Cedar Lumber Calculator Cost Guide: Prices, Materials & Labor

Introduction

Cedar costs more than pressure-treated pine and usually less than premium composite — but the spread between grades, regions, and project types is wide enough that “cedar is expensive” is not a useful budget number. What matters is the installed cost of your specific project: lumber at your local yard’s price, the grade you chose, fasteners, finish, and labor if you hire it.

The Cedar Lumber Calculator gives you the quantities — boards, linear feet, board feet — and this guide turns those quantities into a budget. All prices below are typical US planning ranges (2026 market conditions); cedar is a regional commodity, cheapest near Pacific Northwest mills and notably higher in the Southeast and Northeast, so verify with local suppliers before committing.

Cedar vs. Pressure-Treated vs. Composite

Material choice is the single largest cost lever. Typical per-linear-foot material ranges for 5/4×6 decking stock:

Material	Typical material cost (per linear foot)	Notes
Pressure-treated pine decking	$1.00–$1.75	Cheapest up front; needs staining, shorter service life
Cedar decking (STK / knotty)	$2.50–$4.00	Natural rot resistance, lighter, no chemical treatment
Cedar decking (clear / A&BTR)	$4.00–$6.50	Premium appearance; 40–80% over knotty grades
Composite decking	$2.75–$6.50	Low maintenance; heavier, hotter underfoot

For fencing, the comparison is simpler: cedar pickets (typically $3.50–$6.00 per 1×6×6 picket) versus pressure-treated pickets (typically $2.50–$4.00). Cedar’s advantage is that it needs no chemical treatment to resist rot and it weathers to an attractive silver-gray if left unfinished — a finish choice with real budget implications, covered below.

The honest lifetime-math point: cedar costs more per board than treated pine but less than composite, while its maintenance cost sits between the two. If you plan to stain on schedule, cedar’s total cost of ownership over 15–20 years often lands close to composite’s. If you will never maintain anything, composite’s premium may be the cheaper mistake. The material guide breaks down the grade premiums that drive cedar’s own price range.

What Drives Cedar Prices

• Grade. Clear heart and A&BTR cost 40–80% more than STK from the same mill. Buying clear for a fence is pure overspend.
• Region. Pacific Northwest yards sit near the mills; East Coast and Southeast buyers pay substantially more freight. Expect 20–40% regional swings on identical stock.
• Rough vs. surfaced. Rough-sawn cedar is typically 10–20% cheaper than S4S (surfaced four sides) and suits rustic fences and pergolas.
• Length premiums. 16-ft and 20-ft boards cost more per linear foot than 8-ft and 12-ft stock and are harder to find in retail yards.
• Market cycles. Lumber prices move with housing demand and mill output. A quote from last season is a rumor, not a price.

Project Cost Breakdowns

These are material-only planning budgets (labor excluded; DIY-vs-hire math is in the DIY vs. Pro guide). Each assumes STK-grade cedar, 10% waste, stainless fasteners, and one finish coat — the configuration most homeowners actually buy.

100 linear feet of 6-ft cedar privacy fence

Item	Quantity	Typical range
Pickets, 1×6×6 (230 with waste)	230 ea	$805–$1,380
Posts, 4×4×8 (14)	14 ea	$308–$490
Rails, 2×4×8 (26)	26 ea	$195–$390
Stainless screws	2 × 5-lb boxes	$80–$110
Post concrete, 60-lb bags (32)	32 ea	$160–$224
Stain, 5 gallons	5 gal	$225–$325
Material total		$1,773–$2,919

16 × 12 ft cedar deck (192 sq ft), decking only

Decking needed: 192 × 2.2 = 422 linear feet; with 10% waste, about 465 linear feet of 5/4×6. At $2.50–$4.00/LF, budget $1,160–$1,860 for decking. Framing (pressure-treated joists and beams, since cedar is rarely used structurally), hangers, and fasteners typically add another $800–$1,500. A full 192-sq-ft cedar deck in materials commonly lands at $2,500–$4,500 before labor.

1,000 sq ft of cedar bevel siding

Bevel siding with 6-inch exposure covers about 2 sq ft per linear foot of board. Allow 15% waste for siding (cuts, openings, defects): roughly 575–600 linear feet. At $3.00–$5.50/LF for A&BTR bevel siding, budget $1,725–$3,300 for siding stock, plus housewrap, trim, and fasteners.

Run your own quantities through the Cedar Lumber Calculator, then multiply by your yard’s per-unit prices — a phone call beats any national average.

Hidden Costs People Miss

• Fasteners. Stainless steel screws cost 2–3× coated deck screws — but uncoated steel causes black iron-tannate streaks that ruin cedar. This is not optional; the pro tips guide explains why.
• Finish. A quality exterior stain runs $45–$65 per gallon and cedar drinks the first coat. Budget one coat at install plus a maintenance coat every 2–4 years — or zero finish dollars if you accept the silver-gray weathered look.
• Delivery. Long-length cedar often needs flatbed delivery ($75–$150 locally); a pickup truck works for 8-ft stock.
• End-sealing and offcuts. Budget a quart of end-grain sealer and accept that 10% waste is material you paid for.

Ways to Spend Less Without Regret

1. Match the grade to the job. STK for fences and pergolas, better grades only where faces show. See the material guide for the full ladder.
2. Buy 8-ft and 12-ft lengths. Premiums on 16-ft+ stock are steep; design bays and spans around stocked lengths.
3. Consider rough-sawn for rustic work. A 10–20% saving on fences and pergolas where texture is a feature.
4. Finish it yourself. Staining is the easiest DIY phase of a cedar project and contractor-applied finish carries a heavy markup.
5. Estimate tightly, then add waste once. Padding every line item compounds — one honest waste factor at the end is cheaper, as the formula guide shows.

Related Guides

• The Complete Guide — full overview of cedar estimating, terms, and a worked fence example.
• Formula Explained — how board counts, linear feet, and waste combine into the order quantity.
• Material Guide — cedar species and grades, and what each grade should cost you.
• DIY vs. Pro — labor costs and when hiring beats doing it yourself.
• Estimating Guide — the step-by-step walkthrough with a worked example.
• Case Study — a fully priced hypothetical fence project, line by line.

Get Your Number

Cedar budgets are built the same way as cedar estimates: honest quantities times local prices, plus the fasteners and finish people forget. Get your quantities from the Cedar Lumber Calculator, call two or three local yards for per-unit prices, and add the hidden costs above before you decide the project is affordable.

Disclaimer: Calculator results are planning estimates based on the dimensions you enter. Actual material needs vary with site conditions, product availability, and local pricing. Verify quantities with your supplier and consult a licensed professional for structural or code-related decisions.