Alaskan Yellow Cedar

Alaskan Yellow Cedar is actually a member of the Cypress family. Like Western Red Cedar, it has become associated with Cedar trees because of its aromatic quality and similar texture. Unlike Red Cedar with its more widespread growth range, Alaskan Yellow Cedar can be easily sourced and matched. Highly available and ideal for a variety of interior and exterior applications, we think you’ll appreciate a closer look at this fine domestic species.

Climate and Characteristics

Growing along the Pacific Northwest of the contiguous U.S., along the coast of Canada, and into Alaska, Alaskan Yellow Cedar thrives in relatively cold, moist climates. With the high amounts of rainfall and lower temperatures throughout much of its growth range, however, Yellow Cedar’s growth rate is fairly slow, making its growth rings closely packed. The result of this scenario is that little distinction is apparent between early and late rings, creating a highly dense lumber with consistent coloring and high stability. As you might guess from the species name, the color is a variation of blond, making it perfect for Scandinavian-style, airy designs. The wood’s consistent grain also make it easy to work by machine as well as by hand.

Other characteristics of Alaskan Yellow Cedar include insect resistance, hardness, and abundant size. Because of the tree’s typically large size, it easily produces many long, wide boards as well as heavy timbers. From rustic hunting lodges to industrial, urban designs, Alaskan Yellow Cedar timbers can become central to spacious designs.

Applications and Offerings

While similar to Western Red Cedar in many ways, Alaskan Yellow Cedar boasts superior strength, stability, and weather resistance, making it ideal for use in applications ranging from flooring to ceiling, trim to exterior siding. With its lightweight quality paired with its exceptional strength, Yellow Cedar can also be used in other applications such as boat building and even aircraft construction. Because it thrives and retains its stability amid moist surroundings, additional applications include saunas, pool houses, gardens, and various types of Japanese designs. Yellow Cedar can be used for quite a range of structures, from small, intricately detailed Shoji to large outdoor structures like gazebos and pergolas.

J. Gibson McIlvain keeps a steady inventory of Alaskan Yellow Cedar in 4/4 and 5/4 sizes. We can also special order boards in greater thicknesses as well as large timbers, often getting them in stock for you within 2 weeks. We can also mill your Yellow Cedar in-house, creating flooring, paneling, or siding, according to your specifications, before shipping it to your job site. Be sure to place your order for any additional domestic or exotic hardwoods species, plywood, and millwork at the same time for maximum cost savings!

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J. Gibson McIlvain Company

Since 1798, when Hugh McIlvain established a lumber business near Philadelphia, the McIlvain family has been immersed in the premium import and domestic lumber industry. With its headquarters located just outside of Baltimore, the J. Gibson McIlvain Company (www.mcilvain.com) is one of the largest U.S. importers of exotic woods.

As an active supporter of sustainable lumber practices, the J. Gibson McIlvain Company has provided fine lumber for notable projects throughout the world, including the White House, Capitol building, Supreme Court, and the Smithsonian museums.

Contact a representative at J. Gibson McIlvain today by calling (800) 638-9100.

As J. Gibson McIlvain (visit website) has entered the softwoods market, we’ve learned a lot about how distinctly those lumber species behave differently from the hardwoods we’ve worked with for over two hundred years. In our new dedicated softwoods distribution yard, one of our most popular species is Alaskan Yellow Cedar.

Local Origin

As you might guess from its name, Alaskan Yellow Cedar grows along North America’s Pacific Coast, from Alaska down through Canada and into Washington and Oregon. Contrary to its name, however, Alaskan Yellow Cedar is not actually a cedar; instead, it’s part of the Cypress family.

Like Western Red Cedar, its aromatic attributes and texture make it similar to actual cedars. While Yellow Cedar grows in some of the same areas as does Western Red Cedar, the latter grows in inland areas, as well. While the two species share some characteristics, Yellow Cedar is arguably the better of the two when it comes to strength, stability, and weather resistance. (On a side note, we also stock Western Red Cedar (view specs), Douglas Fir (view specs), and a handful of other softwoods species.)

Unique Specifications

Because this species gravitates toward moist climates, it’s found exclusively along the coast. The cold temperatures and high rainfall in those areas contributes to its slow growth and compact growth rings, showing little to no distinction between late and early wood rings.

The positive results of these climate effects include dense, consistent coloring and high stability. This large, slow-growing tree often includes heavy timbers as well as wide and long boards.

Some additional high points of Alaskan Yellow Cedar include rot and insect resistance, remarkable hardness, and responsiveness to both machining and hand-tooling.

Popular Applications

Alaskan Yellow Cedar is considered one of the best species to use for flooring, trim work, ceilings, and exterior siding. The remarkable weather resistance and strength of this species, coupled with its light weight, makes its list of ideal applications include boat building and aircraft construction.

Also a favorite for pool houses and saunas, Alaskan Yellow Cedar boards thrive in moist environments. More exotic structures include Japanese gardens and outdoor structures; because of the strength and availability of large timbers, combined with its light weight, Alaskan Yellow Cedar is ideal for structures ranging from gazebos and pergolas to Shoji screens.

In Stock

At J. Gibson McIlvain Lumber, we keep Alaskan Yellow Cedar in stock in 4/4 and 5/4 sizes, but we can also handle special orders, usually within 2 weeks. From greater widths to large timbers, feel free to ask us about any preferences, no matter how big or small.

With our extensive millwork operation, we can also mill Yellow Cedar for use as paneling, siding, or flooring, shipping your order directly to your job site, according to your specifications.

Due to our careful storage and handling at our dedicated softwoods distribution site, you can be sure that your order will arrive free from defects. We ship throughout the contiguous United States as well as to Alaska, Hawaii and the Caribbean Islands. Call us today at (800) 638-9100 to speak with a regional representative or visit our website at mcilvain.com.