Looking for good lumber as the framework for your next wood project can be challenging. While many wood species are available today, hickory lumber may be the perfect timber for your project.
Hickory is a popular option among woodworkers for very good reasons. If you want to know all its characteristics, prices, and more, here’s a handy guide from our wood experts!
Hickory Wood Characteristics at a Glance
- Origin: North America
- Common Name: Red Hickory, White Hickory, Mockernut Hickory, Pignut Hickory
- Scientific Name: Carya glabra
- Other Trade Names: Kingnut, Shellback Hickory, Big shagbark Hickory
- Gravity Specifics: 0.78
- Dried Weight (Average): 50 lbs/ft3 (800 kg/m3)
- Weight per BF (Average): 5760
- Color: Sapwood is colored white to paler yellowish brown whereas the heartwood is colored medium brown
- Availability: Common
- Tree Size: Between 60 and 180 feet (20-30 m)
- Width & Length (Average): 4-10” X 6’-12’
- Color: Brown or reddish brown
- Grades: #1COM or better
- Janka Hardness/Density: 1820 lbf (8,360 N)
- Rupture Modulus: 9,100 - 20,200 (63.5 MPa)
- Elastic Modulus: 14.90 GPa
- Crushing Strength: 9,210 psi
- Shrinkage: 7% radial and 10.5% tangential
- Average Waste Factor: 25%
- Common Uses: Used as hardwood flooring and types of furniture; tool handles in sporting goods such as bats, tool handles, and laminates for tennis racquets; plywood faces and veneers; commercial and home project in general
What is Hickory?
This wood is acquired from the hickory tree–commonly found thriving in temperate rainforests. This lumber is popular among craftsmen for its unique characteristics.
The combination of strength and straight grain makes it a good choice among different types of lumber. It’s also popular due to its thick, dense, and resistance to shock. This wood can be used in several products and projects, whether it involves applying stains in wet conditions.
Appearance: Color and Odor
Generally, its colors range from reddish hue to reddish brown to white. But its sapwood has a darker color.
Its sapwood, indigent to the temperate region, results to clear aging rings found in its trunk. There is no odor from this type of wood.
Wood Texture and Grain Pattern
Hickory is a straight-grain wood, commonly linear and occasionally wavy, with a certain texture. Furthermore, hickory trees have growth rings that have pores in the earlywood and latewood portions found on each ring.
Endgrain
The ring is porous with large pores found in the earlywood in an intermittent row. The wood is also characterized to have medium to small pores found in the latewood pores, with solitary and radial pores in multiples of 2-3. In fact, tyloses are common in this wood.
This specie has parenchyma reticulate bands absent from the earlywood row for the true hickory group. However, these bands are present in the pecan hickory group.
Workability and Mechanical Properties
Durability and Rot-Resistance
This lumber is known to be non-durable to perishable with regard to heartwood decay and is also highly susceptible to insect attack.
Wood Toxicity
There are no health risks and reactions associated with Hickory timber other than the risks associated with its dust.
Sustainability
This specie is not listed under the CITES Appendices or the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species.
Related Tree Varieties and Species
Related tree varieties and species include the following:
- Bitternut Hickory (Carya cordiformis)
- Mockernut Hickory (Carya tomentosa)
- Nutmeg Hickory (Carya myristiciformis)
- Pecan (Carya illinoinensis)
- Pignut Hickory (Carya glabra)
- Shellback Hickory (Carya laciniosa)
- Water Hickory (Carya aquatica)
- Shagbark Hickory (Carya Ovata)
Uses & Seasonings
It is commonly used in different projects for commercial and home use. Wood from Hickory trees is used in wheel spokes, flooring, tennis racquets, and ladder rungs.
Hickory Pricing
You can easily gain access to hickory in the market. If you have permission to purchase Shagbark hickory, you can easily order it online and get it in the mail. Some wood can be on sale, so it is best to look for it. Take a look at the top places to buy lumber in this article!
Wood type | Thickness | Figure Type | Grade | Grain Orientation | Length range | Width range | Estimated price per BF |
4×4 | 13/16” | Natural Hickory | #1COM or better | Straight grain | 12’-16’ | 4” to 10” | 5.99 USD |
Images of Genuine Hickory
Here are some photographs to help you distinguish genuine Hickory visually.
FAQ
Why hickory wood is popular?
Hickory wood is popular among craftsmen due to its unique combination of strength and rustic aesthetic. Also, hickory wood’s tight grain structure allows it to take on stains and finishes exceptionally well, providing versatility in achieving desired aesthetics.
Is hickory timber more durable than maple?
Hickory timber is more durable than maple due to its higher Janka hardness rating of 1820 over the latter’s 1420.
Conclusion
Trees are a wonderful resource, especially when you’re in the business of making wood-related projects. If you’re looking for a hardwood that can be sanded for a good finish, then hickory lumber might be suitable for your next construction task!
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