The Leader in Cedar

• Premium quality kiln dried 'A & Better Clear' Western Red Cedar cladding
• Widest range of Western Red Cedar cladding products in the UK: 9 cladding profiles and 7 trim profiles
• Specific lengths: Whilst most other companies offer 'random lengths' we offer specific lengths, so you can choose from whatever we have available to minimise your wastage
• Cladding and trim available in lengths of up to 6.05m (20')
• Huge stocks for immediate nationwide delivery
• We also stock a wide range of fixings and professional exterior wood finishes suitable for use with Western Red Cedar cladding
• Cedar cladding installation manuals available - download here
• Economical 'Sound Tight Knot' grade Cedar cladding also available

Species Overview

Western Red Cedar (Thuja plicata) is one of North America's great renewable resources. Slow growing and naturally durable, Western Red Cedar has one of the longest life spans of any softwood. It produces long lengths of timber with true, straight grain. It is free from pitch and its heartwood has natural decay resistance. Its low density gives it an insulation value superior to most other species. Light weight, easy to work, easy to finish, possessing outstanding dimensional stability, Western Red Cedar is a preferred wood for nearly all purposes where attractive appearance or resistance to weather is important.

Why use Western Red Cedar as a Cladding Material?

Western Red Cedar cladding is attractive, versatile and environmentally friendly. It allows for great flexibility in design and can be used for any scale of building. The famed natural durability, dimensional stability and long service life of Western Red Cedar ensures it will add prestige to any cladding project. Its increasing popularity amongst architects and designers over recent years reflects its unique qualities for use as a protective and decorative envelope for buildings.

Beautiful Appearance
Not only does Western Red Cedar offer unparalleled performance, it is renowned for its distinctive beauty. Cedar provides an all natural beauty and warmth that cannot be duplicated by plastic, steel or composite products. A pleasing range of natural hues, tight grain patterns, and soft textures make it the choice of discerning homeowners, builders and architects.

Natural Durability
Western Red Cedar's naturally occurring compounds called 'thujaplicins' act as natural preservatives - making the wood incredibly durable. Properly finished and maintained, Cedar will deliver decades of trouble free service.

Dimensional Stability
Like all woods, Western Red Cedar is hygroscopic and will absorb or discharge moisture to attain equilibrium with the surrounding atmosphere. However, it has a very low shrinkage factor and is superior to all other coniferous woods in its resistance to warping, twisting and checking.

Thermal Conductivity
With its low density and high proportion of air spaces, Western Red Cedar is the best thermal insulator among the commonly available softwood species and is far superior to brick, concrete and steel. This helps keep buildings cool in the summer and reduce heating costs in the winter.

Sustainability
Cedar is the ultimate green building material. It is legally, responsibly and sustainably harvested in the publicly managed forests of British Columbia, Canada. Less than 1% of standing timber is harvested each year. For each tree harvested, three are replanted to ensure the forests will exist in perpetuity. Western Red Cedar has a low impact on the environment throughout its life cycle. It requires significantly less energy to produce than man-made alternatives and is biodegradable.

Interesting Facts about Western Red Cedar

Historically, native peoples of the Pacific coast prized cedar for its long lasting qualities and used wood and bark from cedar trees for most of their building needs. Evidence of cedar's durability are the many cedar artefacts still in good condition today including the totem pole in the photograph at the bottom of this page which is 185 years old.

B.C.'s Pacific Coast Aboriginal People
Western Red Cedar, a wood with roots of use that date back centuries to the Native Americans who first named it the "Tree of Life."

First Uses of Cedar Bark and Logs
Along British Columbia's Pacific Coast, aboriginal people have used cedar bark to make rope, clothing and baskets for thousands of years. The logs are used for a variety of purposes, including canoes, totem poles, masks and long houses. Native Americans would also remove large slabs of outer bark from living trees for roofing materials or cut a rectangular hole into a tree to test its soundness before cutting it for a canoe or totem pole.

Working Together to Preserve Heritage
Trees that have been scarred due to a First Nation's cultural activity are known as culturally modified trees. Those trees with modifications that pre-date 1846 are considered archaeological sites and are protected under the Heritage Conservation Act. Forest companies frequently take steps to help First Nations obtain cedar logs or other species from their harvest for traditional or cultural uses.