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*These pictures are only examples of what to expect. Due to individual computer preferences the color of the wood you receive may differ.
About Red Cedar
Commonly known as Eastern Red Cedar, this wood has a strong and distinctive aroma. It is soft with a fine even texture. The trees are very slow growing and most that are harvested tend to be small in diameter. This results in boards that are often narrow and knotty.
- Common Names: Red Cedar, Eastern Red Cedar, Red Juniper, Juniperus virginiana
- Origin: Eastern United States
- Color: Light reddish or violet-brown with pale yellow or white streaks
- Janka Hardness: 900 lbs/ft
- Avg. Weight: 2.78 lbs/bdft
- General Workability: Aromatic Red Cedar is easy to cut and work with although the knots can cause difficulty. It laser engraves, cuts, glues, and finishes well. Leaving it unfinished preserves its distinctive cedar smell.
Two ways to buy Red Cedar lumber:
- Order by the foot. Select the number of board feet you want. We'll choose the sizes that will ship best.
- Order by piece. Choose your size. This option comes surfaced on four sides and is trimmed to width.
Order Red Cedar Lumber
by the board foot
- Random widths from 3–10 inches wide.
- Surfaced on two sides (S2S) with rough edges.
- Forty-seven to twenty-four inches long to optimize shipping costs.
- Best price on Red Cedar we offer!
- Select and Better (Sel&Btr) grade.
Expect 10%-20% waste due to rough edges and small knots.
Minimum quantity: 5bdf.
Order Red Cedar Lumber
by the piece
| 4/4 Red Cedar (S4S) Surfaced to 13/16" | by | $1.94ea. (0.203 bdft.) | |
| 8/4 Red Cedar (S4S) Surfaced to 1 13/16" | by | $5.77ea. (0.604 bdft.) |
*Pieces over 47" long might cost more to ship. Read more about shipping.
†If 47" is too short, you can still order 48" long by requesting a quote.
A board foot (bdft.) is a standard of measurement equal to one square foot that is one inch thick. This measurement is used to measure the volume of lumber.
You can order Red Cedar wood by the board foot above or choose the exact size you need.
When lumber is cut at a lumber mill, the thickness is traditionally measured in quarters of an inch. For example, 4/4 equates to 1 inch and 8/4 equates to 2 inches thick.
When you order Red Cedar lumber from us, it is surfaced on both sides (S2S), resulting in a loss of about 3/16 of an inch in thickness.
4/4 lumber will come surfaced to 13/16" thick, and 8/4 to 1 & 13/16".
After sanding or shaping, you should be left with about 3/4" workable material.
Looking for thinner material? See Project Ready wood.
S2S means the lumber will be surfaced on two sides—it is planed smooth on the top and bottom face but not sanded. The edges are left rough.
S4S means the lumber will be surfaced on four sides—it is planed smooth on the top and bottom face with both edges trimmed straight and to size.
All S4S and S2S lumber is planed but not sanded. It will need sanding before a finish can be applied.
Looking for sanded, ready-to-go wood? See Project Ready wood.
All our Lumber is Select and Better (Sel&Btr) grade unless otherwise specified. Select and Better is the highest grade available.
Most pieces will be 83% to completely clear. Small peices are usually completely clear, while larger pieces might have small defects or a few sound knots.
Our Red Cedar wood is kiln dried.Kiln drying is an effective way of drying green (freshly cut) lumber in a controlled environment to a specific moisture content. The resulting dried wood is stronger and more stable.
The thin wood that's perfect for scroll sawing, laser cutting and engraving, thick veneers and many other crafts. Shop Now
We carry 2x2x12 and 1.5x1.5x12 Red Cedar blocks. They work great for cutting compound creations on the scroll saw, like chess pieces and Christmas ornaments. Also for turning projects on the lathe and much more. Shop Now
We carry 3/4x3/4x5 inch Red Cedar blanks for pen turning. Shop Now
