Is Alder Wood Expensive? Price per Board Foot vs Maple, Cherry

Alder is one of the cheaper domestic hardwoods: in one lumber yard price list read on September 30, 2026, knotty 4/4 alder was $3.75 per board foot, the same as poplar and well under cherry or soft maple at $6.00. The catch is grade, because clear alder costs closer to cherry, per the Wood Database. This guide covers the price table, what a real tabletop costs in each species, and the finishing cost most alder buyers forget.

Short Answer: Cheap Lumber, One Extra Finishing Cost

Alder is inexpensive to buy but it is not the cheapest wood to make look good. It is soft (590 lbf on the Janka scale) and its grain can take stain unevenly, so a small pre-stain conditioner purchase is the one add-on that keeps a cheap board from looking cheap. The rest of this page separates what you pay for the wood from what you pay to finish it.

How Much Does Alder Cost Per Board Foot Compared to Other Woods?

A board foot is a piece of lumber 1 inch thick, 12 inches wide and 12 inches long (144 cubic inches). Lumber is priced by that unit, so it is the fair way to compare species. The table below uses a single seller, Country Concepts, so every price comes from the same list, the same thickness (4/4) and the same day. Hardness figures are Janka ratings from the Wood Database.

Species (4/4)	Price per board foot	Janka hardness (lbf)
Alder (knotty)	$3.75	590
Poplar	$3.75	540
Red oak	$4.50	1,220
Soft maple	$6.00	700 to 950
Cherry	$6.00	about 950
Hard maple	$7.25	1,450
Walnut	$10.75	not listed here

Prices read from a single lumber yard price list on September 30, 2026. Prices change with the market and vary by region, so treat them as a snapshot for comparison, not a quote. The same list showed 8/4 alder at $6.75 and eastern white pine at $2.50, and it labeled its 4/4 alder as knotty.

Two things stand out. First, knotty alder and poplar cost exactly the same on this list, so the common claim that alder is pricier than poplar depends on which grade you compare. Second, alder undercuts maple by $2.25 or more per board foot at 4/4, which is where most of its reputation for being budget-friendly comes from.

Why Knotty and Clear Alder Cost So Differently

Most articles say alder is cheap and stop there. The more useful fact is that the price you see depends almost entirely on the grade. The Wood Database describes knotty red alder as usually inexpensive, on par with other domestic utility woods, while clear red alder is more expensive, closer to other domestic cabinet hardwoods.

You can see the split in online listings. A national online lumber seller showed 4/4 surfaced alder at $3.99 per board foot in the knotty grade and $7.99 in the superior (clear) grade in search results on the same day, a gap of roughly double. So if you priced alder off a knotty listing and then ordered clear boards for a cabinet, expect to pay near cherry money.

• Knotty alder: pin knots and small knots are allowed, so more of every tree is usable. It suits rustic furniture, paint-grade trim and shop projects.
• Clear (superior) alder: few defects, more waste at the mill, higher price. It suits stained cabinet doors and furniture where knots would show.
• Thickness: 8/4 alder was $6.75 on the same list against $3.75 for 4/4, so thick stock costs more per board foot, not just more overall.

What a Real Project Costs: A 24 Board Foot Tabletop

Per-board-foot prices only make sense once you multiply them by a project. A 36 by 72 inch tabletop is 18 board feet of net area at 4/4, and with about 30 percent extra for trimming, squaring and bad spots you should buy roughly 24 board feet. Here is that same purchase priced in each species from the table above.

Species (4/4)	Price per board foot	Cost for 24 board feet
Alder (knotty)	$3.75	$90.00
Poplar	$3.75	$90.00
Red oak	$4.50	$108.00
Soft maple	$6.00	$144.00
Cherry	$6.00	$144.00
Hard maple	$7.25	$174.00
Walnut	$10.75	$258.00

The 30 percent waste allowance is a planning rule of thumb, not a measured figure, and the math ignores glue, sandpaper and finish. Even so, the spread is clear: 24 board feet of alder comes to $90.00, against $144.00 for cherry or soft maple and $258.00 for walnut. Building the same table in alder instead of cherry saves about $54.00, which pays for the finishing supplies several times over.

Why Alder Stays Cheap, and the Trade-Offs Behind It

Alder is a soft hardwood. The Wood Database lists red alder at 590 lbf, which is only slightly harder than poplar at 540 and far below red oak at 1,220 or hard maple at 1,450. It is very easy to work with hand and machine tools and sands quickly, but it dents easily, so it suits bedroom furniture, cabinet boxes and trim better than a kitchen table that will see daily abuse. For a wider look at that question, see our guide on whether alder is good for furniture.

The Stain Problem Nobody Prices In

Alder has an even, fine texture, but like several other soft, tight-pored woods it can soak up oil-based stain unevenly and go blotchy, especially in dark colors. Aspen behaves the same way, and our page on why staining aspen is tricky explains the mechanism, which carries over to alder. The fix is cheap: sand to 150 or 180 grit, wipe on a pre-stain conditioner, stain within the time on the can, and test the whole sequence on an offcut first. Our how to stain alder guide walks through it step by step.

The other half of the finishing bill is color. Raw alder is a pale tan-to-reddish wood, so most buyers stain it to imitate cherry, which is why it is often nicknamed poor man’s cherry. You can preview the range on our alder color guide before buying.

When Alder Is Not the Best Deal

• You plan to paint: knotty alder and poplar cost the same per board foot on the list above, and poplar is just as paint-friendly, so buy whichever is easier to find locally.
• You need a harder surface: red oak at $4.50 is only $0.75 per board foot above knotty alder and is roughly twice as hard by Janka rating.
• You want a pale, hard, tight-grained wood: compare it against birch and maple in alder vs birch and woods similar to alder.
• You will finish with clear coat only: alder has a subtle grain that looks plain unstained, so a more figured wood may give more value for the money.

How to Buy Alder Without Overpaying

• Decide grade before price. Knotty for paint and rustic work, clear only where the surface will be seen and stained.
• Compare prices in the same thickness and surfacing. A surfaced (S2S) board and a rough board at the same price per board foot are not the same deal.
• Ask about quantity breaks. Some sellers step the price down as board feet climb, so ordering the whole project at once can beat buying in pieces.
• Check local hardwood dealers as well as online sellers. Shipping on long boards can cancel out a lower listed price.
• Buy a little extra. A 25 to 30 percent allowance costs far less than a second trip for a matching board.

Frequently Asked Questions About Alder Wood Prices

Is alder cheaper than oak?

Usually yes, but not by much. On the price list used here, knotty 4/4 alder was $3.75 per board foot and red oak was $4.50, a difference of $0.75. Clear alder can cost as much as or more than oak, so compare the same grade before deciding.

Is alder cheaper than poplar?

No, they tie in the knotty grade. Both were $3.75 per board foot at 4/4 on the same price list. Poplar is slightly softer at 540 lbf against 590 lbf for alder, and both are common paint-grade choices.

Is alder cheaper than maple?

Yes. On the same list, 4/4 soft maple was $6.00 and hard maple was $7.25 per board foot against $3.75 for knotty alder. Maple is harder, so the higher price buys dent resistance.

Why is clear alder so much more expensive than knotty alder?

Clear alder has fewer defects, so more of each log is downgraded or discarded to produce it. Search listings from one online seller showed clear stock at about double the knotty price, and the Wood Database places clear red alder near other cabinet hardwoods in price.

Bottom Line

Alder is a genuinely low-cost hardwood when you buy knotty stock, and a mid-priced one when you need clear boards. Price the grade you need, multiply by your real board footage, and add a few dollars for pre-stain conditioner. Do that and alder still comes out ahead of cherry, maple and walnut for most budget builds.