Many of TaylorCraft Cabinet Door Company‘s customers love the warm, red tones of cherry and alder wood and have a hard time deciding whether to spend the extra money on cherry cabinets or go with less expensive alder cabinets. There are pros and cons to each wood species and we share some insight into those differences below.
Cherry Vs Alder Hardness
One of the main differences is the relative hardness of cherry wood compared to alder. While both are considered hard woods, alder is rated at 590 on the Janka hardness scale, and cherry is rated significantly higher at 950. The Janka hardness rating scale is an industry scale used to show the relative hardness of common wood species. Wood is rated on the force required to push a .44 inch steel ball into the wood at a depth of half the ball’s diameter. If you don’t foresee any metal Tonka trucks or Barbie Dream RVs being rammed into your cabinet doors, Alder may be a great choice. If you want a material that is a little more dent resistant, you may want to pay the extra upfront for cherry, to keep your cabinets from looking distressed over time, in high use areas. Only you can predict the abuse your cabinet doors will take and the importance of a dent resistant material in your home. This is not to say cherry is impervious from dents. It is just more dent resistant than alder.
Here’s a link to information on the Janka hardness test and a list of most common hardwoods and their Janka Hardness ratings.
Cherry Vs Alder Color
The second significant difference between alder and cherry is material color change over time. While a new cherry door is very close in color to alder, over time cherry darkens considerably. Below is a photo of an alder door with clear finish, 2 years old (left), a cherry door with clear finish, just produced (middle), a 2 year old cherry door (right). The alder door did not have a noticeable change in color over time. The two year old cherry door is considerably darker than the new cherry door with a more red-orange hue. Differences in color can also appear over time, where some light areas become noticeable because they don’t darken as much as other areas. This effect can be reduced if the door is stained to even out any color differences.
Cherry Vs Alder Price
The third major difference in the two materials is the price. Because cherry is a harder wood and because people typically prefer the consistent color of the heartwood which has to be selected out, cherry is considerably more expensive. This is why alder is sometimes referred to as “poor man’s cherry.”
Final Thoughts on Deciding Between Cherry or Alder Cabinets
Alder is still a beautiful hardwood and it is by no means a cheap or low quality material. In fact because alder does not darken significantly over time, it can be a more desirable choice for those who love the lighter red tones and the less prominent grain pattern. The decision is really a matter of personal preference. If you have any questions or comments we’d love to hear from you.
If you’d like to read further on the subject, here’s a great article from Houzz on the differences between cherry and alder.
Woodipedia: Is it Cherry or Alder
Heide Osborn
TaylorCraft Cabinet Door Company
