Cedar fence posts instead of pressure treated?

[ishiboo]

I am looking to add about 2000' of fencing this year. My normal supplier of pressure-treated pine posts has discontinued selling them. They now offer only cedar. I found a supplier of higher-quality cedar posts as well, who is saying that the cedar posts last ~30 years... considerably longer than pressure treated posts would. I went with pressure treated because I had heard the exact opposite.

Will I be satisfied with cedar posts? They're about 30-40% cheaper than the pressure treated posts I can get my hands on.

 

[RickB]

The native cedar here makes poor posts. Not that it stops some from using them. Locust or PT for me.

 

[bcp]

I've got treated and untreated Douglas Fir, and cedar for deck surfaces. Some of each is rotten after 10 years, some of each is still solid after 30 years. Treated has been best for in-ground.

Bruce

 

[turnkey4099]

Every PT square post (made out of peeler cores) has rotted off in around 10 years. Cedar out here is good, cedar pressure treated is even better. I wouldn't count on 30 years though.

 

[bcp]

I pulled a 4x4 treated post a few months ago. It looked like new below ground. It was about 20 years old.

There is a lot of difference in treatments. No idea what that one was.

Here is a PDF guide:

www.wwpinstitute.org/documents/RevisedSpecGuideJan2012_000.pdf

Bruce

 

[smstonypoint]

I have some Eastern red cedar posts on my NC farm that have been in the ground for 50+ years. I suspect that soil chemistry may affect longevity.

Steve

 

[Snobdds]

I have some ceder and Douglas fir that are 30+ years old. They were pressured treated when the real chemicals were used and have probably 100 tight growth rings. Pressured treated chemicals are not vèry good today because of the EPA. Most wood today are 2nd and 3rd growth trees, meaning not as dense as old growth wood. Wood sucks today...I wouldn't count on anything, but ceder should hold up better. All the things considered.

 

[japody]

I have found that the more heart wood you can get in the cedar posts, the longer they will last. The outer white wood will rot away after a few years leaving the post loose in the hole.

 

[32 chev]

I used western red cedar untreated they lasted about 3 years

 

[QRTRHRS]

Back in 78-80, I hauled alot of white cedar from Ontario. Been awhile but as I recall the people in the field used to say that the second growth or was it "swamp cedar" was not near the quality. That said, I used to use cedar posts for my garden fence since I could buy them for cost. Some would rot, some not.

Fast forward to 2008 when I bought my current property. Been eight years and honestly, I don't know if the laws have changed but at that time, agricultural and utility use could still use CCA treated. I bought mine directly from a treatment plant. I have to stop by Southern States tomorrow, I will ask them what process their posts are treated with.

At the time I bought my posts, you could get square or round. If you are wanting square, stay away from the big box stores.