Cedar wood is used for everything from building outdoor decks and lining closets to grilling salmon, making essential oils, and crafting traditional textiles. The word “cedar” covers a surprisingly wide range of tree species, and each one lends itself to different purposes. Understanding which type of cedar you’re dealing with matters, because the wrong choice can mean a deck that rots in a few years or, in the case of cooking, wood that’s actually toxic.
Not All Cedars Are the Same Tree
True cedars belong to the genus Cedrus and grow only in the Mediterranean and Himalayan regions. They have evergreen needles in dense clusters and large upright cones that fall apart when seeds ripen. These are the Atlas cedar and Himalayan cedar you might see in parks or botanical gardens.
Most of the “cedar” sold at lumber yards and home improvement stores in North America comes from entirely different trees. Western red cedar (Thuja plicata), eastern red cedar (Juniperus virginiana), and incense cedar (Calocedrus) are all classified as false cedars. They share flat, scale-like leaves that overlap like shingles, small distinctive cones, and aromatic wood. These are the species that drive most of cedar’s practical uses, from construction to cooking to closet liners.
Outdoor Construction and Decking
Western red cedar is one of the world’s most studied naturally durable woods. Its heartwood contains compounds called thujaplicins and lignans that resist fungal decay and insect damage without chemical treatment. This natural rot resistance is why it has been a go-to material for outdoor building projects: decks, fences, siding, shingles, pergolas, and garden beds. Research dating back to the 1920s has consistently confirmed this durability, and more recent studies show that second-growth cedar from managed forests performs similarly to old-growth wood in decay resistance, even when the chemical profiles differ slightly.
Cedar is also a relatively soft, lightweight wood. On the Janka hardness scale (which measures resistance to denting), western red cedar scores just 350 pounds-force, compared to 900 for eastern red cedar and around 1,300 for white oak. That softness makes it easy to cut and work with hand tools, but it also means cedar isn’t ideal for flooring or high-traffic surfaces. It excels where weather exposure matters more than impact resistance.
Indoor Uses: Closets, Chests, and Paneling
Eastern red cedar is the classic closet and storage chest wood. Its strong, distinctive scent comes from natural oils that repel moths and other fabric-damaging insects. This species is much harder and denser than western red cedar, which makes it better suited for milling into thin planks and liners. The pencil-like smell most people associate with “cedar” actually comes from either eastern red cedar or incense cedar, the species traditionally used to manufacture wooden pencils.
Cedar’s aromatic oils also make it popular for saunas, where the wood releases a pleasant scent in humid heat without warping as quickly as many other softwoods.
Cooking on Cedar Planks
Cedar plank grilling, a technique with roots in Pacific Northwest Indigenous cooking traditions, uses the wood’s natural oils to infuse fish and meat with a smoky, slightly sweet flavor. Only western red cedar is recommended for this purpose. The colored extractives (tannins and oils) in the heartwood are what produce the distinctive taste, and their concentration increases as the tree ages. Too much can turn food bitter, which is why plank-grilled recipes work best with moderate-aged wood.
Several species commonly called “cedar” are unsafe for cooking. Eastern red cedar is considered poisonous for food contact and should only be used for closets and furniture. Western juniper, often marketed as red cedar, is also toxic. Incense cedar, the pencil wood, is not food-safe either. Port Orford cedar, Alaskan yellow cedar, and Atlantic cedar contain high resin levels that produce an unpleasant, pungent flavor. Northern white cedar won’t harm you, but it adds almost no flavor because it lacks the colored extractives that make the cooking technique worthwhile.
Essential Oils and Fragrance
Cedarwood essential oil is widely used in aromatherapy, perfumery, and household products. The oil contains sesquiterpenes, particularly cedrol and beta-cedrene, that have documented sedative and relaxing effects. In animal studies, inhaling cedrol lowered heart rate, respiratory rate, and blood pressure while shifting the nervous system toward its “rest and digest” mode. These calming properties are why cedarwood oil appears in so many sleep-related products, from pillow sprays to diffuser blends.
In perfumery, cedarwood serves as a base note with a woody, fresh, slightly spicy character and undertones of pine and earth. Atlas cedar from Morocco provides a warm, rich scent favored in men’s fragrances. Virginia cedar (eastern red cedar) pairs well with floral and fruit notes, similar to how sandalwood and vetiver are used. The scent profile varies enough between species that perfumers treat them as distinct ingredients rather than interchangeable versions of the same material.
Traditional Indigenous Uses
For Indigenous peoples of the Pacific Northwest, cedar has been central to daily life for thousands of years. The bark is the most versatile part of the tree. It can be processed into thread for weaving mats, clothing, blankets, and hats, or twisted into ropes, baskets, and fishing nets. Yellow cedar bark is softer and more pliable than red cedar bark, making it the preferred material for textiles and garments. Kwakwaka’wakw warriors even wore protective armor woven from bark rope.
Cedar also served important medicinal roles. Yellow cedar bark has anti-inflammatory properties and was applied as wound dressings and tourniquets. Its inner bark, valued for softness and absorbency, was used for baby diapers, bedding, sanitary napkins, and towels. Expecting mothers gave birth in pits lined with yellow cedar bark to receive the infant. These weren’t improvised solutions but refined practices developed over generations.
Mulch and Landscaping
Cedar mulch is a popular landscaping material because it breaks down slowly, retains its color longer than most hardwood mulches, and its natural oils help deter some garden pests. A common concern is that cedar mulch might make soil too acidic or prevent seeds from germinating. Research from the University of Nebraska found that surface applications of cedar mulch did not promote soil acidification or lock up nitrogen. It did reduce nitrate levels in the top layers of soil when mixed in after harvest at one study site, but this effect was modest and site-dependent. For most home gardeners, cedar mulch around established plants and trees is a safe and effective choice.
Health Risks From Cedar Dust
Anyone working with cedar regularly should know that the dust poses real respiratory risks. Occupational asthma caused by western red cedar dust is the most common form of occupational asthma in the Pacific Northwest, affecting 4 to 13.5 percent of exposed workers. The culprit is a compound called plicatic acid, unique to western red cedar. Unlike typical allergic asthma, this reaction doesn’t follow the usual immune pathway. It triggers histamine release through a mechanism researchers still don’t fully understand, which makes it harder to predict who will develop symptoms. Woodworkers, sawmill employees, and hobbyists who cut cedar frequently should use dust extraction systems and properly fitted respirators.