Western Red Cedar delivers years of reliable operation from your indoor products.
Dimensional Stability
Cedar is the perfect timber candidate under almost any climatic conditions because of its:
- Low wood density
- Low shrinkage factor
- Low absorption of water
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Western Red Cedar has excellent dimensional stability because of its low wood density and lowest shrinkage factor of all major softwoods. A major contributor to this stability is the fact that its moisture content at the fibre saturation point is 18 to 23%, compared to 25 to 30% in most softwoods. As a result, Western Red Cedar shrinks and swells minimally, is not subject to warping or twisting, and displays only small movements with changes in humidity.
Lower absorption of water is a result of the high extractive content blocking absorption sites. This property contributes to Western Red Cedar's suitability for use in paneling, mouldings and a number of other applications such as saunas where dimensional stability and water repellency is important. |
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Performance
In the case of timber windows and doors, should a stay or fastener break it is simply a matter of replacement by screw to the timber. Also a change of fasteners and fittings, whether due to fashion or increased security, is considerably easier with timber windows.
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Resistance to Decay
Western Red Cedar heartwood is renowned for its high decay-resistance. It has built in natural preservatives that provide resistance to borers, termites, rot and fungus growth. This natural durability is attributed to the presence of extractives, mainly the thujaplicins, and to a lesser extent, the water-soluble phenolics which are toxic to a number of wood rotting fungi. Western Red Cedar has a durability Class 2 in Europe and Australia, the highest category for durability of any softwood listed. It is for these reasons that Canadian First Nations Peoples used Cedar for masks, lodges and totem poles, many of which still exist today. |
Flame Spread Rating
The flame spread rating of Western Red Cedar is 67 to 73 (Class II rating) and the smoke developed classification is 98. Both of these are used to regulate the use of materials where potential to generate smoke or smoke control movement is important. Due to its low flame-spread rating, it will perform better than most dense softwoods which have flame-spread ratings around 100. Western Red Cedar has a flame spreading rate and a smoke-developed classification that are considerably below the maximum limits set by most building codes.
Thermal and Insulating Properties
Western Red Cedar has good insulation value because of its low wood density and coarse texture. It is the best insulator among the most common available softwood species and is far superior to brick, concrete and steel. This property ensures that homes built with Western Red Cedar will be cooler in the heat of summer and warmer in winter as opposed to homes using denser species or man-made products. Western Red Cedar's ability to dampen vibrations is an important acoustical property which makes it particularly effective as paneling and moulding where it is desirable to reduce or confine noise.
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