Old Canaan Building Materials

Eastern white cedar is the native alternative to western red cedar for roofing in New England. It grows here. It has been split into shingles and applied to roofs in this region since the 17th century. It is lighter in color than western red cedar, weathers to a slightly different grey, and is available from regional mills in ways that western red cedar, shipped from the Pacific Northwest, is not. In a region that values the authentic and the local, it is worth knowing the difference.

Eastern white cedar shingles are lighter in color than western red cedar — pale cream to very light grey when new, weathering to a silver-white in exposed conditions. The texture is similar: smooth sawn face, slight taper, consistent thickness at the butt. The grey of weathered eastern white cedar is slightly cooler and lighter than weathered western red cedar, which weathers to a warmer grey-brown.

Eastern white cedar (Thuja occidentalis) is native to the Northeast and is commercially harvested in Maine, Vermont, New Hampshire, and upstate New York. It produces lighter, smaller shingles than western red cedar — typically 16" and 18" lengths rather than 24" — and is graded similarly: clear, select, and utility. For roofing, specify clear or select grade. Eastern white cedar shingles are available from Maine cedar shingle mills and some New England lumber dealers.

Eastern white cedar roofing behaves similarly to western red cedar: 25 to 35 years on a correctly installed skip-sheathed roof. It has good natural decay resistance, though somewhat less than western red cedar. It is lighter in weight, which is a modest structural advantage on older roof framing.

For a traditional New England building where provenance matters, eastern white cedar is the regionally correct material. It is what the original buildings used. It comes from the same forests that produced the other cedar materials on the building. In the spirit of Old Canaan — connecting the material to its place — eastern white cedar roofing is as specific and as correct as river-washed pea gravel from Connecticut riverbeds.

From Maine cedar shingle mills and New England lumber dealers that source from regional mills. It is not as widely available as western red cedar from national distributors. Call ahead and order early — it is a specialty item at most non-regional dealers.