How to Identify Arborvitae
Recognize Arborvitae (Northern White Cedar) by its feather-light weight, pale creamy color, fine concentric rings, spicy cedar scent, and frequent knots.
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Start with weight and hardness, because they narrow the field fast. Arborvitae is exceptionally light and soft — one of the lightest, weakest North American conifers — so a board feels far lighter than an equal piece of pine, and a thumbnail presses into it with almost no effort. If a pale, aromatic softwood feels almost balsa-light and dents under gentle pressure, Northern White Cedar is a leading candidate.
Next, look at color and grain. The wood is uniformly pale — light straw-brown to tan heartwood, sometimes faintly pinkish, grading into near-white sapwood — with the fine, straight radial grain and clearly marked concentric growth rings seen on this sample. The texture is fine and even with a soft, low luster. Expect frequent knots, since the tree is small and heavily branched; long clear runs are uncommon and are themselves a clue that the stock may be something else.
Smell is one of the best confirmations. Freshly cut or sanded Arborvitae gives off a distinct, spicy, aromatic cedar scent — milder and sweeter than the sharp pencil-cedar smell of Eastern Redcedar, but unmistakably a cedar. Check the end grain too: it is a non-porous softwood (no vessels), with a gradual, fairly even transition from earlywood to latewood within each ring and small resin content, so end grain shears rather cleanly for such a soft wood but can crumble at knots.
The common look-alikes are other pale, aromatic cedars and light conifers. Eastern Redcedar (Juniperus virginiana) is easy to separate — it has reddish to purple heartwood with white sapwood and a much sharper "pencil" aroma, and it is harder and heavier. Western Redcedar (Thuja plicata), a close cousin, is redder-brown, comes in much larger clear boards, and carries a stronger scent. Atlantic White Cedar (Chamaecyparis thyoides) is very similar in weight, softness, and use but tends slightly pinker or grayer. Ordinary white pine or spruce may match the pale color but are heavier, harder, lack the cedar aroma, and (in pine) show obvious resin canals as fine brown flecks on end grain.
Frequently asked questions
What is the fastest way to identify Arborvitae?
Heft it and smell it. Arborvitae is remarkably light and soft — dentable with a thumbnail — pale creamy tan in color, and gives off a spicy, sweet cedar aroma when cut. That trio of feather-light weight, soft feel, and mild cedar scent separates it from most other pale softwoods.
How do I tell Arborvitae from Eastern Redcedar?
Color and scent. Eastern Redcedar (a juniper) has reddish-to-purple heartwood against bright white sapwood and a sharp pencil-shaving smell, and it is harder and heavier. Arborvitae is uniformly pale tan to cream, softer, lighter, and has a milder, sweeter cedar aroma.
How can I tell Arborvitae from pine or spruce?
Weight, hardness, and smell. Arborvitae is lighter and much softer than pine or spruce and carries a cedar aroma they lack. Pine also shows resin canals as small brown flecks on the end grain, which Arborvitae does not have.
Are the knots a reliable clue?
They help. Because the tree is small and heavily branched, Northern White Cedar boards are usually knotty and narrow; a wide, long, clear board is more likely another species. Combined with the light weight and cedar scent, frequent tight knots support the identification.
Arborvitae identified by the community
Recent Arborvitae samples identified with Wood Identifier.
