Is Eastern Red Cedar A Hardwood Or Softwood

Red cedar was commonly used for building fence.

Is eastern red cedar a hardwood or softwood.

Rough cut western red cedar wood. The surfacing edging and finishing is completed by the customer or woodworker. Cost and availability although it s a softwood hardwood grading standards apply because eastern red cedar is used primarily as a cabinet wood. Imported hardwood lumber species available.

Alder ash cherry hard maple hickory poplar red oak soft maple walnut white oak and yellow birch. Spanish and yellow cedar however are hardwoods. This makes red cedar a softwood. Since clear wood is hard to come by most eastern red cedar boards carry the common grading label and a fairly inexpensive price of about 1 50 per board foot.

Wikimedia commons the reason why we have included this wood in our list of softwoods is that people tend to consider cedar as hardwood but no it is a softwood. Red cedar is a hardwood. Although it s a softwood hardwood grading standards apply because eastern red cedar is used primarily as a cabinet wood. This wood has a soft red brown coloration with a fine straight grain and a smattering of knots.

In tree form it is more commonly called eastern redcedar while the wood itself is usually referred to as aromatic red cedar. Eastern hemlock the state tree of pennsylvania is just a tad lighter at 48 50 pounds per cubic foot 775 800 kilograms per cubic meter as is eastern red cedar at about 45 52 pounds per cubic foot 700 830 kilograms per cubic meter. Eastern and western red cedar are gymnosperm trees so most cedar wood is considered softwood. With that said eastern red cedar although considered a softwood has a significantly higher janka rating than the other varities and is thus stronger and more durable.

But it is also quite expencive because of its slow growing nature. Domestic hardwood lumber species available. Softwood lumber species available. Types of softwood cedar cedar wood image.

Our rough western red cedar hardwood lumber is readily available for shipment within 24 to 48 hours of placing your order depending on our workload. Eastern red cedar works well for trim in boats and canoes as cedar chests for closet linings jewelry boxes bookcases carvings and turnings. Board foot thickness x width x. Though eastern redcedar trees are widely distributed throughout the eastern half of the united states it is a very slow growing species and most trees harvested tend to be fairly small in diameter.

The material has not been machined in anyway aside from being ripped on the band saw. Red cedar is not a hardwood because it is like all cedar trees a gymnosperm tree meaning it does not flower. A cedar is a conifer therefore is classified as a softwood.