The most obvious difference between the two trees is their size. Western Red Cedar trees tower — some may grow has tall as 200 feet with 10 foot trunks. Northern White Cedar trees are considerably smaller and slimmer, reaching heights of around 50 feet with trunk diameters of about 2 feet.
How many varieties of cedar are there?
In total, there are only four recognized species of cedar – the Atlas cedar (Cedrus atlantica), the Cyprus cedar (C. brevifolia), the deodar cedar (C. deodara), and the Lebanon cedar (C.
What is the difference between red cedar and yellow cedar?
Western Red Cedar is a softer and more lightweight wood than Yellow Cedar. It’s more tonal, being known for it’s warm colour and dark, rich heartwood. … Yellow Cedar which has many different names such as Alaskan Yellow Cedar and Sitka Cypress is a much harder wood than Western Red Cedar.
What is the most common type of cedar?
- Eastern Red Cedar (Juniperus virginiana L.) …
- Eastern White Cedar (Thuja occidentalis L.) …
- Spanish Cedar (Cedrela oderata L.) …
- Western Red Cedar (Thuja plicata) …
- Alaskan Yellow Cedar (Palicourea croceoides)
How can you tell real cedar wood?
- Cedar is aromatic. Simply put, the stuff smells good. …
- Cedar is rot resistant. …
- Cedar is relatively lightweight and soft. …
- Cedar is (commonly) reddish brown. …
- Cedar tends to be somewhat dimensionally stable.
What type of cedar is the best?
There are several types of cedarwood and red cedar wood is considered to be the best in terms of building materials. There are a number of reasons as to why red cedar wood is so highly regarded and it is a combination of both its strength and its beauty.
What is better white cedar or red cedar?
The main differences between white cedar and red cedar are in terms of durability and strength. Red cedar is slightly stronger than white cedar fence. It’s less prone to knotting. … White cedar fencing lasts longer than red cedar fencing.
How can you tell cedar from pine?
The first difference between cedar and pine can be seen with the naked eye. Cedar is immediately recognizable due to its reddish color, white accents, and beautiful grain pattern. It is a warm and rich-looking wood. Pine, meanwhile, tends to be much lighter in color, ranging from cream to very light brown.Is red cedar the same as cedar?
Eastern Red Cedar Sometimes referred to as “aromatic cedar,” this cedar is known for its pungent scent from its natural oils. Appearance: This cedar’s exterior boasts a reddish-violet tinted brown, while its inner sapwood appears pale yellow. The sapwood often makes an appearance throughout the heartwood.
Is Deodar cedar a true cedar?The deodar cedar (Cedrus deodara), also known as Himalayan cedar, is one of the “true” cedars. It is a species of cedar native to the western Himalayas in Eastern Afghanistan, Northern Pakistan and India.
Article first time published onIs Western Red Cedar a true cedar?
Western red-cedar is also known as western redcedar, red cedar, Pacific red cedar, arborvitae (Latin for tree of life), giant arborvitae, or giant-cedar. It is not a true cedar; that name belongs to the old world genus Cedrus. … There are seven species of Thuja, five in eastern Asia and two in North America.
What is a true cedar?
Cedar (Cedrus), also called “true” cedar, is a coniferous genus and species of trees in the plant family Pinaceae. They are most closely related to the Firs (Abies), sharing a very similar cone structure. Most true, old-world cedars seen in North America are ornamentals.
Is all cedar wood red?
Different types of cedar trees grow all over the world. Red cedar, the wood most commonly found in woodworking, grows on both the East and West coast of the United States. Eastern red cedar is a significantly harder and stronger wood than the red cedar that grows on the West coast.
Is cedar wood expensive?
Cost- Just like composite, cedar can be much more expensive than other wood. Fades to a weathered grey over the years, which can be a drawback to some people.
Is red or yellow cedar more expensive?
Due to its straight grain and yellow colour, Yellow Cedar wood is very valuable commercially. It is used extensively for paddles, boat building, as well as other exterior projects such as bridges, decking, stairs and landscaping. … For this reason many builders choose red cedar over yellow cedar.
Is yellow cedar actually cedar?
Did you know that Yellow Cedar (Chamaecyparis nootkatensis) is not technically a “Cedar” – it is actually a Cypress! Yellow Cedar is a medium-sized tree that grows up to 24 meters tall and can be found along British Columbia’s coastal region.
Why is Western Red Cedar so expensive?
Western Red Cedar wood is considered the most valuable of all softwoods because of its fine, straight grain, color, flexibility and strength in proportion to weight, however, the most important property of cedar wood is its high impermeability to liquids and its natural phenol preservatives, which make it ideally …
What wood is closest to cedar?
Pine is strong, easy to work with and affordable, making it a staple in the construction industry. Because it’s cheaper than cedar, you can use pine to build wood items and then stain them to match the color of your cedar items.
Can you smell cedar wood?
So, what does cedarwood smell like? As you might imagine, since it comes from trees, cedarwood has a woodsy scent. … This aromatic wood scent can call to mind pencil shavings and fine cigar boxes, both of which are often manufactured from cedar.
What color does cedar age to?
Cedar is known to age gracefully to a soft, silver-grey patina, but it’s wise to keep the rich tones of your cedar siding lasting longer. Transparent stains contain no pigment but have water-repellent features that will help to retain natural tones and slow down the natural colour change process.
What is western red cedar used for?
Western Red Cedar is renowned for its naturally occurring resistance to moisture, decay and insect damage. Its natural durability, dimensional stability and exceptional beauty make it ideal for exterior uses including roofs, cladding, fences, decks, garden features, planters, outdoor furniture and playground equipment.
Is Thompson's Water Seal good for cedar?
A new Waterproofing Stain from industry leader Thompson’s WaterSeal can not only protect your deck from further damage, but also add rich, beautiful color. … Choose from five popular colors: Acorn Brown, Harvest Gold, Maple Brown, Sequoia Red or Woodland Cedar.
Why is it called white cedar?
The term arborvitae, meaning “tree of life,” was given to white cedars in reference to the effectiveness of their foliage in treating scurvy. White cedars are smallish trees that can reach 40 feet tall.
What kind of cedar is used for closets?
The best type of cedar used for closets is juniperus virginiana, known as red cedar, eastern red cedar, Virginian juniper, eastern juniper, red juniper, pencil cedar, and aromatic cedar. Growing this wood for closets and furniture is big business in the Appalachians of the United States.
What is the difference between western and eastern cedar?
The Eastern Red Cedar is much shorter overall than the Western Red Cedar, typically being between 16 to 66 feet tall (5 to 20 m) with a trunk between 12 to 39 inches (30 to 100 cm) in diameter. The Western Red Cedar is also quite long-lived, with some members of the species living more than 900 years.
How do you identify cedar?
How to Identify Cedar Trees. Cedars are evergreen trees that can be identified by their needles, cones and bark. Cedars have bluish-green needles, growing in groups along woody branches. Another identification feature of true cedar trees is their large, barrel-like cones that grow upward on branches rather than dangle.
What is white cedar good for?
Northern White Cedar has a variety of human uses. The wood, which is light-weight and resistant to decay, is used to make products that come into contact with water and soil. The wood is used commercially for rustic fencing, cabin logs, poles, and shingles. The wood has also been used for paneling and boat-making.
Which is stronger pine or cedar?
Hardness. Aromatic red cedar has a Janka rating (used to test the relative hardness of wood) of 900, while southern yellow pine is behind by a bit with a Janka rating of 690. So cedar is a little harder.
Is cedar better than redwood?
Redwood is measurably stronger than cedar – by about 23%. Redwood is therefore more durable than cedar.
What is better pressure-treated wood or cedar?
When it comes to comparing treated wood vs. cedar, pressure-treated wood is the sturdier and more weather-proof of the two. It’s highly resistant to insect attack and rot, and special versions rated for “ground contact” can be buried in soil and will continue to shrug off decay for decades.
Is white cedar a true cedar?
Thuja Occidentalis Part of the cypress family (Cupressaceae), the northern white cedar tree is commonly known as an eastern white cedar, eastern arborvitae, American arborvitae, or swamp cedar, because of the wet growing conditions of the tree. They are not actually a true cedar.
