Cedar vs. Redwood: Which Wood Truly Lasts Outdoors?
You’re choosing wood for a deck or bench and need a material that won’t rot in a few seasons. I compare cedar and redwood not just by reputation, but by how they perform on my sawbench and in the weather.
We will cover natural rot resistance, dimensional stability, ease of working, long-term cost, and ethical forestry practices.
I base these conclusions on my own materials testing, weighing each wood’s science against years of shop experience.
Starting Simple: What Are You Actually Buying?
You see “cedar” and “redwood” at the lumberyard, but those labels can be tricky. They are common names for specific, durable softwoods perfect for the outdoors. For a fair comparison, we need to talk about the same two players every time.
When I talk about cedar for building, I mean Western Red Cedar. For redwood, I mean Coastal Redwood, or Sequoia sempervirens. These are the species stocked for decks, fences, and garden furniture. Other cedars exist, but they aren’t in the same league for consistent outdoor performance or color matching.
Here’s the most critical thing to know: both woods have a protective core called heartwood. This is the darker, aromatic part of the log. The outer, lighter wood is sapwood. Sapwood has almost no natural decay resistance. You want heartwood for any project exposed to weather.
Always inspect your boards and avoid pieces with wide bands of pale sapwood on the edges; that’s the part that will rot first.
How They Weather: A Side-by-Side Durability Test
For outdoor wood, “durability” means one thing: how long it resists rot, decay, and insects without chemical treatment. Both woods succeed here because they make their own preservatives, which is especially important when choosing mahogany or cherry for outdoor furniture.
Cedar’s primary defense is a group of organic compounds called thujaplicins. These are powerful fungicides and insecticides that give cedar its distinctive, pleasant scent. Redwood relies on high concentrations of tannins and other complex extractives that make the wood cell walls unpalatable and resistant to fungal enzymes.
Left to the elements, both will weather to a silvery-gray patina. Cedar tends to gray more quickly and evenly. Redwood often grays in a more mottled pattern initially, as its rich tannins wash out at different rates. This is purely aesthetic and doesn’t affect longevity.
So, which one lasts longer? For above-ground uses like siding, deck boards, or benches, both are excellent and will last decades. The difference becomes clear in ground contact. Redwood heartwood has a slight edge in resistance to soil fungi and termites. If you’re building a planter box, a post in the ground, or a landscape timber, untreated redwood is often the more durable choice.
For fence posts or garden beds that touch soil, I reach for redwood heartwood. For everything else, like a deck frame or an arbor, the choice comes down to cost, appearance, and workability.
Material Data Sheet: Cedar vs. Redwood by the Numbers
These numbers from the Forest Products Lab aren’t just trivia. They explain how the wood feels in your hands, how it behaves with tools, and why it lasts. Here’s the direct comparison.
What does this mean in the shop? Redwood’s higher Janka number and specific gravity mean it’s about 25% denser and harder than cedar. It will feel more substantial, hold screws a bit better, and be slightly more resistant to dents. Cedar’s lower density makes it notably lighter and easier to cut or hand-plane.
The shrinkage numbers are crucial for stability. Both woods are exceptionally stable for softwoods, but redwood’s slightly lower tangential shrinkage gives it a minor edge in resisting cupping and warping as humidity changes. This is why you sometimes see very old redwood structures that are still remarkably straight.
The durability rating sums it up: both are resistant, but redwood earns a “very resistant” classification, especially against decay fungi, which aligns with its better performance in ground contact.
Picking the Winner for Your Specific Project
Forget abstract ratings. The best wood is the one that works for your exact build. Let’s match these species to common projects.
Building a Cedar vs. Redwood Deck
For a deck, you care about feel underfoot, low maintenance, and budget. Western Red Cedar typically feels slightly softer and warmer to bare feet than Redwood. Both resist splintering well when properly sanded, but cedar’s softer surface can be more forgiving. There’s a common myth about hardwoods vs softwoods durability: hardwoods aren’t always tougher. In reality, durability depends on species, treatment, and exposure.
Where Redwood pulls ahead is in fastener holding power, its denser heartwood grips screws and nails with more authority over decades.
Board availability tips the scale. At most lumberyards outside the Pacific Northwest, you’ll find cedar decking in consistent dimensions (5/4×6, 2×6) and clear grades. Redwood decking is common, but its premium “Clear All Heart” grade is often a special order. Cost becomes the final judge. Cedar usually wins, costing 20-40% less per square foot than equivalent-grade redwood. For a large deck, that difference pays for the rest of your project. Consider a quick decking woods comparison to weigh cedar against redwood and other species. It helps balance cost with durability and availability.
Building a Cedar vs. Redwood Fence
Here, handling and upfront appearance matter. Cedar is notably lighter. Handling 6-foot fence panels and 4×4 posts is easier, a real advantage for a DIY install. Redwood’s extra heft feels more substantial but costs you in labor.
Initially, redwood’s richer, deeper red hue is stunning. Cedar’s pale amber-brown is more traditional. The cost gap is most dramatic here: a redwood fence often costs 1.5 to 2 times more than a cedar one. This isn’t about quality, but supply. Mature, heartwood-only redwood logs for clear fencing are simply rarer and more regulated than cedar.
Longevity under paint or solid-color stain is similar if you use heartwood. The film of a good acrylic paint shields both woods equally for 5-10 years. Different wood species can affect staining and painting. Cedar’s oils and redwood’s tannins can both bleed through light-colored stains if you don’t use a proper stain-blocking primer first.
Building Cedar vs. Redwood Raised Garden Beds
Direct soil contact is the test. Both woods contain natural rot-resistant compounds, but these are concentrated in the heartwood. For longevity, insist on heartwood-only stock for any bed, regardless of species. Sapwood will decay quickly.
The aroma comes from volatile organic compounds (VOCs). Cedar’s are stronger, acting as a natural insect repellent. This can deter soil pests like termites or ants. Redwood’s scent is milder. There’s no scientific evidence these VOCs harm vegetable plants or soil microbiology in an open bed.
My shop recommendation is clear cedar. It offers 90% of the durability for 60% of the price. The pest-deterring benefit is real, and the lighter weight makes building easier. Save the premium redwood for furniture or features where its color is on full display.
Working in the Shop: Cuts, Finishes, and Surprises
Technical specs are one thing. How do they actually behave when you put a tool to them?
Sawing, Planing, and Sanding: Which is Easier?
Both are softwoods, but they work differently. Cedar cuts like butter with minimal tear-out, making it a dream for hand tools. Redwood is a bit stringier and can tear out around knots if your blade isn’t sharp.
Wear a mask when sanding cedar, its fine dust is a known respiratory irritant for some people. Redwood dust is less problematic but still not something you want to breathe. Neither species gums up blades or sandpaper like pine pitch can. For planing, take lighter passes on redwood to avoid crushing its slightly more brittle grain.
The Staining Truth: Finishing Cedar vs. Redwood
They blotch for different reasons. Cedar’s uneven density and oil pockets cause dark, splotchy areas with some stains. Redwood’s high tannin content reacts with water-based finishes and some dyes, creating unpredictable gray or green blotches.
The fix is a pre-stain wood conditioner. For cedar, an oil-based conditioner helps seal porous areas. For redwood, you need a specific tannin-blocking primer or shellac-based sealer before any water-based product. Skipping this step is the number one reason for a bad finish on these woods.
Film-forming finishes like paints work well on both if the surface is properly primed. Penetrating oil finishes (e.g., tung oil blends) look beautiful on cedar, enhancing its warmth. On redwood, they can sometimes mute the vibrant red tones, pulling more toward a brownish hue. Always test on scrap first, especially when applying oil finishes to wood.
When NOT to Use Cedar or Redwood
These are specialty woods. Don’t use them for:
- Structural framing. They lack the sheer strength and stiffness of Douglas Fir or SYP. It’s a waste of money and a potential safety issue.
- High-wear indoor floors. They are too soft. Heel marks and furniture dents will appear immediately.
- Cutting boards or countertops. Their porosity makes them unhygenic, and cedar’s oils can taint food.
Always cut away the creamy-white sapwood on boards destined for outdoors. It has almost no rot resistance. Finally, be cautious using either wood for a firepit surround or bench. The natural oils, especially in cedar, can increase flammability. If you do, use a fire-retardant treatment.
Beyond the Lumber Yard: Source and Sustainability
The price on the tag tells one story. Where the wood comes from and how it was harvested tells another. For a truly durable project, you need to think about the forest, not just the board.
Where Does This Wood Come From?
Both of these aromatic softwoods hail from the Pacific Northwest, but they grow in different neighborhoods. Western red cedar thrives in moist, coastal forests from southern Alaska down into northern California. Coast redwood’s native range is much smaller, clinging to a narrow, fog-drenched strip from southern Oregon to central California.
If you’re out hiking, identification is straightforward. Redwood bark is thick, fibrous, and a distinctive cinnamon-red, while mature cedar bark is grayish-brown and tears off in long, vertical strips. For your project, the more relevant difference is in the lumber. Cedar often has a more uniform, straight grain, while redwood can display wilder figuring and a deeper, reddish heartwood from the get-go.
Is Your Wood Choice Sustainable?
This is where your values meet your vise. Both species are renewable resources, but how they are managed varies wildly.
Always look for lumber stamped with an FSC (Forest Stewardship Council) certification. This isn’t just a feel-good sticker. It means the wood was tracked from a forest managed for long-term health, biodiversity, and community benefit. I specify FSC-certified for all my client work, and the quality is consistently excellent.
You should avoid any lumber marketed as “old-growth” or “virgin” redwood. Harvesting these ancient trees is ecologically damaging and completely unnecessary for woodworking. Modern “second-growth” redwood, harvested from managed forests where trees are 50-100 years old, is the responsible choice. It’s still incredibly durable because the natural preservatives are in the heartwood, not the tree’s age.
Finally, match the grade to the job. You don’t need clear, architectural-grade wood for the back of a planter box or a garden bench frame. Using a #2 Common or “Construction” grade for hidden or structural parts saves money and reduces waste. Save the premium clears for visible tabletops and fascia boards.
The Final Cut: Making Your Choice
Forget a vague summary. Your project needs a decision. Use this simple guide.
Choose REDWOOD if:
- Your budget allows for a premium material.
- You want that rich, reddish-brown color immediately after building.
- Your project is premium decking, a permanent outdoor structure, or anything in constant ground contact.
- You need the absolute highest natural resistance to decay and insects.
Choose CEDAR if:
- Cost is a primary factor for the scale of your project.
- You prefer a wood that starts lighter and silvers to a driftwood gray.
- You are building raised garden beds, fencing, or lighter outdoor furniture.
- Easier handling matters-carrying a stack of cedar boards is noticeably less work than redwood.
In my shop, the final rule is simple. The best wood is the one that fits your project, your budget, and your values. Both cedar and redwood are champions. You just have to pick the right one for this fight. When you compare pine vs. Douglas fir properties, you’ll see how hardness, stiffness, and decay resistance can tilt the decision. That awareness helps you pick the right match for your project.
Frequently Asked Questions: Cedar vs. Redwood
What is the core material science reason for redwood’s higher price?
Redwood’s premium cost stems from its limited native range and slower, more regulated harvest compared to cedar. You are paying for a denser, more decay-resistant heartwood with superior dimensional stability, as quantified by its higher specific gravity and lower tangential shrinkage.
Why do cedar and redwood present unique challenges when applying stain?
Cedar’s uneven oil distribution and redwood’s high tannin content react differently with finishing chemicals, leading to blotching. A proper project requires species-specific preconditioners: an oil-based product for cedar and a tannin-blocking primer for redwood to ensure an even finish. Similarly, finishing mahogany benefits from preconditioning to prevent blotching. A dedicated mahogany conditioner or blotch-blocking sealer helps you achieve a uniform, even finish.
How can I visually identify a piece of rough lumber as cedar or redwood at the yard?
Beyond color, examine the end grain and weight. Redwood heartwood is typically a deeper, reddish-brown and feels significantly denser and heavier for its size. Freshly cut cedar has a stronger, sweeter aromatic scent compared to redwood’s milder, earthier fragrance.
In extreme, constant moisture, which wood’s durability has a clearer advantage?
For permanent, ground-contact applications like posts or landscape timbers, redwood’s “Very Resistant” heartwood rating provides a measurable advantage against soil fungi. Cedar is “Resistant,” but its lower density and different extractives make it slightly more susceptible to wet rot over decades in direct soil.
Does the higher Janka hardness of redwood translate to better wear on a deck surface?
Yes, redwood’s higher hardness (450 lbf vs. cedar’s 350 lbf) provides marginally better resistance to denting from furniture or debris. However, both are softwoods; neither is suitable for high-traffic indoor flooring, and both will weather and soften on the surface over time outdoors.
Choosing and Caring for Your Outdoor Wood
The most critical factor is not the species, but the construction. Proper joinery, a protective finish, and a raised installation will do more for longevity than the inherent difference between cedar and redwood. For most projects, the local availability and cost of clear, heartwood-grade material should guide your choice. Treat both woods as durable, not indestructible, and plan for their maintenance from the start.
Responsible ownership means sourcing from suppliers who practice sustainable forestry, ensuring these aromatic woods remain available. Your project’s true durability is built on this foundation of good material science and continued care.
Expert Resources and Citations
- Redwood Vs. Cedar – TimberTown
- Cedar Fence Vs Redwood Fencing – Which wood fence do you choose?
- Cedar vs Redwood: Which Wood Plank is Best for Your Home? – Stikwood
- Redwood Vs Western Red Cedar – the facts to consider
- Redwood vs Cedar – Choosing the Superior Outdoor Wood
- r/FenceBuilding on Reddit: Redwood or pressure treated cedar wood for fence?
Written by David Ernst. David is a veteran woodworker. He is now retired and stays in his cabin in Wisconsin which he built himself. David has 25+ years experience working in carpentry and wood shops. He has designed and built many small and large wood projects and knows the science behind wood selection like the back of his hand. He is an expert guide on any questions regarding wood material selection, wood restoration, wood working basics and other types of wood. While his expertise is in woodworking, his knowledge and first hand experience is far from 'woody'.