Alaskan Yellow Cedar NDS Values 1

[msquared48]

Anyone know if the category of "Alaska Cedar" on page 47 of the 2015 NDS Supplement is applicable to "Alaskan Yellow Cedar"?

If not, where can I find the allowable design values for Alaskan Yellow Cedar?

Thanks in advance for any input, and have a good week!

Mike McCann, PE, SE (WA)

 

[dhengr]

Mike:
I’ll bet that Alaskan Yellow Cedar and Alaskan Cedar are the same thing. The USDA Forest Products Lab “Wood Handbook, #72” says that Alaskan Cedar’s heartwood is a bright, clear yellow. I found this in the first part of the book, under Commercial Species in the US. But, given the way the grading rules have changed over the recent years, and the availability and generally poorer quality of lumber they are cutting these days, I’d ask a few local lumber suppliers what they are actually furnishing, and can they get you the stress grading sheets on that material. Or, furnish you the saw mills material name and grade class, etc., their material spec. sheets. What the big box stores are carrying and selling can hardly be classified as structural lumber these days. We didn’t use to like using that kinda stuff for blocking or stud grade material, let alone as real structural members.

 

[msquared48]

Table 2.1 of the 2015 NDS Supplement does list table 4A for the allowable stresses for Alaskan Yellow Cedar, so dhenger, you were right.

Mike McCann, PE, SE (WA)