Is Cedar a Hardwood or Softwood? The Real Answer

Cedar is a softwood, not a hardwood. That’s true no matter which cedar you mean — Western Red Cedar, Eastern Red Cedar, Northern White Cedar, or true Cedrus species like Lebanon cedar. The classification has nothing to do with how hard the wood feels under a fingernail; it’s about how the tree reproduces. Cedar comes from cone-bearing, needle-leaved trees (gymnosperms), and every gymnosperm is botanically a softwood, regardless of its actual density.

Why Cedar Is Classified as a Softwood

Botanists split trees into two groups: angiosperms (broad-leaved, deciduous trees that produce enclosed seeds, like oak and maple) and gymnosperms (cone-bearing, usually evergreen trees with naked seeds, like pine, fir, and every cedar). Hardwood means angiosperm. Softwood means gymnosperm. That’s the entire rule — density, weight, and how the wood actually performs in a shop don’t factor into the label at all.

This is why the name feels misleading. Cedar’s own genus name comes from the Greek “kedros,” and cedar heartwood is noticeably harder and more rot-resistant than plenty of true hardwoods. None of that changes its botanical classification. Cedar reproduces the way pines and spruces do, so it sits in the softwood column every time.

The “True Cedar” Mix-Up Almost Nobody Explains

Here’s the part most articles on this topic skip entirely: the cedar sold at a North American lumberyard almost never comes from an actual cedar tree. “True cedars” belong to the genus Cedrus — Lebanon cedar, Atlas cedar, and Deodar cedar, all native to the Mediterranean and Himalayas. Western Red Cedar and Northern White Cedar are both Thuja, a different genus entirely. Eastern Red Cedar isn’t a cedar at all botanically — it’s a juniper (Juniperus virginiana). Incense cedar, used for pencils, is Calocedrus.

The common-name overlap happened because early settlers noticed the aromatic, rot-resistant wood and reused a familiar name rather than coining new ones for each species. The good news for a woodworking project: every one of these trees is a conifer, so every one of them is a softwood. The genus mix-up doesn’t change the hardwood/softwood answer — it just explains why “cedar” on a board at the lumberyard can mean four or five unrelated trees. That same resin-rich chemistry is also what gives cedar its distinctive scent — see what cedarwood actually smells like for the full breakdown.

Janka Hardness: Cedar Is Softer Than Most Hardwoods, But Not as Soft as You’d Guess

The Janka hardness test measures the force needed to embed a steel ball halfway into a wood sample — it’s the actual, testable version of “hardness,” as opposed to the hardwood/softwood label. Comparing typical ratings shows why the naming confuses people:

Wood	Category	Typical Janka Rating (lbf)
Balsa	Hardwood	~90–100
Western Red Cedar	Softwood	~350
Douglas Fir	Softwood	~620–660
Yellow Poplar	Hardwood	~540
Eastern Red Cedar (Aromatic)	Softwood	~900
White Oak	Hardwood	~1,360

Balsa — famous for being one of the lightest, softest woods on the planet — is botanically a hardwood, because it comes from a broad-leaved, flowering tree. Meanwhile Eastern Red Cedar tests harder than yellow poplar, a genuine hardwood. This is the clearest proof that “hardwood” and “softwood” describe the tree’s reproduction, not the board’s actual hardness. If hardness is what actually matters for your project, check the Janka number for the specific species, not the hardwood/softwood label.

Types of Cedar and What Each One Is Used For

“Cedar” at a home center usually means one of these species, and picking the right one matters more than knowing the softwood classification:

Species	Botanical Genus	Best Known For
Western Red Cedar	Thuja plicata	Fencing, decking, siding — the default outdoor cedar in North America
Eastern Red Cedar	Juniperus virginiana	Closet linings, chests — prized for its aroma and moth resistance
Northern White Cedar	Thuja occidentalis	Boats, shingles, cold-frame construction
Incense Cedar	Calocedrus decurrens	Pencils, closet lining, some outdoor uses
Lebanon Cedar (a “true” cedar)	Cedrus libani	Ornamental landscaping, historic timber construction

Western Red Cedar’s heartwood contains natural oils called thujaplicins that resist rot and insects for years without a sealant, which is exactly why it dominates fence and deck-board sales despite being one of the softer woods on the Janka chart above. Compare that to Douglas fir, a stronger and stiffer softwood that’s the better pick for structural framing but needs sealing to match cedar’s outdoor lifespan.

For projects that stay wet even longer — dock pilings, pond edging, boat parts — cypress is the softwood most woodworkers reach for instead. It shares cedar’s botanical classification (both are conifers, so both are softwoods regardless of density) but its heartwood tolerates standing water even better than cedar’s.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is cedar a hardwood or a softwood?

Cedar is a softwood. It comes from cone-bearing, needle-leaved conifer trees, which is what determines the softwood classification regardless of the wood’s actual hardness.

Why does cedar feel harder than some hardwoods if it’s a softwood?

Because “hardwood” and “softwood” are botanical categories based on how a tree reproduces, not a measurement of density. Eastern Red Cedar, for example, tests harder on the Janka scale than yellow poplar, which is a true hardwood.

Is Western Red Cedar a “true” cedar?

No. Western Red Cedar belongs to the genus Thuja, not Cedrus. True cedars (Cedrus) are Mediterranean and Himalayan species like Lebanon cedar and Atlas cedar. Western Red Cedar earned its common name from its aroma and appearance, not its botanical lineage.

Conclusion

Cedar is a softwood in every case — Western Red, Eastern Red, Northern White, incense, or true Cedrus species. That classification is about the tree’s reproduction, not its density, which is exactly why cedar can out-test some certified hardwoods on the Janka scale. For most outdoor builds, the species-specific properties (rot resistance, weight, workability) matter far more than which column it falls into on a botany chart.