern redcedar is a dash in the source table, so it is left out rather than filled from a secondary list.
Source: USDA Forest Service, Wood Handbook — Wood as an Engineering Material (FPL-GTR-190, 2010), Table 5–3b, for clear straight-grained specimens at 12% moisture content. The grey figures are converted at 1 lbf = 4.448 N, 1 psi = 6.895 kPa and 1 GPa = 145,038 psi; the inch-pound numbers are the published ones. Specific gravity is oven-dry mass over volume at 12% moisture content, so it sits about 12% below the working density at the top of this page (0.47 × 1.12 ≈ 0.53 g/cm³). The two come from different sampling programmes, so a few species differ by more than that.
Applicationswhere cedar (eastern red) is normally specified
Appearance & workabilitytrade experience, not measured values
- Origin
- Eastern and central North America
- Appearance
- Bright reddish heartwood with narrow white sapwood; fine texture
- Working
- Soft, dries well and machines cleanly; chosen where the scent and decay resistance matter more than strength.
Unlike the USDA figures above, these lines are not measurements: they carry no units and no single source. They describe how the timber is generally found to behave rather than what it is guaranteed to do — read them as the consensus of the trade, not as a specification.
Practical notes
- Density is for air-dried stock at about 12% moisture content
- Very small knots and a strong colour variation between sapwood and heartwood
Lumber sizeswhat cedar (eastern red) weighs in each nominal size
Lumber size databaseDressed sizes are the same for every species — a 2x4 is 1-1/2 x 3-1/2 in in oak as much as in spruce. What changes is the weight, and that is derived here from cedar (eastern red)'s density of 0.47 g/cm³.
Tools used on itmatched on the wood family, not on this page
All toolsWhich tools work a material is a property of the family (Wood), not of the individual species — so this list is the same on every wood page, and changes when the tool data changes rather than when this paragraph does.
Frequently asked questionsthe questions this page answers about Cedar (Eastern Red)
How dense is Cedar (Eastern Red)?
Density is 0.47 g/cm³, and the USDA table gives a specific gravity of 0.47.
How much does Cedar (Eastern Red) move when it dries?
Green to oven-dry it shrinks 7.8% by volume — 3.1% radially and 4.7% tangentially. Movement across the grain is what opens joints, so a species that moves a lot wants room to move.
What is Cedar (Eastern Red) used for?
Typical uses are Chest lining, Closet interiors, Pencils and Outdoor trim.
How does Cedar (Eastern Red) work with hand and machine tools?
Soft, dries well and machines cleanly; chosen where the scent and decay resistance matter more than strength.