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Traditional yakisugi siding is made by charring the surface of Japanese cedar to enhance its durability and aesthetic beauty. Originally used to protect homes from fire, decay, and insects, it’s now a defining material in modern architecture.
Nakamoto Forestry is the world’s largest producer of authentic yakisugi wood products. We sustainably harvest sugi cedar trees from our own forests in Japan and manage the entire process in-house—from planting and milling to flame treatment. The result: charred wood siding that’s beautiful, enduring, and responsibly made.
Browse our wide selection of authentic yakisugi “shou sugi ban” products, get inspired with our portfolio of finished projects around the globe, or learn more about the benefits and sustainability of charred wood below.
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Our Gendai® yakisugi “shou sugi ban” products receive a single brushing to remove some of the delicate soot layer–leaving a smooth, consistent, and dark surface. We apply our silver weathering stain prefinish prior to shipment. This unique product is designed to mimic the look of aged, silver wood, with coloring that will continue to change and patina over time. This combination is only suitable for exterior installations. Available burned on both faces (S4S) for fencing or louver applications.
For premium clear grade and clear vertical grain pricing, please contact Sales
1 x 6 x 12 Shiplap Select
1 x 6 x 12 S3S Square Edge
1 x 6 x 12 S4S Square Edge
1 x 8 x 12 Shiplap
1 x 8 x 12 S3S Square Edge
5/4 x 8 x 12 S3S Square Edge
1 x 6 x 12 Shiplap Premium Clear
5/4 x 2 1/2 x 12 S3S Square Edge
5/4 x 2 1/2 x 12 S4S Square Edge
5/4 x 5 x 12 S3S Square Edge
5/4 x 5 x 12 S4S Square Edge
1 x 2 x 12 S3S Square Edge
SKU | Grade | Profile |
---|---|---|
GA2618 | Select | 1 x 6 x 12 Shiplap Select |
GD2618 | Premium Clear | 1 x 6 x 12 Shiplap Premium Clear |
GB2618 | Select | 1 x 6 x 12 S3S Square Edge |
GC2618 | Select | 1 x 6 x 12 S4S Square Edge |
GE2618 | Select | 1 x 8 x 12 Shiplap |
GF2618 | Select | 1 x 8 x 12 S3S Square Edge |
GG2618 | Clear Vertical Grain | 1 x 2 x 12 S3S Square Edge |
GH2618 | Premium Clear | 5/4 x 2-1/2 x 12 S3S Square Edge |
GI2618 | Premium Clear | 5/4 x 2-1/2 x 12 S4S Square Edge |
GJ2618 | Premium Clear | 5/4 x 5 x 12 S3S Square Edge |
GK2618 | Premium Clear | 5/4 x 5 x 12 S4S Square Edge |
GL2618 | Select | 5/4 x 8 x 12 S3S Square Edge |
Patina Scale: 9
1 x 6 x 12 Shiplap
1 x 6 x 12 S3S & S4S Square Edge
1 x 8 x 12 Shiplap
1 x 8 x 12 S3S Square Edge
1 x 2 x 12 S3S Square Edge
5/4 x 2-1/2 x 12 S3S & S4S Square Edge
5/4 x 5 x 12 S3S & S4S Square Edge
5/4 x 8 x 12 S3S Square Edge
Our silver weathering stain is based on the Cape Cod gray aesthetic. It is designed to be maintenance-free as it develops a bleached coastal patina over time. This coating has two components. The first is a binder-free silver pigment that will wash off within the first year. The second is a mineral that reacts with tannic acid in the wood to develop a natural silver color. Delivered ready to install.
Stained face only *S4S square edge profile is burned and stained on face and back
Silver
Not Available
Coat all field cuts and rips with touch up oil
Installation manual available upon request, please contact us for assistance.
Please add a healthy overage ranging 15–25%, as shipping additional material can be expensive.
Two ring or screw-shank headed face nails or screws per furring strip within 1” of each edge.
Rigid furring maximum 16” on-center.
Vertical or horizontal, all profiles.
For more detailed installation and maintenance guidance, our installation manual is available upon request. Please contact our sales team to get a copy.
Please inquire with our Sales team for current certifications and listings.
PEFC chain of custody certified PEFC/29-44-03
Our Pika-Pika® yakisugi “shou sugi ban” products receive a double brushing to remove all loose soot. This reveals a textured wood surface with striped grain patterns. We then apply a warranted acrylic coating prior to shipment. This combination is suitable for both exterior siding and interior paneling.
For premium clear grade and clear vertical grain pricing, please contact Sales
1 x 6 x 12 Shiplap Select
1 x 6 x 12 S3S Square Edge
1 x 6 x 12 S4S Square Edge
1 x 8 x 12 Shiplap
1 x 8 x 12 S3S Square Edge
1 x 6 x 12 Shiplap + Fire Retardant
1 x 6 x 12 Shiplap Premium Clear
1 x 2 x 12 S3S Square Edge
SKU | Grade | Profile |
---|---|---|
PA2751 | Select | 1 x 6 x 12 Shiplap Select |
PD2751 | Premium Clear | 1 x 6 x 12 Shiplap Premium Clear |
PB2751 | Select | 1 x 6 x 12 S3S Square Edge |
PC2751 | Select | 1 x 6 x 12 S4S Square Edge |
PE2751 | Select | 1 x 8 x 12 Shiplap |
PF2751 | Select | 1 x 8 x 12 S3S Square Edge |
PG2751 | Clear Vertical Grain | 1 x 2 x 12 S3S Square Edge |
YA2751 | Select | 1 x 6 x 12 Shiplap + Fire Retardant |
Patina Scale: 0
1 x 6 x 12 Shiplap
1 x 6 x 12 S3S & S4S Square Edge
1 x 8 x 12 Shiplap
1 x 8 x 12 S3S Square Edge
1 x 2 x 12 S3S Square Edge
Acrylic latex coatings offer the best performance on the market due to their high adhesion, high build, and solid color. This finish is designed to withstand challenging exterior environments and has been tested in the field for over 60 years. It carries a limited manufacturer warranty of 25 years. Delivered ready to install.
Coated on 4 sides
Black
Available Select Grade 1 x 6 x 12 Shiplap only
Coat all field cuts and rips with touch up oil
Installation manual available upon request, please contact us for assistance.
Please add a healthy overage ranging 15–25%, as shipping additional material can be expensive.
Two ring or screw-shank headed face nails or screws per furring strip within 1” of each edge.
Rigid furring maximum 16” on-center.
Tube adhesive and pin nails
Per design specifications
Vertical or horizontal, all profiles.
For more detailed installation and maintenance guidance, our installation manual is available upon request. Please contact our sales team to get a copy.
Please inquire with our Sales team for current certifications and listings.
PEFC chain of custody certified PEFC/29-44-03
Our Gendai® yakisugi “shou sugi ban” products receive a single brushing to remove some of the delicate soot layer–leaving a smooth, consistent, and dark surface. We then apply a warranted acrylic coating prior to shipment. This combination is suitable for both exterior siding and interior paneling. Available burned on both faces (S4S) for fencing or louver applications.
For premium clear grade and clear vertical grain pricing, please contact Sales
1 x 6 x 12 Shiplap Select
1 x 6 x 12 S3S Square Edge
1 x 6 x 12 S4S Square Edge
1 x 8 x 12 Shiplap
1 x 8 x 12 S3S Square Edge
5/4 x 8 x 12 S3S Square Edge
1 x 6 x 12 Shiplap Fire Retardant
1 x 6 x 12 Shiplap Premium Clear
5/4 x 2 1/2 x 12 S3S Square Edge
5/4 x 2 1/2 x 12 S4S Square Edge
5/4 x 5 x 12 S3S Square Edge
5/4 x 5 x 12 S4S Square Edge
1 x 2 x 12 S3S Square Edge
SKU | Grade | Profile |
---|---|---|
GA2751 | Select | 1 x 6 x 12 Shiplap Select |
GD2751 | Premium Clear | 1 x 6 x 12 Shiplap Premium Clear |
GB2751 | Select | 1 x 6 x 12 S3S Square Edge |
GC2751 | Select | 1 x 6 x 12 S4S Square Edge |
GE2751 | Select | 1 x 8 x 12 Shiplap |
GF2751 | Select | 1 x 8 x 12 S3S Square Edge |
GG2751 | Clear Vertical Grain | 1 x 2 x 12 S3S Square Edge |
GH2751 | Premium Clear | 5/4 x 2-1/2 x 12 S3S Square Edge |
GI2751 | Premium Clear | 5/4 x 2-1/2 x 12 S4S Square Edge |
GJ2751 | Premium Clear | 5/4 x 5 x 12 S3S Square Edge |
GK2751 | Premium Clear | 5/4 x 5 x 12 S4S Square Edge |
GL2751 | Select | 5/4 x 8 x 12 S3S Square Edge |
XA2751 | Select | 1 x 6 x 12 Shiplap Fire Retardant |
Patina Scale: 0
1 x 6 x 12 Shiplap
1 x 6 x 12 S3S & S4S Square Edge
1 x 8 x 12 Shiplap
1 x 8 x 12 S3S Square Edge
1 x 2 x 12 S3S Square Edge
5/4 x 2-1/2 x 12 S3S & S4S Square Edge
5/4 x 5 x 12 S3S & S4S Square Edge
5/4 x 8 x 12 S3S Square Edge
Acrylic latex coatings offer the best performance on the market due to their high adhesion, high build, and solid color. This finish is designed to withstand challenging exterior environments and has been tested in the field for over 60 years. It carries a limited manufacturer warranty of 25 years. Delivered ready to install.
Coated on 4 sides
Black
Available Select Grade 1 x 6 x 12 Shiplap only
Coat all field cuts and rips with touch up oil
Installation manual available upon request, please contact us for assistance.
Please add a healthy overage ranging 15–25%, as shipping additional material can be expensive.
Two ring or screw-shank headed face nails or screws per furring strip within 1” of each edge.
Rigid furring maximum 16” on-center.
Tube adhesive and pin nails
Per design specifications
Vertical or horizontal, all profiles.
For more detailed installation and maintenance guidance, our installation manual is available upon request. Please contact our sales team to get a copy.
Please inquire with our Sales team for current certifications and listings.
PEFC chain of custody certified PEFC/29-44-03
Find everything you need to know about our products—from FAQs, to finish coating options, to manuals and technical documentation
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Choose the options you’d like to add to your quote request.
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Yakisugi is a product, not a burning process. The term refers to a specific type of charred wood exterior siding that has been used as a vernacular building material in Western Japan for hundreds of years. In other parts of the world, yakisugi is sometimes called “shou sugi ban” siding.
Traditional yakisugi siding starts with logs of Japanese cedar (known as “sugi” in Japan) that are holistically milled into thin planks. The wood then receives intensive flame-treatment to improve resistance to rot, UV, moisture, fire, insects, and dimensional movement versus untreated wood siding. Yakisugi’s maintenance-optional durability provides exceptional long-term cost performance over its extended natural life cycle.
Yakisugi also offers a timeless beauty that is readily adaptable to projects. It has a quintessential wabi-sabi design aesthetic that can be finished in different ways to achieve a broad range of appearances. Learn more about authentic yakisugi.
The short answer is that there is no difference—they refer to the exact same product. But here’s how we got two competing terms for the same kind of charred Japanese cedar siding. In Japan, the term yakisugi is used exclusively to describe this material, though it is sometimes written as yakisugi-ita.
The alternate name shou sugi ban originates from a Westerner’s misreading of yakisugi-ita, where they apparently mixed Japanese and Chinese pronunciations of the ideograms. The word “yaki” in Japanese (meaning burnt or charred) is pronounced “shou” in Chinese. “Sugi” refers to the conifer Cryptomeria japonica—a type of cedar that’s indigenous to Japan. “Ban” is the Chinese reading of the ideogram for board or plank, pronounced “ita” in Japanese.
While the term shou sugi ban caught on in the West when the material was introduced in the 1990s, the online keyword yakisugi is appearing more frequently in searches, databases, and media. Read more about yakisugi vs shou sugi ban.
Yes. Our 18mm and 30mm yakisugi “shou sugi ban” profiles are suitable for applications requiring thicker board stock. Our standard 9/16” thickness yakisugi siding can be edged and/or back-planed, then glued up as the cabinet or door facing. For specific dimensions and profiles, please refer to the individual product specification sheets.
We also offer unburned sugi and hinoki lumber; these products are optimal for furniture and cabinet applications. Feel free to reach out to our sales team for information on currently available options. Please note that we do not do custom millwork.
No. Due to the high temperature heat treatment process, yakisugi “shou sugi ban” is a thin-plank lumber material used primarily for cosmetic cladding. Our standard charred wood thickness for siding is 9/16”, and our 18mm and 30mm profiles are not thick enough to be used as framing lumber (6/4 or more by code.) Yakisugi is also too soft to use as decking. For framing or decking lumber, it is advised to use a local wood option instead of yakisugi.
No. Yakisugi siding is resistant to wood termites. The charring process reduces cellulose and installation over a screen wall allows the siding to dry out quickly, making it an unattractive target for wood-boring insects. Learn more about yakisugi’s pest resistance.