Western Red Cedar Specifications
Thinking of specifying Western Red Cedar (WRC) in your project? Here's more information than you probably care to know.
Stability
Western Red Cedar is a very stable decking product meaning it is less likely to contract and expand as compared to other wood decking products. WRC has a low shrinkage factor and is less likely to twist, check, and warp compared to other decking and siding products such as Douglas fir, Ipe, etc.
Density
Western Red Cedar is very light weight. It’s low density provides helps to increase it’s insulation value compared to other more dense wood products. Kiln Dry WRC weighs approx. 21lbs per cubic foot and a specific gravity of .32. The following table compares the densities of other softwood species.
| Comparative densities (pcf) | |
|---|---|
| Species | Oven-Dry Density |
| Western Red Cedar | 21 |
| Douglas Fir | 31 |
| Ponderosa Pine | 27 |
| Southern Pine | 34 |
| Ipe (air dry) | 78 |
| Redwood | 24 |
| Tigerwood | 60 |
Shrinkage Factors for Western Red Cedar
| Direction of Shrinkage | From Green (25% or greater moisture content) to: | From kiln dried (15% average moisture content) to: | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 15% | 12% | 6% | 15% | 12% | 6% | |
| Radial* | .96 | 1.2 | 1.8 | 0 | .3 | 1.0 |
| Tangential | 2.0 | 2.6 | 3.8 | 0 | .7 | 2.1 |
|
*Radial shrinkage is in reference to the width of vertical grain lumber and tangential is in reference to the width of flat grain lumber.
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Altruwood | 5125 SW Macadam Ave Ste #135, Portland, Oregon 97239 | 1-877-372-9663
Altruwood | 5125 SW Macadam Ave Ste #135, Portland, Oregon 97239 | 1-877-372-9663
