Wood Specie Feature Page

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    Spanish Cedar quarter-sawn guitar neck strips, old growth
    Spanish Cedar: Quartersawn Guitar neck rips, South American production

    Spanish Cedar

    Cedro or Spanish Cedar lumber is a prized Latin-American specie that is frequently used to make cigar humidors and electric & acoustic guitars. Traditionally a South American wood,  Spanish Cedar (like Genuine Mahogany) is now also grown in African plantations under controlled conditions.  

    Ironically, Spanish Cedar is not part of the cedar family. However, it does have a sweet cedar-like aroma. The English translation of its scientific name Cedrela Odorata. From Latin, it means “smells like cedar.” 

    For an imported wood, Cedro, is very resilient in the face of environmental changes. Thus, it is less prone to checking and splitting issues when exported than many other imported woods.
     
     
    Spanish Cedar figured wood billet
    Figured Spanish Cedar wood billet

     

     

    Technical Information

    • Scientific name: Cedrela Odorata
    • Alternative Names:  Cedro, Cigar Box Cedar, Mexican Cedar
    • Region of Origin: South America, Africa
    • Average Dried Weight: 29.5 LB/cubic foot
    • Janka Hardness Rating: 600
    • Specific Gravity: .48
    • IUCN Red List: Yes 
    • CITES wood: Yes

    Cigar Humidors, made from Cedro 

    Spanish Cedar is the most common wood use for cigar humidor construction. 

    This is because it is excellent at resisting humidity and maintaining a consistent internal temperature.

    Additionally, Cedro is resistant to bug infestations. Also, the wood’s scent complements the flavor of the cigar without changing it. 

    Cedar for Guitars 

    Spanish Cedar has long been used for classical acoustic guitar construction.

    Over the past 30 years, it has gained a following among luthiers as an electric guitar body wood. It is a good substitute for Genuine Mahogany in appearance. Additionally, the weight typically runs 15-20% lighter than Genuine Mahogany. Thus, it’s often presented as a lightweight Mahogany alternative  tonewood.

    Eric Wilson spanish cedar bass sublime
    Eric Wilson with his custom signature 5 Spanish Cedar electric bass

     

     

    Limited run Spanish Cedar Bass

    In 2017, we were proud to supply the Spanish Cedar body wood for a limited run of electric bass guitars. The run was commissioned by Eric Wilson of Sublime, Sublime with Rome and the Long Beach Dub All-Stars.

    These instruments were painted (masterfully, by the way). Thus, I was a little surprised by the choice of wood.  Alder, poplar and basswood all paint well and are more readily available than Cedro. 

    However, Eric was impressed by the weight and acoustics of the Spanish Cedar. It was a conscious decision, not one of convenience.

    Spanish Cedar Bass signature 5 body
    Eric Wilson signature 5 bass body with open cavity showing Spanish Cedar
     
     
     
    Spanish Cedar 16/4 South American end-grain
    16/4 South American Spanish Cedar end grain with dense tight growth rings

     

    South American Old-growth Spanish Cedar

    Cedro produced in South American countries grows slower and more consistently than Cedro produced on African plantations. South American Cedro is also more expensive and a better Genuine Mahogany substitute than its African counterpart. 

    The Spanish Cedar depicted in the title picture is from Brazil. Its color is rich and consistent. The grain runs uniform Also, there are almost no pin knots or resin streaks.

    As noted in humidor-guide.com, Spanish Cedar is the preferred wood of humidor manufacturers. However, resin bleeding, seeping or whatever you want to call it, can damage cigars. Also, there are liability and reputation concerns.

    It’s disconcerting to think that a humidor may possibly start leaking resin in the future. 

    In our experience, South American Spanish Cedar is substantially less likely to bleed resin than African. I honestly do not know if this is due to soil composition, growth rate or quality of kiln drying. It’s likely a combination of the three. 

     

    What is resin-bleeding?

    Online Spanish Cedar woodworking and humidor forums are filled with questions related to resin bleed.  

    Resin bleed is a release of resins from inside of the wood to the wood’s surface.

    The resin is clear but tacky. It is almost like super glue that has not yet hardened. 

     

    Removing Resin

    You can remove the resin by applying acetate and sanding. However, since the resin is released from the interior of the wood, it may happen repeatedly and unpredictably. 

     

     
     

    8/4 Spanish Cedar African Plantation. Light color and low density.

    8/4 Spanish Cedar African production with lighter color and density.

     

    African Plantation Grown Spanish Cedar

    Plantation grown Spanish Cedar has a dubious reputation in the hardwood lumber industry.

    I view plantation cedar like car salespeople. There are definitely good car salespeople out there but the shady ones have extensively damaged their reputation, as a group.

    Almost every sawmill that distributes plantation cedar claims their production/sawmill/quality control is good.  They claim to be much better than the rest of the plantation cedar on the market.

    Rarely have I found this to be true. From an NHLA lumber grading standpoint, African Cedar is abysmal.

    Most buyers of imported hardwood assume the lumber is select/better grade or close. However, plantation Spanish Cedar can be riddled with pin knots. When the cedar is rough-sawn, pin knots are hard to see.

    Do not assume that African plantation cedar is clear simply because you’re only being offered one grade.

    Two important questions to ask your supplier before buying African Spanish Cedar:

    1. Is it graded against pin knots? If the answer is yes, that’s still not a guarantee but at least you may have some recourse later.
    2. What is the country of origin?

    Additionally, plantation cedar can have very open and wild grain. 

    From a tooling perspective, African Spanish Cedar is prone to silica. This causes grain fuzz and dull knife blades.  

    African plantation Cedro has a few advantages over South American Cedro:

    1. It is approximately half the cost of South American production.
    2. Production is widely available.
    3. Grown under controlled conditions.
    4. Density is low and weight is light.
    5. When you find a good run, it is easy to sell.

     

     

    Spanish Cedar: old verses new 

    Designers, architects and contractors often specify Spanish Cedar to match or replace premium wood from the early 20th century. Since 90% of the Spanish Cedar currently in the United States is African, it is used, regardless of the quality. Often, our competitors don’t even know there is another option.