Wood for Ground Contact: Cedar, Redwood, or Pressure-Treated?

Central California. Three choices for ground-contact wood. Here's the decision matrix.

Pressure-Treated (PT) — Best for Structure

• Posts, sleepers, edging
• CCA (green): Arsenic-based — phased out residentially
• ACQ (green): Copper-quat, no arsenic, still corrosive to fasteners
• CBA (brown): Copper-boron-azole, organic fungicide, least toxic

Never use PT for edibles—raised veg beds, fruit trees, berries.

Cedar vs. Redwood — For Edibles & Aesthetics

• Western Red Cedar: Structural, less brittle, lighter
• Redwood: Gorgeous, pricey, needs maintenance to stay pretty
• Both have tannins (rot-resistant) but termites still eat them

Quick Rules

• Structural/utilitarian → PT (CBA preferred)
• Edible gardens → Cedar or redwood
• Showpiece arbor/swing → Cedar (tougher) or redwood (prettier)

Wear a mask cutting PT. Dust is nasty.