Siberian Larch

Let’s begin with the obvious. For a long time now, Siberian Larch has been a go-to, budget-friendly alternative to Western Red Cedar. They both present a golden brown with Siberian Larch being slightly on the yellower side, and Cedar with its more reddish tint. They’re both sustainable, highly durable timbers with a naturally long lifespan. But stock of Siberian Larch is rapidly depleting in the UK, so you either need to get shopping as soon as possible before it runs out or consider looking at other, more accessible options.

Douglas Fir

So lets talk about those other options. Currently, the like-for-like alternative to Siberian Larch is the new and upcoming Douglas Fir. In terms of appearance, Douglas Fir’s colouring and grain is very similar to Siberian Larch, but it does possess a slightly rosier tint which actually makes it slightly more similar to the looks of Western Red Cedar. Of course, the durability of Western Red Cedar as a softwood is unmatched, but Douglas Fir is a naturally durable timber, resistant to rot with an extended life expectancy. Impressively, for a lightweight timber, the density of this softwood is reasonably high and it’s generally considered one of the strongest softwoods on the market. If you’re someone who has worked with Western Red Cedar often, you’ll find Douglas Fir to be just as easily workable. For fencing, the price point for Douglas Fir is equal to the likes of Siberian Larch, and of course cheaper than Cedar. And in terms of cladding, Douglas Fir is undoubtedly the most cost-effective Cedar replacement there is.

Thermo Ayous

This softwood has recently been a very popular choice for cladding and fencing. This exotic, on-trend timber has that same amazing golden glow that Western Red Cedar radiates when in the sun, while its appearance is slightly darker, mainly consisting of mid brown tones. The brilliant thing about this softwood is it’s thermally modified for greater stability and class-leading durability, which makes it a strong contender as an alternative for Western Red Cedar. Similarly to all other softwoods, it’s a lightweight, making it incredibly easy to work with. Furthermore, it’s virtually defect free giving a higher yield and almost zero waste to factor in keeping costs low. While Thermo Ayous does sit on the higher end of the cost spectrum, it’s still very competitively priced, typically much more cost-efficient than Western Red Cedar.

Yellow Balau

This substitute is available for just fencing and only in the one profile, 10 x 45mm P.A.R. (Planed All Round), but what an excellent substitute it is! It’s the cheapest alternative there is to Western Red Cedar fencing. Similarly, it’s generally a golden brown with the occasional lighter and darker boards, but the one thing that sets this alternative apart from the rest, is that its hardwood timber. This makes it more dense and stronger than any of the other options, but it can also be a disadvantage as hardwoods are typically harder to work with during construction.

As you can see, we are well aware that Western Red Cedar isn’t the most affordable of timbers, and that’s why we put so much effort investing in these budget-friendly alternatives. We want to make quality timber affordable for everyone because we know home projects are expensive enough as it is without having the cost of materials bleed you dry! While we believe Western Red Cedar is by far worth that extra bit of expense, we know it’s not for everyone, so if budgeting is an impacting factor, we recommend you strongly consider all the cheaper options we have to offer.

Complete your project today at a reasonable price.