Is Cedar a Hardwood or a Softwood? (& Is It Strong?)

Is Cedar a Hardwood or a Softwood? (& Is It Strong?)

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If you are planning to build something out of solid wood, it is very important that you know what the properties of that species are. One of the more popular types of wood to use for construction around the home is cedar, especially for outdoor purposes.

That said, there are a few important facts about cedar that you need to know, particularly in terms of strength. Is it hardwood or softwood? Is it strong? Let’s figure out whether or not cedar is a type of wood that you want to use around the home.

Is Cedar a Hardwood or a Softwood?

Cedar is a coniferous tree and a gymnosperm, which means that it is non-flowering in nature and that it does not lose its needles or leaves during the winter. This means that cedar is a type of softwood, not hardwood.

Keep in mind that being a softwood means that it is a gymnosperm tree, not necessarily that it is very soft. Vice versa, just because a tree is an angiosperm or hardwood does not necessarily mean that the wood itself is very hard.

However, in the case of cedar, a softwood, it is actually quite soft and is in fact one of the softest softwoods out there.

Cedar Wood Strength

The strength of cedar wood is measured according to a variety of metrics, which include compressive strength, bending strength, stiffness, hardness, density, and moisture resistance.

There are various types of cedar out there, with the three most commonly used ones in the USA and Canada being eastern red cedar, western red cedar, and Alaskan yellow cedar.

Compressive Strength

Below are the compressive strengths of the most common kinds of cedar:

  • Western red cedar – 4,560 lbf per square inch (31.4 MPa)
  • Alaskan yellow cedar – 6,310 lbf per square inch (43.5 MPa)
  • Eastern red cedar – 6,020 lbf per square inch (41.5 MPa)

The compressive strength of wood refers to how much of a load it can take parallel to the grain, or in other words, how much weight wood can hold before it buckles. An example of this would be how much weight a table leg can support before it buckles.

In terms of compressive strength, Alaskan yellow cedar is the strongest of all cedar types examined today.

All three types of cedar have a higher compressive strength than, for example, balsa, which is just 1,690 lbf per square inch. That said, their compressive strength is less than that of Douglas fir, which comes in at 6,950 lbf per square inch, and much less than ebony, which comes in at 11,060 lbf per square inch.

In terms of overall compressive strength, although cedar isn’t too bad, there are certainly stronger options out there. It’s not the number one choice for vertical beams, although it will work just fine for small structures.

Bending Strength

Next, below are the bending strengths for the common cedars:

  • Western red cedar – 7,500 lbf per square inch (51.7 MPa)
  • Alaskan yellow cedar – 11,100 lbf per square inch (76.6 MPa)
  • Eastern red cedar – 8,800 lbf per square inch (60.7 MPa)

The bending strength, also known as the modulus of rupture, refers to how much of a load wood can take perpendicular to the grain, or in other words, how much weight you can hang on a piece of wood before it bends. An example of this would be how much weight you can hang on a horizontal wooden peg before it breaks.

In terms of bending strength, Alaskan yellow cedar is the strongest of all three types reviewed today.

The modulus of rupture of balsa wood is just 2,840 lbf per square inch, Douglas fir has a bending strength of 12,500 lbf per square inch, and Gaboon ebony has a bending strength of 22,930 lbf per square inch.

In other words, although there are much stronger types of wood out there in terms of how much force it takes to snap a piece of cedar when a load is put perpendicular to the grain, there are also stronger options. That said, you can easily hang a good deal of weight from a nice piece of cedar.

Stiffness

Below is an overview of the stiffness of the different types of cedar:

  • Western red cedar – 1,110,000 lbf per square inch (7.66 GPa)
  • Alaskan yellow cedar – 1,420,000 lbf per square inch (9.79 GPa)
  • Eastern red cedar – 880,000 lbf per square inch (6.07 GPa)

The stiffness of wood, also known as the modulus of elasticity, refers to how much a piece of wood will bend when a load is put perpendicular to the grain, or in other words, how much a board will bend and sag when weight is put directly on top of it.

An example of this would be how much weight can be applied to the center of a wooden board before it begins to bend.

In terms of stiffness, Alaskan yellow cedar is the strongest of all three types examined today. In general, cedar is also pretty average in terms of stiffness. It doesn’t take too much weight to bend cedar, but it can still hold its own.

For example, balsa can only handle 538,000 lbf per square inch before it bends. Douglas fir on the other hand can handle up to 1,765,000 lbf per square inch, and Gaboon ebony wood can handle up to 2,449,000 lbf per square inch.

Hardness

Below is the Janka hardness rating of the different cedar varieties:

  • Western red cedar – 350 lbf
  • Alaskan yellow cedar – 580 lbf
  • Eastern red cedar – 900 lbf

The hardness of wood, measured on the Janka hardness scale, refers to how hard the surface of the wood is, or in other words, how much resistance it has to denting, scratching, and physical impacts.

As for hardness, eastern red cedar is by far the hardest out of all three types examined today. That said, cedar in general is not the hardest of woods out there, and in the grand scheme of things, even Eastern red cedar with a Janka rating of 900 lbf isn’t all that hard. This means that cedar doesn’t handle direct impacts too well, and it scratches and dents fairly easily.

For instance, balsa, the softest wood out there, features a Janka rating of just 67 lbf, whereas Douglas Fir has a Janka rating of 620 lbf, and Gaboon ebony coming in at a whopping 3,080 lbf.

Density

Lastly, below are the densities of the cedars we have compared today:

  • Western red cedar – 23 lbs per cubic foot (370 kg per cubic meter)
  • Alaskan yellow cedar – 31 lbs per cubic foot (495 kg per cubic meter)
  • Eastern red cedar – 33 lbs per cubic foot (530 kg per cubic meter)

The density of wood refers to how heavy it is in reference to a specific size, which is usually measured in pounds per cubic foot or kilograms per cubic meter.

Eastern red cedar is by far the heaviest out of all three cedar types examined today. However, in the grand scheme of things, when compared to other types of wood out there, particularly hardwoods, cedar is not overly dense.

For instance, balsa comes in at 150 kg per cubic meter, Douglas fir comes in at 510 kg per cubic meter, and Gaboon ebony comes in at 955 kg per cubic meter.

Is Cedar Strong?

When it comes down to it, cedar is not overly strong, particularly when compared to several types of hardwood.

If we had to give cedar a strength rating out of 10, we would give it a 3, maybe a 3.5, or a 4 if we really push it and take into account that eastern red cedar has decent compressive strength, bending strength, and stiffness.

That said, when compared to many other types of softwood, as well as all types of hardwood, cedar is relatively weak, especially western red and Alaskan yellow cedar.

Eastern red cedar is the strongest of the three and may be able to give some hardwoods a run for their money, but when it comes down to it, cedar is not something that most would use for largescale construction, especially for things that have to bear a lot of weight, be resistant to big impacts, or be resistant to scratching and denting.

However, if you need wood that can easily resist pests, fungus, and decay, and is especially suitable for outdoor use, then cedar makes for one of the best options around. If you wanted the strongest of the three, eastern red is the way to go, with western red cedar being decidedly weaker than virtually all other types of typically used wood out there.

Summary

While cedar isn’t the strongest of woods out there, it’s still strong enough for cabinets, furniture, shelves, knickknacks, siding, decking, fencing, and trim. Some people may use it for flooring, although most would go with something harder, stronger, and stiffer. Where cedar really excels is moisture resistance.