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The Daily Insight

What is clear cedar siding

Author

Rachel Hickman

Published Mar 18, 2026

C&Btr Clear – High quality lumber for use where appearance is important, but permits more numerous characteristics than Clear Heart or “A” Grades. In addition to interior and exterior trim, as well as exterior cladding, Western Red Cedar of this grade is also used for cabinetry, doors, windows and similar applications.

What is clear cedar used for?

C&Btr Clear – High quality lumber for use where appearance is important, but permits more numerous characteristics than Clear Heart or “A” Grades. In addition to interior and exterior trim, as well as exterior cladding, Western Red Cedar of this grade is also used for cabinetry, doors, windows and similar applications.

Is clear cedar expensive?

CLEAR is the top of the line in any wood. This is an architect’s grade – the rarest part of the tree, the hardest to get, the most expensive option.

What is clear cedar wood?

Clear Cedar refers to A & Better Cedar and is free of almost all knots, but it isn’t 100% free of knots. If you want Cedar that’s 100% free of knots, which is difficult to find and costly, then you would need Clear Vertical Grain Cedar. Knotty or STK stands for Select Tight Knots.

What is clear grade cedar?

A Clear. This is a fine appearance grade that allows only slightly more growth characteristics than Clear Heart. Pieces are of mixed grain. These mixed grain (vertical and flat) pieces are graded from the surfaced face. Typically sold with a percentage of B grade.

How much is clear cedar per foot?

Clear cedar decking tends to be more expensive than other types of cedar decking, ranging from $7 to $9 per linear foot.

Does cedar wood have knots?

Cedar is naturally resistant to termites and rot. … Tight knot cedar have knots in the wood, but they are intact and there are no holes. Clear cedar do not have any knots or holes, have a nice grain to it, and could be used to give your project a nice, finished look.

What is D grade cedar?

D & Better Clear – This grade permits more natural characteristics and is used where general utility is more important than appearance. More pin knots and tight knots are allowed than within the other Clear Grades of Western Red Cedar.

What does cedar siding cost?

Cedar shake siding costs between $6 and $12 per square foot for materials and installation. Shingle siding costs $6 to $10 per square foot. To put cedar siding on an entire house, it costs $9,000 to $19,000 or more, depending on the size of the home.

Which is stronger redwood or cedar?

Durability Redwood – with a janka rating of 450lbs – is about 23% stronger than cedar (janka rating of 350lbs). Whether or not the extra strength is necessary for your project is up to you, but clearly redwood is more durable and stable than cedar in general.

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Why is cedar so expensive?

Demand for cedar remains strong and this can lead to price rises. There is no doubt that Cedar is the premium product when it comes to cladding – it’s durable, attractive, light, easy to work with and sustainable. … It’s similar in colour to a softwood and generally has more knots than cedar, but is still very popular.”

What is better cedar or pine?

Cedar is generally regarded as the stronger and more durable of these two woods. It does not need any special treatment and stands up well to the elements, with a low risk of warping and shrinking. Pine, on the other hand, is more at risk of buckling, warping, and shrinking.

Is cedar Wood waterproof?

Due to its chemical properties, cedar is naturally weather-resistant and repels most bugs. … Cedar accepts sealers and stains beautifully and should be refinished every two to three years. If you plan to keep your cedar’s natural color, note that cedar can darken dramatically when exposed to sunlight.

What kind of cedar is used for siding?

Pine and cedar are the two main wood species used for exterior siding. Cedar types include eastern white cedar, red cedar, and Alaskan yellow cedar; each type has a color true to its name. While pine siding can be very affordable, it can’t resist rot and insects like cedar can.

What is Aye and better cedar?

Western Red Cedar is beautiful and functional, with natural resistance to insects and decay. Aye & Btr KD Clear Cedar takes the beauty of cedar to a new level, with excellent appearance perfectly suited for interior and exterior applications.

What does STK mean in lumber?

Select Tite Knot (STK) – A grade term often used for Cedar lumber. Lumber graded “STK” is selected from the mill run because of tight knots in each piece. Softwood – A general term referring to any of a variety of trees having narrow, needlelike or scalelike leaves, generally coniferous, and the wood from such trees.

How can you tell if wood is cedar?

  1. Cedar is aromatic. Simply put, the stuff smells good. …
  2. Cedar is rot resistant. …
  3. Cedar is relatively lightweight and soft. …
  4. Cedar is (commonly) reddish brown. …
  5. Cedar tends to be somewhat dimensionally stable.

How do I identify a cedar?

Cedar trees are pretty easy to identify. Apart from looking magnificent, true cedars have bluish-green needles for leaves and they grow in groups with woody branches. They also have large cones that look like barrels and grow upwards on the branches.

Are there different types of cedar wood?

There are only 4 true types of the cedar tree Vis a Vis; the Deodar Cedar, the Atlas cedar, Cyprian cedar and Cedar of Lebanon. They all produce high quality and durable wood.

Will lumber prices go down in 2021?

Lumber will be strong through 2021 and this drop in lumber prices is great news for homebuilders and real estate developers alike if they choose to take advantage of their low rates now.

Why are lumber prices so high 2021?

Home prices are soaring, pushed higher by a combination of record-low mortgage rates, strong demand from buyers and a lingering lack of new construction. … In 2021, a new factor put pressure on home prices: Month after month, lumber prices jumped to new highs.

Why is Western red cedar so expensive?

Western Red Cedar wood is considered the most valuable of all softwoods because of its fine, straight grain, color, flexibility and strength in proportion to weight, however, the most important property of cedar wood is its high impermeability to liquids and its natural phenol preservatives, which make it ideally …

Does cedar siding rot?

Using a finish on your cedar siding protects it from weather, which easily extends its longevity. When left untreated, within five years of installation, the cedar siding will begin to rot and soften from the moisture that enters from not being protected.

What is the best type of siding?

Siding TypeOptionsDurabilityVinylExcellent20-30 yearsAluminum & SteelGood30-50 yearsFiber Cement & CompositeGood35-50 yearsWoodExcellent50+

Can cedar siding be left untreated?

Cedar has natural antibacterial and anti-fungal properties, allowing you to leave the wood untreated without worry of excess warping, rotting and cracking. It does weather, though, changing color throughout time, offering a much more rugged look than stained cedar siding offers.

What is #3 grade cedar?

Inland cedar is usually described as #3 or better grade in STK (select tight knot). Inland cedar’s lighter coloring and displays of character make this variety ideal for knotty ceilings, paneling, and flooring.

What is finger jointed cedar siding?

Finger-jointed western red cedar boards are lumber made from short pieces of western red cedar joined together into longer boards. The joints fit together like interlacing fingers and are glued together. The boards are predominantly available in 1”, 1 1/4”, and 2” thicknesses and range from 2” to 12” in width.

What is premium S4S cedar lumber?

Special Appearance Grade Cedar is sure to please for any project requiring handsome wood. We stock cedar in S4S (smooth on all four sides), S1S2E (smooth on one side and two edges), and Rough Sawn which is a full rough cut on all four edges with a high-quality appearance.

Is cedar cheaper than redwood?

Cost. In general, redwood fencing will be more expensive than cedar due to the relative scarcity of the redwood tree. This is especially true when it comes to wider versus narrow fence boards. White cedar is the most expensive of the three cedar varieties, while red is the most affordable.

Which lasts longer redwood or cedar?

Redwood is a harder wood than cedar. … Because it is a harder wood it will last longer and is more durable. Redwood has more natural occurring chemicals than cedar. This protects the wood so less maintenance is required over time.

How can you tell if wood is cedar or redwood?

Western red cedar, unless stained a different color, will naturally have a yellowish tone, while redwood has a noticeably more reddish-brown hue (there’s a reason it’s called “redwood”).