Western red cedar is a beautiful timber with a remarkably fine and stable grain structure. With unique fine grain characteristics that minimise shrinkage and swelling, along with being a hard-wearing softwood, it’s a popular choice for beehives around the world due to its durability.
The colour variation of the grain is cedar's most distinguishing feature and makes it highly sought after as a material for feature joinery. Visually, western red cedar is favoured for its rich and inviting colours. The colour ranges from a yellowish-white to pale-brown, through to a richer dark-brown. It has a fine texture and straight grain, with growth rings often visible.
This colour variation will sometimes make our hive bodies and supers appear to be made from different woods even though they are all made from western red cedar. See the image gallery below for a visual illustration of the differences.
Cedar also has built-in natural preservatives that provide resistance to borers, termites, rot and fungus growth. Its lack of pitch and gum veins allow cedar to readily accept semi-clear and clear finishes, which will accentuate its natural colour variations.
Read more on the cedar we use here.
