Cedar (Western Red)
Light, naturally decay-resistant softwood that is dimensionally stable when wet. The default cladding, roofing and outdoor trim material where structure is not carrying the load.
Properties
- Family
- Wood
- Category
- wood
- Species
- Thuja plicata
- Density
- 0.37 g/cm³ · 370 kg/m³
Densityhow cedar (western red) compares
Wood propertiesUSDA clear-wood values at 12% moisture content
- Species measured
- Western redcedar (Thuja plicata)
- Specific gravity
- 0.32
- Janka side hardness
- 350 lbf · 1,557 N
- Modulus of rupture
- 7,500 psi · 51.7 MPa
- Modulus of elasticity
- 1.11 ×10⁶ psi · 7.65 GPa
- Shrinkage, green to oven-dry
- 2.4% radial · 5% tangential · 6.8% volumetric
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 (0.32 × 1.12 ≈ 0.36 g/cm³). The two come from different sampling programmes, so a few species differ by more than that.
Applicationswhere cedar (western red) is normally specified
Appearance & workabilitytrade experience, not measured values
- Origin
- Pacific Northwest of North America
- Appearance
- Reddish-brown heartwood with a straight grain and a distinctive cedar scent
- Working
- Soft and light. It splits around fasteners unless pilot holes are drilled, and the extractives that resist decay also fight some finishes.
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
- Low strength for its section — cladding, not structure
- Dents easily; fasteners should be set, not hammered flush
Lumber sizeswhat cedar (western 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 (western red)'s density of 0.37 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.
Used in these projectsbuilds whose bill of materials calls for it
All projectsFrequently asked questionsthe questions this page answers about Cedar (Western Red)
How hard is Cedar (Western Red)?
Janka hardness is 350 lbf — the force needed to push a steel ball halfway into the wood. Higher is harder; this is the number quoted when a wood is specified for floors, worktops or butcher blocks.
How dense is Cedar (Western Red)?
Density is 0.37 g/cm³, and the USDA table gives a specific gravity of 0.32.
How much does Cedar (Western Red) move when it dries?
Green to oven-dry it shrinks 6.8% by volume — 2.4% radially and 5% tangentially. Movement across the grain is what opens joints, so a species that moves a lot wants room to move.
What is Cedar (Western Red) used for?
Typical uses are Cladding, Roofing, Outdoor furniture and Siding.
How does Cedar (Western Red) work with hand and machine tools?
Soft and light. It splits around fasteners unless pilot holes are drilled, and the extractives that resist decay also fight some finishes.