It's the most common material question we get, and the most useful answer is that it isn't one decision — it's two. Posts and pickets live very different lives.
Ask the question online and you'll get strong opinions in both directions: cedar is the only real fence wood; treated pine lasts longer and costs less; cedar rots in the ground; pine warps. Most of those statements are true about part of a fence. Once you separate the parts that touch the ground from the parts that don't, the choice gets much clearer, especially in a climate as wet as ours.
Western red cedar contains natural oils and extractives that resist rot and insects without any chemical treatment. It's light, dimensionally stable, takes stain well, and weathers to silver-grey if left alone. Its resistance is real but not unlimited, and it is weakest where it stays wet and can't dry: at and below the ground line.
Pressure-treated pine is plantation pine infused under pressure with a preservative that makes it unappealing to fungi and insects. It comes in different treatment levels; lumber rated for ground contact carries more preservative than lumber rated for above-ground use, and the two are not interchangeable. Treated pine arrives wet from the process, is heavier than cedar, and tends to shrink, check and sometimes twist as it dries out over its first summer.
Almost every fence, whatever it's made of, fails at the posts first, because the post is the only part sitting in wet soil year-round. Cedar posts in Beaverton ground do not last the way the rest of a cedar fence does; the oils help, but constant moisture wins. Treated pine rated for ground contact holds up noticeably better below grade, and steel posts remove the question entirely. The arrangement experienced installers most often recommend here is exactly that mix: treated or steel posts carrying cedar rails and pickets. Our comparison of steel and wood posts in wet soil covers the post side in detail.
Above the ground, where the wood gets rained on but also gets to dry, cedar's stability is the advantage. It moves less, so gaps stay even and boards stay flat. Treated pine pickets are perfectly serviceable and cost less per board, but expect more cupping and checking as they dry, and plan to stain them once they've done so. Rails take the most water of anything above grade, since their top edges hold rain, so whichever species you choose, rail quality matters more than picket quality.
Cedar can be left natural or stained relatively soon after installation, once it has dried through a few weeks of good weather. Treated pine needs longer, often most of a dry season, before it will accept a penetrating stain properly, and it starts out with a green or brown tint from the treatment that stain has to work with. If the look of the fence matters to you on day one, that favours cedar. Our note on whether to seal a new cedar fence covers timing.
A common mix-up at the lumber yard: a stamp reading "HT" means heat treated, which is a kiln-drying step for shipping and pest control. It is not pressure treating and gives no rot resistance at all. Pressure-treated lumber carries a separate tag naming the preservative and the use category, including whether it's rated for ground contact. If a quote lists "treated" posts, it's fair to ask which rating.
Cedar generally costs more per board than treated pine, and the gap varies with the season and the grade. Set against that, cedar pickets typically outlast treated pickets in our climate and need less correction for warping, and a fence with ground-contact or steel posts and cedar above should see a long service life with routine care. Every such figure is an estimate that depends on sun exposure, drainage, sprinklers and maintenance; a shaded, north-facing run with a sprinkler hitting it will age faster in any species. For what drives the overall price, see fence installation cost in Beaverton.
Use treated-for-ground-contact or steel posts in the ground, and choose cedar for the rails and pickets if the budget allows. If it doesn't, treated pine throughout is a sound fence, provided it's given a dry season and a stain. Either way, drainage at the posts matters more than the species. Talk through the options with us on (971) 326-4563, or see our cedar privacy fence and wood fence installation pages.
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