How to Identify Eastern Red Cedar (Aromatic) Wood (Juniperus virginiana)

Heartwood reddish or violet-brown; sapwood pale yellow, can appear as streaks/stripes throughout the heartwood. Straight grain, usually with knots present; very fine, even texture. End grain: Resin canals absent; earlywood-to-latewood transition gradual; grain moderately uneven to moderately even; tracheid diameter small to very small; zonate (double-ring) parenchyma.

Janka hardness 650 lbf (side hardness: the force needed to embed a 0.444-inch steel ball to half its diameter). Specific gravity 0.47 at 12% moisture content, so a cubic foot weighs roughly 29 lb. Weight in the hand is one of the quickest checks: compare a piece of known size against a board you already know.

Eastern Redcedar (a juniper) has a violet-brown color with frequent knots and a very fine even texture versus Western Red Cedar's (a true cedar) coarser texture, more uniformly reddish-pink color, and lack of knots; Eastern Redcedar's moth-repellent scent is also distinctively stronger/sweeter. The Western Red Cedar page has its own details.

Distinct and tell-tale scent; commonly used in closets and chests to repel moths and other insects; high silica content can dull cutters.

Fence posts, closet and chest linings, carvings, outdoor furniture, birdhouses, pencils, bows, and small wooden specialty items.

Easy to work notwithstanding knots or irregularities; high silica content can dull cutters; glues and finishes well, though often left unfinished to preserve aroma; reported to cause skin and respiratory irritation (uncommon).

Photograph a freshly cut or sanded face in daylight, not a finished or stained surface, since stain hides color and finish flattens grain. Add a close-up of the end grain: cut a clean end, wet it or sand it to 220, and shoot from straight on; pore pattern and rays are the most reliable marks. Put a ruler in frame. The app suggests the likely species; confirm with the end grain and weight.