Diyar wood for furniture

What Diyar is

Diyar (دیار), also written Deodar, is the timber of Cedrus deodara, the Himalayan cedar. It is the national tree of Pakistan (Dawn). Unlike many woods sold as "cedar" around the world, deodar is a true cedar, a member of the genus Cedrus (Wood Database explains how loosely the word "cedar" is used).

Like Kail, Diyar is a conifer and therefore a softwood. The difference is in its heartwood, which is far more durable than Kail's.

Where it grows

Diyar grows in Hazara, Swat, the Murree Hills, Chitral, Dir and Azad Kashmir. It has been used for doors, beams and carved woodwork in the north for a very long time, and it remains a familiar timber in the Islamabad and Rawalpindi markets, where buyers often ask for it by name for doors and frames.

Look, scent and feel

Diyar heartwood is a warm, light brown with a straight grain, and it carries the distinctive scent of cedar that many people remember from old wardrobes and doors. It is light for its strength, at about 560 kg/m³ (World Agroforestry), well below Sheesham at about 770 kg/m³. That makes large doors and wardrobe panels easier to hang and move.

We do not publish a Janka hardness for Diyar: the Wood Database, our source for hardness figures, does not list one, and we would rather say so than guess. As a guide, it is softer than Sheesham and well suited to joinery and carving rather than surfaces that take hard daily knocks.

Durability and insects

World Agroforestry describes the heartwood as "very durable but insects and fungi attack sapwood". That distinction matters. A Diyar door made from heartwood can last for decades indoors; the pale sapwood should be kept out of anything structural.

It is not immune. In a US field test, Diyar stakes in ground contact were severely attacked after eight years (USDA Forest Service). Above ground, indoors and away from damp, heartwood Diyar performs very well. We still recommend keeping it off wet floors and away from damp walls.

Where Diyar works best

• Main and internal doors, frames and windows.
• Wardrobes and built-in wardrobes, where the cedar scent is a bonus.
• Solid wood shutters and frames for premium kitchen cabinets, with the wet zones built in moisture-tolerant board.
• Carved panels, headboards and decorative screens.
• Bed frames and furniture for buyers who want a lighter wood than Sheesham with good durability.

How we build with Diyar

We season Diyar before cutting, select heartwood for every load-bearing part and keep sapwood out of frames and rails. Because it is lighter and softer than Sheesham, we size legs and rails accordingly and use joinery that does not rely on screws in end grain. Diyar takes polish and clear finishes well, and many customers prefer a lighter finish that keeps its natural colour visible.

Caring for Diyar

• Keep it indoors, away from rain, standing water and damp walls.
• Dust with a dry cloth and re-polish when the surface looks dry.
• For doors, keep hinges tight and the bottom edge sealed, since that is where moisture enters first.
• Check for termite mud tubes near frames and skirting.

How to tell Diyar from Kail

The two are often confused in the market, because both come down from the same hills and both are conifers. A few checks help:

• Smell a fresh cut or the inside of a drawer. Diyar has a clear cedar scent; Kail smells of pine resin.
• Look at the colour. Diyar heartwood is a warm light brown. Kail is paler, closer to cream, with more obvious knots.
• Check for resin. Kail often shows sticky resin pockets and dark resinous knots; Diyar far less so.
• Ask for it in writing. Your quotation and invoice should name the wood of each part, so there is no doubt later about what you paid for.

If you are unsure, bring the piece or a photo of an unfinished edge to our showroom on Golra Road and we will tell you honestly what we see.

Diyar, Kail or Sheesham?

• Diyar gives you durable heartwood, a lighter weight and a pleasant scent, at a mid price.
• Kail costs less, but it is not naturally durable and must be treated.
• Sheesham is harder and heavier, and it is the wood we recommend for beds and dining tables. Only Sheesham carries our 50-year guarantee.

See every wood side by side in our wood comparison table.

Price

Diyar sits in the middle of our range: above Kail, below Sheesham, Akhrot and Teak. The quality of the heartwood and the size of clear boards affect the price more than anything else.