Wood Species Guide
Northern White Cedar
Thuja occidentalis
Also called: Eastern White Cedar, Eastern Arborvitae, Arborvitae, Swamp Cedar, White Cedar
About the name “Northern White Cedar”
"White cedar" is used for several different trees. This page is the northern thuja, a close relative of Western red cedar. Atlantic white cedar (Chamaecyparis thyoides), which grows down the coast to Florida, has its own page.
What Northern White Cedar looks like
Heartwood is light tan to pale brown, sometimes with a faint pink tone, and the thin sapwood is nearly white. It weathers to a silver gray outdoors.
Grain and texture
Straight grain with a fine texture. Lumber is often knotty because the trees are small. It has a mild cedar scent.
Working Northern White Cedar: planing, cutting and gluing
Very light and soft, so it cuts, planes and carves easily with sharp tools. It dents and crushes easily, and knots can loosen. It glues and nails well; use corrosion-resistant fasteners, since the extractives stain iron.
Finishing Northern White Cedar: oil, film finishes and epoxy
Usually left to weather or finished with a penetrating exterior oil or stain. The extractives can bleed through light paints and water-based finishes, so prime or seal first. Epoxy bonds fine after a seal coat on the soft earlywood.
Durability, stability and Florida humidity
Heartwood is durable to very durable and resists termites and powderpost beetles, which is why it is the classic fence-post and shingle wood of the North. It is very stable. In Florida it does well outdoors with stainless fasteners and some airflow.
Shop notes from our Fort Myers shop
Northern white cedar is the wood of split-rail fences, shingles, cedar strip canoes and log cabins. It is lightweight and rot resistant but too soft for furniture tops. For Florida outdoor projects it is a good choice where weight matters, like hanging planters or shutters. We don't stock it, but ask us and we can often source it.
Common uses for Northern White Cedar
Fence posts and rails, shingles, siding, canoes, log homes, outdoor furniture and garden structures.
Sustainability and CITES status
Not listed in the CITES Appendices. Rated Least Concern on the IUCN Red List.
Safety and toxicity
- Respiratory / asthma
- Skin irritation
It shares plicatic acid with Western red cedar, a known cause of woodworker asthma, though fewer cases are documented for this species. Skin irritation is also reported.
- In the shop
- Dust extraction + respirator when cutting or sanding; gloves for sensitive skin
- Food contact
- Not recommended for cutting boards, bowls and utensils
General information, not medical advice. See a doctor if you have a reaction.
The wood contains plicatic acid, the compound behind Western red cedar asthma, and skin irritation, runny nose and asthma-like symptoms have been reported. Use dust extraction and a respirator.
Northern White Cedar in stock now
Ask us. We can often source it.
We don't have Northern White Cedar listed online right now, but new slabs and lumber come in all the time and not everything makes it to the website. Tell us what you're building and we'll check our racks and suppliers.
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