Is spruce more expensive than cedar?
Cedar is usually more expensive than spruce due to higher demand because of its outstanding physical properties. Large, knot-free boards are not very common and can be expensive. Smaller boards are easily available at a moderate price.
Spruce also has some disadvantages. For one, it is not very durable and cannot be used for outdoor applications. It also needs constant care and high maintenance. Spruce is prone to insect attacks and cannot be in contact with the earth, which is why it is not preferred for flooring.
Cedar trees are known for their fragrant, reddish wood and scale-like leaves. They are often used for furniture and outdoor construction due to their natural resistance to decay and insects. Spruce trees have sharp, square needles and drooping cones.
Cedar is widely available but more expensive than other comparable woods. You'll pay about 30% more for regular-grade 1x6 tongue-and-groove cedar paneling than for the same type of paneling made of pine. The most common type of commercially available cedar is western red cedar.
A common spruce tree typically yields about 1,000 board feet of lumber. The value of this lumber would vary depending on the quality of the wood, but it would typically be worth between $500 and $1,000. So, the entire tree of wood would be worth between $500 and $1,000.
Spruce pulp is important in the paper industry, and timber from the trees is used in a variety of applications. Resonant spruce wood is used for sounding boards in pianos and the bodies of violins as well as in construction and for boats, airplanes, and barrels.
Although it has a reputation for dropping its prickly needles all over the place when you take it down in January, we find that a freshly cut Norway Spruce will last for at least three weeks after cutting if kept watered.
In general, spruce is lighter, but with a thicker, more complex sound and longer sustain. Cedar is “more powerful”, often with more headroom, and is sometimes described as “darker”. It may seem louder to the player, but in large rooms spruce often sounds better, perhaps due to its clarity.
'Hoopsii' (photo to the left) is considered one of the best spruces with the bluest color, according to Michael Dirr in the book "Manual of Woody Landscape Plants". The blue spruce does well in most environmental conditions.
Spruce is a denser wood than cedar. This is what gives it a shaper pitch - as cedar gives more of a warmer mellowed sound due to it being softer and a little more opened grained. Cedar typically has a orange to red color where as spruce leans toward the whiter color palette.
Why is cedar so expensive 2023?
The volatility in cedar pricing between 2020 and 2022 was the result of a number of factors including a surge in the home building and renovation industry, lumber mills temporarily closing, and disruptions in commercial transportation. These challenges ultimately lead to a decrease in supply and an increase in price.
When it comes to comparing treated wood vs. cedar, pressure-treated wood is the sturdier and more weather-proof of the two. It's highly resistant to insect attack and rot, and special versions rated for “ground contact” can be buried in soil and will continue to shrug off decay for decades.
![Is spruce more expensive than cedar? (2024)](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/rGwMzvlTsII/hq720.jpg?sqp=-oaymwEcCNAFEJQDSFXyq4qpAw4IARUAAIhCGAFwAcABBg==&rs=AOn4CLBvdOdM2DqPp6-gNyVNhftgK9rVCQ)
African blackwood (dalbergia melanoxylon) is the most expensive woods in the world because it comes from a slow-growing near-threatened tree. It grows in dry savanna regions in southern and central Africa. This multi-stemmed tree grows to about 25 feet tall on average.
Dollars per thousand board feet | December 15, 2023 | 4-week average |
---|---|---|
2x4 eastern spruce-pine-fir (Canadian dollars) Footnote a | 645 | 646 |
Composite (U.S. dollars) Footnote a | 382 | 379 |
2x4 western spruce-pine-fir (kiln dried) #2 and better (U.S. dollars) Footnote b | 414 | 410 |
An African Black Ebony tree from Gabon could be worth a million dollars, if you can find one. Due to its high value many species of Black Ebony are now extinct or on the verge of extinction. The Paulownia may currently be the world's most valuable sustainably harvested hardwood tree.
The spruce (Picea) is an evergreen with short, blue-green, waxy leaves called needles. The waxy coating on the needles helps evergreen trees conserve water during the very cold winters where they live, when soil water is frozen and not available for the trees to use.
– Much like Pine wood, Spruce needs to be treated to reduce decay for outdoor usage. (ref) See Pine for more details. Without treatment the wood will last no longer than two years, (ref) but the treatment process can vary from place to place, having different environmental impacts.
Wood from Sitka spruce is sawn into timber for use in construction, pallets/packaging and fencing, and is also used in the production of paper and panel products.
Maple is comparatively stronger as it is used to make the “back of violins” and Spruce, usually “makes up the top”. Maple as it is much denser however it is also more brittle.
Spruce is easy to work with and why carpenters prefer using it, saving resources and time. Heartwood spruce trees have a medium rot resistance. On the other hand, spruce is sapwood, making them less durable and suitable for indoor use. The lumber type is also susceptible to insects and fungi.
Can spruce wood get wet?
Spruce: Strong yet soft, spruce is often used in millwork. It finishes well, which means it'll look great in your home, and it's also very resistant to decay. However, spruce tends to experience moderate shrinkage when exposed to moisture.
Spruce wood is not a long-lasting natural wood: i.e. it is not very weatherproof unless it is kept up or shielded. Spruce is an important timber, the wood being used for general construction and paper making.
- Eastern White Pine (Pinus strobus) – Sitka Spruce's sometimes reddish heartwood color and larger resin canals can sometimes be confused with some species of Pine, particularly the soft pines such as Eastern White Pine. ...
- Fir, Hemlock, and Larch – See comments in left column.
Cedar thrives in damp climates, enabling it to withstand many conditions. Cedar doesn't shrink, swell, warp, or decay even when there are severe changes in weather, which makes it such an ideal choice for exterior siding.
Cedar is light brown in color and is always darker in color than natural spruce. If the natural tones of the woods have been maintained, guitars with spruce tops can almost always be distinguished from those with cedar tops at first glance. At ARTESANO, solid spruce and cedar tops are used for the Sonata guitars.
References
- https://www.gloriousgardenssussex.co.uk/spruce-wood/
- https://cameroontimberexport.com/spruce-wood-properties-types-and-uses/
- https://treepeopleofwallawalla.com/trees/the-worlds-most-valuable-tree/
- https://sauna-badetonne.de/en/spruce-larch-or-thermowood/
- https://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/biome/seedspruce.php
- https://huberwoods.net/2019/03/which-woods-handle-wet-weather-better/
- https://frenchaychristmastreefarm.co.uk/shop/norwegian-spruce/
- https://www.hgtv.com/outdoors/outdoor-remodel/treated-wood-vs-cedar
- https://natural-resources.canada.ca/our-natural-resources/domestic-and-international-markets/current-lumber-pulp-panel-prices/13309
- https://www.hgtv.com/design/remodel/interior-remodel/is-cedar-hardwood
- https://www.quora.com/What-is-the-differences-between-pine-fir-cedar-spruce-and-cypress
- https://www.artesanoguitars.com/en/know-how/spruce-top-or-cedar-top-whats-the-difference
- https://www.teakmaster.com/blog/10-most-expensive-woods-in-the-world/
- https://happyguitar.eu/guitar-top-spruce-or-cedar/
- https://floridalumber.com/blog/post/construction-and-usage-of-spruce-lumber
- https://www.forestresearch.gov.uk/publications/wood-properties-and-uses-of-sitka-spruce-in-britain/
- https://www.wood-database.com/separating-spruce-and-other-lookalikes/
- https://www.classicalguitardelcamp.com/viewtopic.php?t=86475&start=15
- https://hles.unl.edu/colorado-blue-spruce
- https://www.britannica.com/plant/spruce
- https://www.northernlogsupply.com/log-looks/posts/benefits-of-using-cedar-wood/
- https://www.quora.com/How-much-is-an-entire-tree-of-wood-worth-For-argument-lets-say-its-a-common-Spruce-tree-how-much-would-the-entire-thing-of-wood-be-sold-for
- https://wood-source.com/articles/decking/cedar/articles-cedar-pricing-availability/
- https://www.quora.com/Which-is-the-stronger-wood-maple-or-spruce-and-why