Species data
Alaska Yellow Cedar
Cupressus nootkatensis - a softwood from northwest coast of North America. Also sold as nootka cypress, alaskan yellow cedar.
Properties at a glance
| Janka hardness | 580 lbf |
| Stiffness (MOE) | 1,420,000 psi |
| Specific gravity | 0.50 |
| Density | 31.2 lb/ft3 (500 kg/m3) |
| Weight per board foot | 2.60 lb |
| Shrinkage, green to oven-dry | 6% tangential / 2.8% radial |
| Indicative price | $8.00 per board foot (estimated) |
Values are at about 12% moisture content. Density is specific gravity times 62.4; a board foot is one twelfth of a cubic foot, so weight per board foot is that density divided by twelve. Anything marked estimated is our own figure, not a measured one.
How Alaska Yellow Cedar compares
Measured against the 113 solid woods in this database: it is harder than 24% of them, heavier than 26%, and stiffer than 30%.
What that means in the shop
A 4/4 board 8 inches wide and 8 feet long is 5.33 board feet, so in Alaska Yellow Cedar it weighs about 13.9 lb. A stack of ten is 139 lb - worth knowing before you load a rack or a car.
Against red oak, the trade's usual yardstick at 1,220 lbf, Alaska Yellow Cedar is about 48% as hard and 71% as heavy.
Its shrinkage is 6% tangential against 2.8% radial, a ratio of 2.1 to 1. The wider that ratio, the more unevenly a flatsawn board moves across its width as humidity changes, and the more it wants to cup; anything near or above 2 to 1 is worth quartersawing or restraining for panels and wide tops. This one sits in that range.
Woods of similar hardness
Closest to Alaska Yellow Cedar on hardness in this database: Jack Pine (570 lbf), Port Orford Cedar (590 lbf), Red Alder (590 lbf), Tamarack (590 lbf). Similar hardness does not mean similar behaviour - check density and movement before substituting one for another.
Working with it
Workability. Generally cooperative, though wavy grain can tear when planed; paint, stain and finish all adhere well
Durability. Strongly resists rot and insects, holding up well in demanding exterior and marine settings
Typical uses. carving, boatbuilding, siding, flooring, decking, outdoor furniture, boxes and chests.
Related calculators
Sources
MOE (1,420,000 lbf/in2), Janka (580 lbf) and shrinkage (T 6.0%, R 2.8%) from The Wood Database, which cites the USDA FPL Wood Handbook. Specific gravity 0.50 is the 12% MC value (page lists basic 0.42, 12% MC 0.50). No dimensional change coefficient given: Alaska Yellow Cedar has no exact row in the FPL/Hoadley table reproduced by Popular Woodworking, so CT/CR are omitted. Region, uses, durability and workability summarized from The Wood Database. Price indicative.
These calculators are for planning and estimation. Engineering results (shelf sag, wood movement) use published average material properties; real boards vary by grade, grain, moisture and defects. Verify load-bearing designs with a professional.