Product Brochure

Quality landscape architecture requires
building materials that are beautiful and
long lasting. Materials need to with-
stand environmental elements yet retain
their symmetry and aesthetic purpose.
Redwood has a well-earned reputation
for meeting these requirements. Equally
important, there are cost-effective
redwood grades to specify for every
project, whether it is a public plaza or
a residential garden.
Performance is more than durability.
Redwood has qualities not found in other
woods—even woods treated with chemi-
cals. Redwood performance charac-
teristics include resistance to shrinking,
warping and checking in addition to
durability. This means redwood pro-
jects age beautifully. Decks, fences and
shelters made with redwood simply look
better ten, fifteen and twenty years
after construction.
Total Performance
Dimensional Stability According to
reports from the Forest Products Labora-
tory of the U.S. Department of Agriculture,
redwood has less volumetric and tangen-
tial shrinkage than other common domes-
tic softwoods. In exterior use, this means
redwood stays flat and straight with
minimal warping, cupping or checking.
Resistance to Decay and Insects
Redwood heartwood has grown-in resist-
ance to decay and insects that is present
throughout the lumber, not just on the
surface. The wood exposed through saw-
ing, boring or nailing is as decay-resistant
as the surface.
Finish Retention Redwood has an
open celled structure and contains little or
no pitch or resin. This enables redwood
to absorb and retain all types of finishes
extremely well.
Treating lumber with chemicals increases
its decay resistance but doesn’t improve
other characteristics of the species. In
many applications, other aspects of wood
performance take precedence. For exam-
ple, wood off the ground but exposed
to harsh sunlight needs resistance to
checking and warping. Beauty is usually
the primary concern in highly visible
applications such as decking surfaces,
fences and overhead shelters. In most
situations the wood’s workability, finish
retention or the absence of pitch and
resin is important.
Performance Characteristics
of Construction Woods
California redwood 26 3 3 3 3 3 2 3 2 2 2
Douglas fir-larch 23 2 2 2 1 2 2 2 3 3 3
Western cedar 22 3 3 3 3 3 1 3 1 1 1
Southern pine 22 2 2 2 1 1 3 2 3 3 3
Eastern hemlock 21 3 2 1 2 3 2 2 2 2 2
Hem-fir 19 2 2 1 1 3 2 2 2 2 2
Idaho white pine 19 2 3 1 3 3 1 3 1 1 1
Spruce-pine-fir (Canada) 17 2 2 1 1 3 2 1 2 2 1
Englemann spruce-lodgepole pine 15 2 2 1 1 3 1 3 1 1 1
3 Among woods relatively high in the characteristic listed.
2 Among the woods intermediate in the respect.
1 Among the woods relatively low in that respect.
Rankings of species taken from:
How to Buy Construction Lumber
University of Wisconsin-Extension/Madison, September 1979
Total
Performance
Decay
Resistance
(Heartwood)
Freedom from
Warping
Freedom from
Shrinking
Paint
Holding
Freedom from
Pitch (Resin)
Nail
Holding
Workability
Bending
Strength
Stiffness
Hardness