Lumber prices / Western Red Cedar
Western Red Cedar Price per Board Foot
Western red cedar is lightweight, aromatic, and naturally rot- and insect-resistant, which is why it dominates outdoor projects. It is soft and dents easily, so it is chosen for durability and looks rather than hardness.
What common boards cost
Board feet times the price per board foot. These use the $5 to $9 range above.
| Board | Board feet | Est. cost |
|---|---|---|
| 1 x 6 x 8 ft | 4.00 | $20 – $36 |
| 1 x 8 x 8 ft | 5.33 | $27 – $48 |
| 2 x 4 x 8 ft | 5.33 | $27 – $48 |
To price a full order, put $7 (or your dealer's number) into the board foot calculator and add every board to the tally.
What western red cedar costs, and why
Western red cedar runs about $5 to $9 per board foot, and the spread inside that range is wider than the numbers suggest because grade matters more here than in almost any other softwood.
- Clear versus knotty. Clear vertical grain cedar, cut from the outer part of old, large logs, sits at the very top of the range and beyond it. Knotty cedar from second-growth timber is a fraction of the price and is what most decks and fences are built from. They are the same species and not the same product.
- Heartwood versus sapwood. The rot resistance is in the heartwood, the reddish-brown part. The pale sapwood has very little of it. Boards sold as heart cedar cost more and are the ones worth using where the wood touches ground or stays wet.
- Thickness. Cedar is mostly milled thin for siding and decking, so 8/4 and thicker stock is a specialty item and priced like one.
Cedar is usually sold by the linear foot, not the board foot
This trips people up constantly. Decking, fencing, and siding are quoted per linear foot or per piece, so a 5/4 x 6 deck board at 16 feet has a single price on the tag and no board foot figure anywhere. Rough cedar lumber from a hardwood dealer is quoted per board foot. The two numbers are not comparable until you convert.
A 5/4 x 6 x 16 board is 1.25 x 6 x 16 / 12, which is 10 board feet. If the tag says $40, that works out to $4 per board foot. Running that conversion is the only honest way to compare a lumberyard deck price against a per board foot quote, and the board foot vs linear foot page walks through it in both directions.
Rot resistance, weight, and working it
Cedar's heartwood contains natural oils called thujaplicins that resist decay and insects without any treatment, which is why it outlasts untreated pine outdoors by years rather than months. Left unfinished it weathers to silver grey; that is a surface change, not decay.
At about 23 lb/ft³ it is one of the lightest woods sold, roughly 1.9 pounds per board foot, so a big siding order is easy to handle and easy on a structure. The same lightness makes it soft: it rates about 350 lbf on the Janka scale, so it dents under furniture and scuffs under heavy traffic. Cedar is chosen for weather resistance and looks, never for hardness. Use stainless or hot-dipped galvanised fasteners, because those same oils corrode plain steel and streak the wood black.
Softwoods with similar hardness
Western Red Cedar rates 350 lbf on the Janka scale. These sit closest to it, so they take similar wear and usually swap in without changing how the piece holds up. Price is often the deciding factor.
| Species | Janka | Per board foot |
|---|---|---|
| Eastern White Pine | 380 lbf | $3 – $6 |
| Redwood | 450 lbf | $6 – $12 |
| Ponderosa Pine | 460 lbf | $3 – $5 |
| Eastern Hemlock | 500 lbf | $3 – $5 |
Full range on the lumber prices page, and weight per board foot if shipping or floor load matters.
Frequently asked questions
- How much does western red cedar cost per board foot?
- Western Red Cedar commonly runs about $5 to $9 per board foot at retail, with wide, thick, or figured boards costing more. This is a planning range, not a quote, so confirm with your dealer.
- How much does western red cedar weigh?
- About 1.9 pounds per board foot kiln-dried, based on an average density of 23 lb/ft³ at 12% moisture content. Green stock weighs more.
- Is western red cedar a hardwood or a softwood?
- Western Red Cedar is a softwood (domestic), with a Janka hardness of 350 lbf.
- Why is clear cedar so much more expensive than knotty cedar?
- Clear vertical grain cedar comes from the outer wood of large old-growth logs, and there is not much of that left in the supply. Knotty cedar is second-growth timber and far more plentiful. Both are western red cedar, so compare grade before you compare prices.
- How do I convert a cedar deck board price to price per board foot?
- Work out the board feet in the piece, then divide the tag price by it. A 5/4 x 6 x 16 board is 1.25 x 6 x 16 / 12, or 10 board feet, so a $40 board is $4 per board foot. Deck boards are priced per piece or per linear foot, so this is the only way to compare against a per board foot quote.
- Does western red cedar need to be sealed?
- Not for decay resistance. The heartwood's natural oils handle that on their own. Sealing or staining is about keeping the colour, since unfinished cedar weathers to silver grey within a season or two. Use stainless or hot-dipped galvanised fasteners either way, because the oils corrode plain steel.