Western Red Cedar

Western Red Cedar

Durability:

The timber is durable. Standing trees liable to attack by the Western Cedar borer and seasoned timber liable to attack by common furniture beetle. Resistant to preservative treatment.

Mechanical Properties:

Western Red Cedar has low bending and crushing strength, with very low stiffness and resistance to shock loads. Steam bending classification is very poor.

Seasoning:

Thin stock dries readily with little degrade, but thicker sizes tend to hold moisture at the centre and care is needed to avoid internal honeycombing and collapse. This is especially true of UK timber. There is small movement in service.

Uses:

  • Glass house and shed construction
  • Shingles
  • Interior finishing
  • Exterior boarding and cladding
  • Beehive construction
  • Poles, posts and fences
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Description

Western Red Cedar is straight grained, rather coarse textured, with a prominent growth ring figure and non-resinous. The timber’s heartwood shows considerable colour variation when fresh, from a dark chocolate-brown to a salmon pink colour, perhaps variegated, maturing down to a reddish-brown and, in time, to silver-grey – this weathered appearance sometimes sought-after by architects. Weight is 370 kg/m³ (23 lb/ft³); specific gravity .37.

Additional information

Latin Name

Thuja plicata

Family Name

Cupressaceae

Distribution

Canada, USA and introduced into the UK and New Zealand

Also know as

British Columbia red cedar (UK); giant arborvitae (USA); red cedar (Canada)

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