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Cedar or composite raised beds?

Cedar and composite (recycled plastic and wood fiber) raised beds compared on the sizes and materials makers publish and what extension services say about cedar’s lifespan.

The same spot in your garden

Side by side at one scale beside a 5 ft 6 in adult. Cedar: 10.5 in tall, 19 bags of 1.5 ft³. Composite: 11 in tall, 20 bags of 1.5 ft³.Cedar10.5 in tall19bags of 1.5 ft³Composite11 in tall20bags of 1.5 ft³
Side by side at one scale beside a 5 ft 6 in adult. Cedar: 10.5 in tall, 10 bags of 1.5 ft³. Composite: 11 in tall, 10 bags of 1.5 ft³.Cedar10.5 in tall10bags of 1.5 ft³Composite11 in tall10bags of 1.5 ft³
Side by side at one scale beside a 5 ft 6 in adult. Cedar: 10.5 in tall, 10 bags of 1.5 ft³. Composite: 11 in tall, 10 bags of 1.5 ft³.Cedar10.5 in tall10bags of 1.5 ft³Composite11 in tall10bags of 1.5 ft³
Side by side at one scale beside a 5 ft 6 in adult. Cedar: 11 in tall, 11 bags of 1.5 ft³. Composite: 10.5 in tall, 11 bags of 1.5 ft³.Cedar11 in tall11bags of 1.5 ft³Composite10.5 in tall11bags of 1.5 ft³

At 4 × 8 ft, Composite stands 0.5 in taller than Cedar and takes 1 more bag to fill.

Cedar

Greenes Fence cedar 4 × 8 ft bed

4 × 8 ft, 10.5 in tall · 96 × 48 in

19 bags to fill its stated 28 ft³

Composite

Frame It All GardenBLOX 4 × 8 ft composite bed

2 levels, 11 in tall · 96 × 48 in

20 bags to fill its stated 29.3 ft³

At 2 × 8 ft, Composite stands 0.5 in taller than Cedar; both take 10 bags.

Cedar

Greenes Fence premium cedar beds, 2 × 4 to 4 × 12 ft

2 × 8 ft, 10.5 in tall · 96 × 24 in

10 bags to fill its stated 14 ft³

Composite

Frame It All GardenBLOX 2 × 8 ft composite bed

2 levels, 11 in tall · 96 × 24 in

10 bags to fill its stated 14.7 ft³

At 4 × 4 ft, Composite stands 0.5 in taller than Cedar; both take 10 bags.

Cedar

Greenes Fence premium cedar beds, 2 × 4 to 4 × 12 ft

4 × 4 ft, 10.5 in tall · 48 × 48 in

10 bags to fill its stated 14 ft³

Composite

Frame It All GardenBLOX 4 × 4 ft composite bed

2 levels, 11 in tall · 48 × 48 in

10 bags to fill its stated 14.7 ft³

At 3 × 6 ft, Cedar stands 0.5 in taller than Composite; both take 11 bags.

Cedar

Greenes Fence premium cedar beds, 2 × 4 to 4 × 12 ft

3 × 6 ft, 11 in tall · 72 × 36 in

11 bags to fill its stated 16.5 ft³

Composite

Gardener’s Supply Sustainable raised bed

3 × 6 ft · 72 × 36 in · 10.5 in tall

11 bags to fill its stated 15.8 ft³

Each maker’s size closest to this footprint, within 6 in. Where a bed comes in two heights, we show the one closest to the other maker’s. Bags are 1.5 ft³, enough to fill the stated capacity.

Which suits you

Cedar

Cedar suits a natural wood bed, or one you build yourself.

Composite

Composite suits a kit bed made partly from recycled plastic, or one you raise level by level; compare the makers’ warranties, since no extension service publishes a lifespan for it.

This compares what makers publish and what extension services say. It is not a test of any bed.

12 in24 in36 in7355.510.51116.522CedarComposite
Every published height in each group, on one scale, in inches. Where a group lists too many to label, the lowest and tallest are labelled; the table below gives them all.

Side by side

CedarComposite
Beds we cover24 models, 104 sizes (Gronomics, Greenes Fence, Gardener's Supply, Gardenary, Outdoor Living Today, VegTrug, Veikous)9 models, 33 sizes (Gardener's Supply, Frame It All)
Published heights7 to 35 in5.5 to 22 in
Stated soil capacity4.8 to 74.7 cubic feet1.8 to 117.3 cubic feet
MaterialCedar heartwood, decay-resistant above ground (USDA Forest Products Laboratory)Recycled plastic and reclaimed sawdust with aluminum corners (Gardener’s Supply); 38% HDPE plastic and 62% wood fibers (Frame It All)
Lifespan10 years or more for cedar (UNH Extension); untreated wood can begin to decay within a few years (WSU Extension)No extension service figure; compare the makers’ warranties
Building your ownYes, from lumber; see the 4 × 8 planSold as kits in the beds we list

Every figure is as the maker or extension service publishes it.

See the beds

Cedar beds

Composite beds

References