Western Red Cedar

When choosing a cladding material for your project, appearance and performance are of paramount importance. Western Red Cedar is precision made by nature, combining the unrivalled beauty of coastal grown Canadian timber with high durability, stability and resistance to decay for the ultimate natural cladding product.

Western Red Cedar is arguably the most popular material for traditional and contemporary building projects amongst architects and designers today, for both major commercial buildings and smaller domestic properties. 

What are the differences between the Western Red Cedar grades?

1. Cowichan Gold – The most exclusive Western Red Cedar is entirely knot-free, all-heartwood and all vertical grain making it the highest quality Western Red Cedar cladding and trim product available anywhere.
2. Prestige Vertical Grain – Known as No. 2 Clear & Better, Vertical Grain heartwood, this wood is pre-graded at the sawmill, sized and graded in the planning facility, dried under strict controls, and then graded once again to ensure the highest quality grain appearance available.
3. No. 2 Clear & Better - Known as No. 2 Clear & Better 85/15 offers a high-quality appearance at a lower price point than the Silva Select Prestige VG and Cowichan Gold ranges. The grading of this product is less stringent, allowing more imperfections that can be trimmed out during installation. This product is particularly aimed at contractors for larger-scale projects where trimming and wastage are expected.
4. Cascadia – A superior live knotted kiln-dried timber product, also known as ‘select tight knot’.

Do I need to protect Western Red Cedar?

The Western Red Cedar Lumber Association state that “Although cedar is a naturally durable species, leaving it uncoated is not recommended because a finish or protective coating will greatly increase its service life” and “Western Red Cedar performs best when supplied factory finished on all six sides”.

Factory coating service

Western Red Cedar cladding from Silva can be supplied factory coated enabling it to be installed at any time of year regardless of the weather or temperature.

Is Western Red Cedar timber sustainably sourced?

For environmentally friendly building materials, wood is a clear leader. 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.

Why choose Silva Timber?

Silva Timber stocks a wide range of western red cedar cladding from the world’s leading timber processing companies. Wood has been carefully selected to ensure that it meets the highest standards of quality at the most competitive prices.