Both cedar and redwood build a playset that shrugs off rain, repels insects, and lasts well past a decade, so the real decision comes down to price and what you can actually buy. Cedar is the practical winner for most families: it is cheaper, stocked everywhere, and rated “resistant” to decay by the USDA Forest Products Laboratory, which is the wood every Gorilla set we carry is built from. Redwood is a beautiful premium match, but it runs roughly 20% more and is hard to source outside the West Coast. This guide compares the two on durability, cost, looks, and availability so you pick the right frame without overpaying.
TL;DR: For a playset, cedar beats redwood on value. The USDA Forest Products Laboratory rates western redcedar heartwood as “resistant” to decay and old-growth redwood as “moderately resistant,” so cedar matches or edges out redwood on natural durability while costing about 20% less and shipping nationwide instead of mostly West-Coast supply.
Buy cedar unless you have a specific reason not to. The USDA Forest Products Laboratory rates western redcedar heartwood as “resistant” to decay and old-growth redwood as “moderately resistant” (USDA FPL, Wood Handbook Ch. 14), so cedar holds its own against redwood on the one spec that matters most for a frame sitting in wet grass year-round.
Cedar is also cheaper and far easier to find. Choose cedar if you want strong natural durability at a price you can actually buy in stock, which is most buyers. Choose redwood if you live near West-Coast supply, want its deeper color, and do not mind paying a premium for a set you will refinish a little less often. Both woods are non-toxic and skip the chemical treatment of pine, so either is a safe choice for kids.
Here is how the two woods stack up across the factors that decide a playset purchase. Each row reflects natural, untreated heartwood, which is what quality sets use.
| Factor | Cedar | Redwood |
|---|---|---|
| Cost | Lower, the value pick | Premium, roughly 20% more |
| Decay resistance (FPL) | “Resistant” (western redcedar heartwood) | “Moderately resistant” (old-growth); young-growth drops to “slightly or nonresistant” |
| Insect resistance | High, natural thujaplicin oils | High, natural tannins |
| Hardness | Softer, lighter, easy to work | Denser, stiffer, very stable |
| Availability | Stocked nationwide | Mostly West-Coast supply |
| Look | Reddish, weathers to silver-grey | Deeper red-brown, weathers to grey |
| Maintenance | Reseal every 1 to 3 years | Reseal every 5 to 7 years |
The takeaway: redwood’s density and longer refinishing interval are real advantages, but cedar’s matching decay class, lower price, and wide availability make it the wood most families should buy. Shoppers comparing cedar against the cheaper budget wood instead can read the chemical-safety breakdown at https://backyardoas.com/blogs/playsets/cedar-vs-pressure-treated-playset.
Cedar is the default playset wood because its heartwood is rated “resistant” to decay by the FPL while costing less than redwood and shipping nationwide. Most sets use western red cedar (Thuja plicata), whose natural thujaplicin oils repel termites, ants, and the fungi that cause rot, all without a chemical bath. A well-built, lightly maintained cedar set lasts 15 to 20 years.
Cedar earns its spot for more than rot resistance. It carries a strong strength-to-weight ratio, so posts and beams stay sturdy under hard play while the whole frame stays light enough to assemble in a backyard. Its softness is a feature too: cedar takes detailed cuts, accepts stain evenly, and resists splintering on the rails, slides, and climbers small hands grip all day. It weathers to a soft silver-grey rather than rotting, and untreated cedar carries no preservatives for kids to touch. The trade-off is upkeep. Unfinished cedar greys and dries out within one to three years, so it wants resealing more often than redwood, and its low density means you should favor beefier beam sizes for the longest service life.
Cedar is also simply easier to buy. It is harvested across the Pacific Northwest, Canada, and parts of the eastern United States, which keeps both supply steady and prices down. Gorilla Playsets, the cedar brand we stock, builds with western red cedar for exactly these reasons, and every set in our cedar playset collection uses it.
Redwood is the prestige choice, matching cedar’s natural rot resistance with a denser, stiffer board, but it costs roughly 20% more and is hard to find east of the West Coast. Old-growth redwood heartwood carries natural tannins that fight decay fungi, termites, and other wood-boring insects, earning a “moderately resistant” FPL rating without any chemical treatment.
Redwood’s density is its signature advantage. The dimensional stability minimizes the shrinking and swelling that opens cracks as moisture swings, so heavy-wear spots like decking, rungs, and railings hold up well, and the hardness deters splintering. That same oil content lets redwood go 5 to 7 years between finishes instead of cedar’s 1 to 3, and many builders consider its deeper red-brown grain the better-looking of the two before both weather to grey. The honest catch is supply, price, and one durability asterisk: most redwood sold today is young-growth, which the FPL drops to “slightly or nonresistant,” so the decay edge only holds for older heartwood you will pay extra to get. Genuine redwood comes from Pacific-region forests under tight harvesting limits, which is why sourcing enough for a full playset usually means added lead time and cost elsewhere.
A note on availability that decides this for many shoppers: we do not carry redwood playsets. The redwood supply chain is regional and premium, so the practical, in-stock path to the same natural durability is a cedar set. If you were leaning redwood for its rot resistance, cedar delivers a comparable decay class at a price you can actually find. To see how both woods rank against pine and the other materials, our guide to the best wood for outdoor playsets ranks them side by side.
Pick cedar if price, availability, or larger play structures top your list; pick redwood if you want maximum density and the longest stretch between finishes and can source it. Cedar lets you build a bigger, more detailed set for the same money as a smaller redwood one, since you are not paying the premium or fighting the supply chain. It is the right call for the vast majority of backyards.
Redwood makes sense in a narrower case: you live near West-Coast supply, you want a compact set as a yard centerpiece, and you would rather refinish every 5 to 7 years than every 1 to 3. Both woods give you a non-toxic frame that avoids the treatment chemicals of pine, so the choice really comes down to budget, looks, and upkeep tolerance rather than safety. Whichever you choose, a quality set you reseal on schedule will outlast the kids who play on it, and the species matters far less than building thick enough beams and anchoring the frame properly. For sizing, surfacing, and the full buying decision, start with the playset buying guide at https://backyardoas.com/blogs/playsets/buyers-guide-playsets.
Cedar edges it out for the wood you can actually buy. The USDA Forest Products Laboratory rates western redcedar heartwood as “resistant” to decay and old-growth redwood as “moderately resistant.” Young-growth redwood, which is most of today’s supply, drops to “slightly or nonresistant,” so cedar’s natural durability is at least as good in practice.
For most buyers, no. Redwood runs roughly 20% more than cedar and is hard to source outside the West Coast, while delivering a comparable decay class and a longer refinishing interval. The premium pays off mainly if you live near supply, want its deeper color, or value going 5 to 7 years between finishes.
Yes, though on different schedules. Cedar greys and dries out within one to three years unsealed, so it wants resealing every 1 to 3 years. Redwood’s higher oil content stretches that to 5 to 7 years. Neither wood needs sealing to survive, but a child-safe finish preserves the color and slows surface cracking on both.
Yes. Pressure-treated pine is the common budget alternative, and cypress and fir also appear, though the key is choosing a species that resists rot and insects outdoors. Plastic, HDPE, and metal sets skip wood entirely for lower maintenance, but most families still prefer the look and feel of a cedar frame.
{"one"=>"Select 2 or 3 items to compare", "other"=>"{{ count }} of 3 items selected"}
Leave a comment