How to Identify Redwood Wood (Sequoia sempervirens)

Redwood, Sequoia sempervirens: color, grain, end grain, Janka hardness (480 lbf) and weight, and how to tell it from Western Red Cedar, quoted from the USDA Wood Handbook and The Wood Database.

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At a glance

Scientific name: Sequoia sempervirens
Type: Softwood
Origin: Coastal California
Color: Heartwood color ranges from light pinkish brown to deep reddish brown; sapwood pale white/yellow.
Grain and texture: Grain generally straight, though figured pieces may be wavy or irregular; coarse texture with low natural luster.
End grain: Resin canals absent; tracheid diameter large to very large; earlywood-to-latewood transition moderately abrupt; medium grain contrast; diffuse parenchyma.
Janka hardness: 480 lbf
Specific gravity (12% MC): 0.4
Other clue: Distinct odor when being worked that, unlike cedar, subsides after the wood has been worked; reported as a sensitizer causing eye, skin, and respiratory irritation.

What Redwood looks like

Heartwood color ranges from light pinkish brown to deep reddish brown; sapwood pale white/yellow. Grain generally straight, though figured pieces may be wavy or irregular; coarse texture with low natural luster. End grain: Resin canals absent; tracheid diameter large to very large; earlywood-to-latewood transition moderately abrupt; medium grain contrast; diffuse parenchyma.

Hardness and weight

Janka hardness 480 lbf (side hardness: the force needed to embed a 0.444-inch steel ball to half its diameter). Specific gravity 0.4 at 12% moisture content, so a cubic foot weighs roughly 25 lb. Weight in the hand is one of the quickest checks: compare a piece of known size against a board you already know.

Redwood vs Western Red Cedar

Both are reddish, straight-grained, decay-resistant Pacific-coast softwoods, but redwood has large-to-very-large tracheids and a moderately abrupt (not usually gradual) earlywood-latewood transition, and its working odor fades over time, unlike cedar's lingering aromatic scent. The Western Red Cedar page has its own details.

Smell, weight and other clues

Distinct odor when being worked that, unlike cedar, subsides after the wood has been worked; reported as a sensitizer causing eye, skin, and respiratory irritation.

Where you will meet it

Veneer, construction lumber, beams, posts, decking, exterior furniture, and trim; figured/burl redwood used in turning, musical instruments, and specialty items.

Working it

Typically easy to work with hand tools or machinery, though planer tearout can occur on figured pieces with curly/wavy/irregular grain; glues and finishes well; reported as a sensitizer causing eye, skin, and respiratory irritation.

How to photograph it for identification

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.

FAQ

How hard is Redwood?

Janka hardness 480 lbf. For comparison, Red Oak is about 1,290 lbf and Eastern White Pine about 380 lbf.

How do I tell Redwood from Western Red Cedar?

Is Redwood a hardwood or a softwood?

Redwood is a softwood: it comes from a conifer. The terms describe the kind of tree, not hardness.

What color is Redwood?

Heartwood color ranges from light pinkish brown to deep reddish brown; sapwood pale white/yellow.

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