High demand for white and red cedar

Red and white cedar is popular for a variety of indoor and outdoor applications due to its versatility, resistance to rot, and aesthetic appeal. Suppliers interviewed by Woodshop News say pricing is stable, but availability can be tricky.

Duane Jewett of Dewey’s Lumber and Cedar Mill in Liberty, Maine, deals primarily with premium-grade Northern white cedar, but in recent years has sourced Atlantic white cedar with warmer weather patterns affecting the market.

“I have been bringing in some Atlantic white from down south just to try to help me keep up with demand. I think demand is higher than it has been in quite a while. One of the difficulties in current years has been these soft and easy winters that make it harder for the loggers to get into the cedar since it grows in wet areas. So, it’s been more difficult to get a premium grade,” says Jewett. 

“There are more mills cutting it. But in my experience — I’ve been doing it for 30 years — people see it and think it’s quick and easy money and don’t realize the grading issues with cedar, which is something I struggle with every day. Cedar is prone to having a lot of natural defects, and some people can work with it and some can’t.” 

Jewett’s clientele for white cedar runs a full gamut of craftspeople. He also serves contractors throughout the East Coast, who use it primarily for siding and decking.

“Cedar, for one thing, is naturally rot resistant, so it lasts a lot longer than pine or spruce left untreated, and if treated it would last even longer. It holds up well and it’s naturally a better product for outdoor use. The biggest project we’ve sold for is the Katahdin Woods and Waters National Monument Visitors Center (in Stacyville, Maine) where we did 140,000 lineal feet of 6” shiplap on that job.

“This year we did several hundred trail planks for hiking clubs around the state to help hikers traverse wet areas. I’ve got a couple Adirondak chair companies that buy from me, and dock companies that want to plank aluminum framed docks with cedar.” 

Jewett’s 4/4 Northern white cedar sells for about $2.50/bf in the rough and $5/bf surfaced. 

Clint Dillon of Steve Wall Lumber in Mayodan, N.C., sells Eastern aromatic red and Western red cedar. 

“We move a lot of Eastern aromatic red cedar for tongue and groove paneling, wainscoting, and trim for the inside of houses. It’s bright red with knots and people like the color and character.  Then, on the Western red cedar, a lot of that comes out of Canada, and we do a lot with that. We go up into large beams and a lot with construction companies as far as decorative posts for houses,” says Dillon. 

“The Western red cedar is pretty resistant to rotting and all that and it also has the knots and character, so it’s popular for posts and front porches. I have a couple hardscape companies that buy a lot of it to build pergolas.” 

Dillon says pricing for the Eastern aromatic red has held steady at $3.30/bf, while the Western red is usually around $5.75/bf. But pricing has been more volatile lately due to tariff concerns.

Originally published in the July 2025 issue of Woodshop News.