Species data
Incense Cedar
Calocedrus decurrens - a softwood from western North America. Also sold as california white cedar.
Properties at a glance
| Janka hardness | 470 lbf |
| Stiffness (MOE) | 1,040,000 psi |
| Specific gravity | 0.38 |
| Density | 23.7 lb/ft3 (380 kg/m3) |
| Weight per board foot | 1.98 lb |
| Shrinkage, green to oven-dry | 5.2% tangential / 3.3% radial |
| Indicative price | $5.00 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 Incense Cedar compares
Measured against the 113 solid woods in this database: it is harder than 12% of them, heavier than 2%, and stiffer than 4%. Soft enough to dent in service - worth knowing before using it for a worktop or a floor.
What that means in the shop
A 4/4 board 8 inches wide and 8 feet long is 5.33 board feet, so in Incense Cedar it weighs about 10.5 lb. A stack of ten is 105 lb - worth knowing before you load a rack or a car.
Against red oak, the trade's usual yardstick at 1,220 lbf, Incense Cedar is about 39% as hard and 54% as heavy.
Its shrinkage is 5.2% tangential against 3.3% radial, a ratio of 1.6 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 moves comparatively evenly.
Woods of similar hardness
Closest to Incense Cedar on hardness in this database: Lodgepole Pine (480 lbf), Ponderosa Pine (460 lbf), White Fir (480 lbf), White Spruce (480 lbf). Similar hardness does not mean similar behaviour - check density and movement before substituting one for another.
Working with it
Workability. Friendly to hand and machine work, very stable, and it paints, stains and finishes cleanly
Durability. Dried heartwood is highly resistant to decay, performing reliably in posts and outdoor uses
Typical uses. pencils, venetian blinds, fence posts, construction lumber, siding, chests, exterior furniture.
Related calculators
Sources
MOE (1,040,000 lbf/in2), Janka (470 lbf) and shrinkage (T 5.2%, R 3.3%) from The Wood Database, which cites the USDA FPL Wood Handbook. Specific gravity 0.38 is the 12% MC value (page lists basic 0.35, 12% MC 0.38). No dimensional change coefficient given: Incense 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.