Cedar, Red

Red cedar is a large hardwood that grows in the coastal rainforest areas of eastern Australia and parts of Papua New Guinea and the Philippines. It is commonly used for decorative applications such as veneers and paneling.

Other Names

Cedar, Australian Red Cedar, Thitkado, Toon, Yom Hom, Calantas, Dolipega, Toona, Toona australis, Cedrela toona, Toona Sureni

Botanical Name

Toona ciliata

Common Form
Veneer
Species Type
Hardwood
  • Overview

    • Red cedar is a large hardwood that grows in the coastal rainforest areas of eastern Australia and parts of Papua New Guinea, South America, the Philippines and India. It is commonly used for internal decorative applications such as veneers and paneling.

    The heartwood of red cedar ranges from a pale pinkish red through to a richer dark reddish brown. The sapwood is paler pink or yellow in colour and is distinctive from the heartwood. Red cedar has a rough, uneven texture with a grain that is usually straight but may be slightly interlocked. Growth rings are often visible. Red cedar also features a distinctive odour that is said to repel moths.

    Red cedar is soft and has good workability. It nails and glues well. Red cedar can also be painted, stained and polished and it finishes well, however its rough texture may require extra work. Precautions should be taken when machining red cedar as the sawdust can cause irritation for some people.

    Red cedar is scarce in Australian forests, however small quantities are being imported.

    Shrinkage

    Very Low Low Medium High Very High
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    Tangential : Provides a simplified rating for tangential shrinkage. This is the measure of the percentage reduction in dimension from the unseasoned to 12% moisture content condition.
    4.50%

    Radial : Radial shrinkage is perpendicular to the growth rings. It is shrinkage in the direction towards the centre of the tree. Measurement is % value
    1.90%

    Unit Movement Tangential: This is the percentage of dimensional change for each 1% moisture content change between about 3% moisture content and the fibre saturation point for the particular species.
    0.22%

    Unit Movement Radial: This is the percentage of dimensional change for each 1% moisture content change between about 3% moisture content and the fibre saturation point for the particular species.
    0.10%

    Strength Group Strength groups are given for unseasoned (S1-S7) and seasoned (SD1-SD8) timber in accordance with AS 2878. S1 and SD1 yield the highest strength and stiffness whereas S7 and SD8 yield the lowest.

    Very High

    High

    Reasonably High

    Medium High

    Medium

    Reasonably Low

    Low

    Very Low

    Unseasoned:

    S1

    S2

    S3

    S4

    S5

    S6

    S7

    S8
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    Seasoned:

    SD1

    SD2

    SD3

    SD4

    SD5

    SD6

    SD7

    SD8
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    Stress Grade A stress grade is defined in AS 1720 as the classification of timber for structural purposes by means of either visual or machine grading. The stress grade indicates the basic working stresses and stiffnesses to be used for structural design purposes. Measured in MPa.

    Structural
    No. 1    		 Structural
    No. 2    		 Structural
    No. 3    		 Structural
    No. 4    		 Structural
    No. 5

    Unseasoned:

    F7

    F5

    F4

    Seasoned:

    F8

    F7

    F5

    F4

    Density per Standard Seasoned density is based on moisture content of 12%. Unseasoned density is an approximation as it depends on the moisture content at the time of measurement. Measured kg/m3.

    Seasoned:

    420kg/m3

    Unseasoned:

    820kg/m3

    Joint Group The joint group is a classification of the strength of a species in joint design. The values are from 1 (very high strength) to 6 (very low strength).

    Very High

    High

    Reasonably High

    Medium

    Low

    Very Low

    Unseasoned:

    J1

    J2

    J3

    J4

    J5

    J6
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    Seasoned:

    JD1

    JD2

    JD3

    JD4

    JD5

    JD6
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    Colour The colour of seasoned heartwood can vary between species and often within a species. The information provided should be used as a general guide only. In most cases, the colour of sapwood is either a lighter shade of the heartwood or a white/cream colour.

      White, yellow, pale straw to light brown Pink to pink brown Light to dark red Brown, chocolate, mottled or streaky
       
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    Mechanical Properties

    Modulus of Rupture - Unseasoned: This property is a measure of maximum stress which timber can momentarily sustain when loaded slowly and continuously as a beam. Measured in MPa.
    47

    Modulus of Rupture - Seasoned: This property is a measure of maximum stress which timber can momentarily sustain when loaded slowly and continuously as a beam. Measured in MPa.
    72

    Modulus of Elasticity - Unseasoned: This property is of importance in determining the deflection of a beam under load — the greater the stiffness, the less the deflection. Measured in GPa.
    9.0

    Modulus of Elasticity - Seasoned: This property is of importance in determining the deflection of a beam under load — the greater the stiffness, the less the deflection. Measured in GPa.
    9.2

    Maximum Crushing Strength - Unseasoned:

    Also referred to as compression strength. This property measures the ability of the timber to withstand loads applied on the end grain. Measured in MPa.
    25

    Maximum Crushing Strength - Seasoned: Also referred to as compression strength. This property measures the ability of the timber to withstand loads applied on the end grain. Measured in MPa.
    36

    Impact - Unseasoned: Provides the Izod value, which is the energy taken in joules (J) to fracture the timber.
    5.0

    Impact - Seasoned: Provides the Izod value, which is the energy taken in joules (J) to fracture the timber.
    5.5

    Toughness - Unseasoned: This is a measure of timber’s ability to resist shocks and blows, and is synonymous with impact strength. It is measured in Nm.

    Toughness - Seasoned: This is a measure of timber’s ability to resist shocks and blows, and is synonymous with impact strength. It is measured in Nm.

    Hardness - Unseasoned: Refers to the Janka hardness test and is a measure of timber’s resistance to indentation.
    2.1

    Hardness - Seasoned: Refers to the Janka hardness test and is a measure of timber’s resistance to indentation.
    3.1

    Durability

    Low Moderate Reasonably High High
    (0 - 5 yrs) (5 - 15 yrs) (15 - 25 yrs) (more than 25 yrs)

    In-Ground: Durability is defined as the inherent resistance of a timber species to decay, or to insect or marine borer attack. All references to durability refer to the heartwood only. A scale of low to high (durability class 4 = low; 1 = high) has been adapted for above and in-ground durability.

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    (0 - 7 yrs) (7 - 15 yrs) (15 - 40 yrs) (More than 40 yrs)

    Above ground: Durability is defined as the inherent resistance of a timber species to decay, or to insect or marine borer attack. All references to durability refer to the heartwood only. A scale of low to high (durability class 4 = low; 1 = high) has been adapted for above and in-ground durability.
    (0 - 20 yrs, usually < 5) (21 - 40 yrs) (41 - 64 yrs) (More than 60 yrs)

    Marine Borer Resistance: Indicates whether a species is resistant (R) or not resistant (NR) to marine borer attack.

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    Lyctid Borer Susceptibility: Indicates whether a species is susceptible (S) or not susceptible (NS) to lyctid borer attack.

    Susceptible

    Lyctid Borer Susceptibility - Other:

    Termite Resistance: Indicates whether a species is resistant (R) or not resistant (NR) to termites.

    Fire Properties

    0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

    EFH Spread-of-Flame Index: This is a material's propensity to burn rapidly and spread flames based on a scale of 0 to 10 where 0 means that the materials will not cause flames to reach the ceiling and 10 indicates that the material could be expected to cause flames to reach the ceiling of a room within 10 seconds of ignition.

    EFH Smoke-Developed Index:This is a measure of the concentration (measured by optical density) of smoke a material emits as it burns. It is based on an arbitrary scale of 0 to 10. The higher the index, the greater the hazard from smoke is likely to be.

    Bushfire Resistance: Naturally bushfire-resisting timbers are those with inherent bushfire-resisting properties. Some species have been tested and a number are in the process of being tested and are measured by Bushfire Attack level (BAL). BAL -12.5: Ember attack, BAL – 19: Increasing levels of ember attack and burning debris ignited by windborne embers together with increasing heat flux between 12.5 and 19 kWm3, BAL – 29: Increasing levels of ember attack and burning debris ignited by windborne embers together with increasing heat flux between 19 and 29 kWm3.
    Not Tested
    Appearance

    Red cedar is valued for its appearance, with heartwood that ranges from a pale pinkish red through to a rich dark reddish brown. The sapwood is paler pink or yellow in colour and is distinctive from the heartwood. Growth rings are often visible.

    Red cedar has a rough, uneven texture with a grain that is usually straight but may be slightly interlocked - this fiddleback appearance is popular for use as veneers or paneling.

    Common Applications

    Red cedar is used mainly for appearance-based internal application such as decorative veneers, paneling and furniture. It has also been used for boat building and carving.

    Workability

    Red cedar is soft and has a good workability. It nails and glues well. Red cedar can also be painted, stained and polished and it finishes well, however its rough texture may require extra work.

    It is easy to dry but care needs to be taken to avoid the timber cupping. Precautions should be taken when machining red cedar as the sawdust can cause irritation for some people.

    Origin of timber
    NSW
    Red cedar is scarce in Australian forests, however small quantities are being imported.
    Source of timber
    Native Forest

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