Western Red Cedar

Family: Cupressaceae - Order: Pinales - Class: Pinopsida

Scientific name: Thuja plicata

Trade name: Red cedar

Also known as Aromatic red cedar, Eastern red cedar

Origin: Pacific Northwest America and Canada.

Instrumental uses:
Soundboards, bracing, head plates and bindings.

Tonal properties:

Is smooth, warm but with a very clear sound. Is commonly used for Classical guitars and also for Flamenco guitar soundboards.

The grain is straight and has a medium to coarse texture.

Easy to work, glues and finishes very well.

Has a very good resistance with an average dried weight nearly of 23 lbs/ft3 or 370 kg/m3. 

It is native to United States (Idaho, Washington, Montana, California, Alaska) and Canadian forests. Can also be seen established in western Europe and Australia. Is a large to very large tree, ranging up to 65 to 70 m tall and 3 to 4 m in trunk diameter.

Heartwood reddish to pinkish brown, often with random streaks and bands of darker red/brown areas. The sapwood is pale yellowish white and demarcated from the heartwood.

CITES status is unrestricted. Is reported on the IUCN Red List as least concern.