The novice looking for cedar may very well be overwhelmed by all the various choices and head back home before their project can even begin. One thing that can be very confusing to the everyday person that doesn’t work with lumber everyday is the grade of the cedar. There are clear grades and knotty grades. Clear grades are used when you are looking for higher quality cedar and knotty grades are used when you are looking for a more rustic look. Each grade is also given a classification based on its size and use and they have different textures.

When looking for the best quality rough lumber, the best option would be No. 2 and better clear grade. For high quality landscape timbers or posts and beams that would be exposed look for D and better clear grade. If all you need is a good value on strong lumber the best choice would be appearance knotty timbers. When appearance is not important, you can get by with No. 2 and better structural cedar.