Cedar
Latin name: Cedrus atlantica, Cedrus libani, Cedrus libanotica, Cedrus deodara
Also known as: Atlas cedar, cedar of Lebanon, Atlantic cedar, deodar
Wood Type:
Softwood
Durability:
Durable
Treatability:
DIfficult
Moisture Movement:
Medium
Density (mean, Kg/m³):
580
Texture:
Medium to fine, straight grained
Availability:
Limited availability at specialist timber merchant
Price:
Low
Chemical Properties:
Pungent cedar odour
Use(s):
Joinery - Exterior, Joinery - Interior, Furniture
Colour(s):
Light brown
Environmental
Not listed in CITES. Believed available from well-managed sources. Check certification status with suppliers.
Distribution
Cedrus atlantica Manetti produces Atlantic or Atlas cedar, a native of Algeria and Morocco. Cedrus libani Loud. syn. C. libanotica Loud. produces cedar of Lebanon, a native of the Middle East. Cedrus deodara Loud. produces deodar, an important timber tree of northern India. All three species have been introduced into Britain where they are commonly planted for ornamental purposes.
The tree
Atlantic and Lebanon cedars grow to a height of 36m or rather more and a diameter of 1.5m. When grown on lawns and in parks, it has a low, rounded, or flattened top, the great spreading branches having grown more rapidly than the trunk; thus the bole seldom has great length, the branches being thrown out 2m to 3m from the ground, and the trunk immediately being divided into several stems. In their natural habitat, the boles are usually cleaner and free from branches to a greater height. The deodar cedar has a more pyramidal outline, and is a much larger tree reaching some 60m in height and a diameter of 2m in its native habitat. In the UK it rarely exceeds 21 m in height, and its branches are usually thrown out quite near to the ground.
The timber
The timber of the true cedars is similar in colour for all species; the heartwood is light brown, usually distinct from the narrow, lighter-coloured sapwood. The wood has a pungent cedar odour, and growth rings clearly marked by the contrast between early-wood and dense late-wood zones. It is rather resinous, and the texture of the wood is medium fine, while the grain is generally straight, although straight grain is more usually found in deodar. The Atlantic and Lebanon cedars grown under parkland conditions are fairly knotty with consequent grain disturbances. A characteristic of the true cedars is a tendency to produce bark pockets in the wood. The average weight of all these species is about 580 kg/m³ when dried.
Drying
Dries easily, but with a tendency to warp.
Strength
No data are available for Atlantic and Lebanon cedar, but they are soft, brittle woods, presumably with low strength. Deodar is similar to European redwood in bending strength and stiffness, but it lacks shock resistance and toughness.
Working qualities
Good - Easy to work, with little effect on the cutting edges of tools. A good finish can be obtained, although knots and bark pockets are sometimes troublesome. The timbers take paints and varnish well, and have good nailing properties.
Suppliers |
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Enfield Speciality DoorsEnfield |
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English Woodlands Timber LtdMidhurst |
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James Latham plcHemel Hempstead |
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Mid-Sussex Timber Co LimitedForest Row |
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Mill Works Timber SpecialistsBottisham |
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NHG Timber LimitedCroydon |
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Sharvatt Woolwich LtdBelvedere |
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Silva Timber Products LimitedWidnes |
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Snows Timber LtdGlastonbury |
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Stourhead (Western) EstateWiltshire |
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Timber & Plywood Services LtdPaisley |
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Timbersource LimitedWaterlip |
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TimbmetStanford In The Vale |
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Vastern TimberSwindon |
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Vincent Timber LtdBirmingham |
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W. L. West & Sons LtdPetworth |
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Watford Timber Co LimitedWatford |
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Suppliers |
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Watford Timber Co LimitedWatford |
|
W. L. West & Sons LtdPetworth |
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Vincent Timber LtdBirmingham |
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Vastern TimberSwindon |
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TimbmetStanford In The Vale |
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Timbersource LimitedWaterlip |
|
Timber & Plywood Services LtdPaisley |
|
Stourhead (Western) EstateWiltshire |
|
Snows Timber LtdGlastonbury |
|
Silva Timber Products LimitedWidnes |
|
Sharvatt Woolwich LtdBelvedere |
|
NHG Timber LimitedCroydon |
|
Mill Works Timber SpecialistsBottisham |
|
Mid-Sussex Timber Co LimitedForest Row |
|
James Latham plcHemel Hempstead |
|
English Woodlands Timber LtdMidhurst |
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Enfield Speciality DoorsEnfield |
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