Wood Species Cedar Yellow American

Cedar – YELLOW – American

North America
Softwood
Durable

Yellow Cedar (American) (Chamaecyparis nootkatensis, also known as Alaska yellow cedar or Nootka cypress) is a high-quality, slow-grown softwood native to the Pacific Northwest of North America. It is pale yellow to light golden in colour, sometimes ageing to a deeper brown, with a fine, even texture and a straight, uniform grain. The wood is moderately dense for a softwood, with excellent strength relative to its weight, very high dimensional stability, and outstanding natural durability against decay and insect attack.

In the timber industry, Yellow Cedar is valued for specialist exterior and structural applications where longevity and reliability are essential. It is commonly used for marine construction, boat building, docks, decking, shingles, cladding and exterior joinery, as well as precision components such as millwork and carved architectural details. Its combination of durability, stability and fine appearance also makes it suitable for high-end interior joinery and specialty woodworking, although its higher cost often limits it to premium or performance-critical uses. The timber has low movement values in fluctuating atmospheric conditions and is therefore good for drawing boards, greenhouses and shingles. This is one of the best timbers for battery separators, due to properties such as resistance to acids.

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