Wood species

Deodar Cedar

Cedrus deodara · Pinaceae

A true Himalayan cedar that came to America as an ornamental before 1850. In North Carolina it is a yard and campus tree, so every deodar slab started as somebody's tree that came down: salvaged, not harvested.

Density: 34.0 lb/ft³
Origin: Western Himalaya (Afghanistan to Nepal); planted ornamental in the United States
IUCN Red List: Least Concern

Shop Deodar Cedar in stock (5)All live edge slabs

Pictured: Deodar Cedar Live Edge Wood Slab #B593 123" x 22" - 32" x 2.8"

About Deodar Cedar

Deodar Cedar is a true cedar, the Himalayan cousin of the Cedar of Lebanon. The wood is white to light yellowish brown, straight grained, medium fine with a slightly uneven texture, and it has an oily feel and a lasting cedar scent when cut. It works easily and takes oil or hardwax without fuss. The heartwood is rated very durable; the sapwood is not, and insects and fungi go after it, so we say which a slab carries. Published hardness figures for this species are thin, so treat it as a soft, light top for benches, shelves, mantels and low-traffic tables. It grows in North Carolina as a planted ornamental, so our stock is urban salvage, not forest timber.

Working & finishing

No deodar-specific workability data is published in the sources consulted. The related Cedar of Lebanon is easy to work with hand and machine tools and turns, glues and finishes well, and the shop treats deodar the same way: wipe the oily surface with mineral spirits before glue-up and before the first coat, keep fresh paper on the sander because pitch clogs it, and use a clear oil or hardwax on the pale wood. Cedar of Lebanon is reported to cause skin and respiratory irritation; assume the same.

Care

Wipe spills and clean with a damp cloth. Hardness is unpublished, so treat it as a soft top and use boards and trivets. Heartwood is rated very durable; sapwood is attacked by insects and fungi, so a slab with sapwood stays indoors or is finished and inspected.

In stock now