Common names:pecan hickory, faux hickory, Illinois nut
Short Description:The pecan tree can grow from 100 to 130 ft tall with a 2 to 4 ft trunk diameter. It has a straight grain, occasional wave, and medium texture. Pecan wood has a low natural luster.
Country of Origin:USA and Mexico
Color:light to medium brown heartwood accompanied by a reddish hue; pale yellowish brown sapwood
Janka Scale Hardness: 1820 lb f (8100 N)
Dried Average Weight:46 lbs/ft 3 (735 kg/m 3 )
Common Uses:furniture making, flooring, wheel spokes, tool handles, ladder rungs, veneer
What Is Pecan Wood?
Pecan (Carya illinoinensis) is a species of hickory, but it isn’t as strong as others. However, it is still considered a hard and strong wood among all trees native to the United States, with a Janka hardness rating of 1820.
Live edge pecan is prone to heart decay and insect attack. But it is an excellent shock absorber and is useful for things that require strength. Pecan wood is also notable for its high thermal energy content and makes good fuelwood.
Where Does Pecan Come From?
Pecan trees are native to northern Mexico and the southern United States. Mexico produces nearly half of the world’s supply of pecan. In America, major producers are Texas, New Mexico, and Georgia. The tree is mainly cultivated for its seeds rather than its wood.
How to Distinguish Pecan From True Hickory?
Identifying between pecan and true hickory is a challenge. Some experts may even have a hard time telling them apart. The best way to recognize the hickory wood from each other is to check their parenchyma bands. Pecan has parenchyma bands located in the earlywood and latewood areas. Meanwhile, true hickories don’t have bands in the earlywood section.
Is Pecan a Good Option for Outdoor Furniture?
No, it is not. Pecans deteriorate quickly when placed outside. The sun’s UV rays, oxygen, and humidity levels, as well as ever-changing weather conditions, will only result in heartwood decay and insect attacks.
How to Buy Pecan Slabs
Since pecan is a species of hickory, you can find them mixed with other hickory species most of the time. Most stores also label pecan slabs as hickory instead of pecan. If you want to purchase live edge pecan specifically, tell the salesperson what you are looking for. It also helps to distinguish pecan wood from other types of hickories before buying.
FAQs
Is pecan hardwood or softwood?
Pecan is a hardwood. Unfortunately, many people do not consider it a true hardwood, given its low density. However, the term hardwood refers to trees that shed leaves during fall. Because pecan does not retain its leaves all year round, it is hardwood.
Is pecan easy to work on?
Yes, pecan is difficult to work on. It tears out during machine operations, especially when the blades are not sharp enough. Cutting live-edge pecan may also lead to quick blade dulling. However, the wood does respond well to glues, stains, and finishes. It is also fairly easy to use in steam bending.
How expensive is pecan?
Prices of wood pecan are in the low to mid-range, depending on where you purchase it. Its pricing is almost the same as soft maple and red oak
Where to Buy Pecan
Pecan is normally sold together with other hickory wood. Getting true pecan slabs requires experts who can correctly identify them from other hickory species. That said, you are better off purchasing live edge pecan from specialty dealers such as Alderfer Lumber Company Inc.
We have a stockpile of specialty and exotic natural edge wood slabs for any woodworking project. If you can’t find what you are looking for, call us so we can sort our wood inventory for you.
FAQs
As a flooring option, pecan is one of the harder options out there. It is a little over a third harder than white oak, over twenty-five percent harder than hard maple, only forty points softer than purpleheart's ranking of 1860, and is just under eighty-three percent as hard as santos mahogany's ranking of 2200.
Does pecan wood make good lumber? ›
Common Uses: Tool handles, ladder rungs, wheel spokes, and flooring. Comments: Pecan has slightly lower strength values than some of the other species of Hickory, but it is still among the hardest and strongest of woods native to the United States.
What is the difference between hickory and pecan wood? ›
True Hickories and Pecan Hickory trees are virtually the same with the only real difference between the two being that the Pecan Hickories are fruit-bearing trees, which produce the popular Pecan nut.
What does raw pecan wood look like? ›
Pecan has a wide, cream-colored sapwood with light brown to pinkish hues in the heartwood. We evicted all the existing tenants when we kiln dried the wood so you can enjoy their spalting and worm holes without having unwelcome guests at the table.
What's the hardest wood in North America? ›
What is the hardest wood in North America? Of locally available woods, Black Ironwood is typically the strongest type of wood you can find in America. It's found in Florida and has a 3,660 lbf (16,280 N) Janka rating. Other strong North American woods include species of hickory, maples, oaks, walnuts, and beeches.
How long does it take pecan wood to cure? ›
In order to dry the lumber completely, I complete the drying process by bring the boards into my shop for a few weeks. In order to be certain that the lumber is completely dry, I check the moisture content with a moisture meter. Only when the meter reads somewhere between 6-8% is the lumber dry enough for indoor use.
What is pecan wood best for? ›
This wood is great for long barbecues, as it burns slowly, and gives meats a delicate flavor. Also a wonderful smoking wood, but pecan tends to be pungent and is best used in moderation.
What is another name for pecan wood? ›
There are eight different species of hickory. Four species are known as “true hickory”, and four are known as “pecan hickory.” True hickory species are shellbark, pignut, mockernut, and shagbark. The pecan hickory species are pecan, bitternut, nutmeg hickory, and water hickory.
What are the best uses for pecan wood? ›
Pecan wood is a type of hickory wood that is known for its rich, buttery, edible nuts. Pecan wood is a hardwood that is great for building furniture but is also chopped into chunks and chips for smoking meat. The flavor of pecan wood is stronger than other fruit woods, but mild flavor than hickory and mesquite.
Can you mix hickory and pecan? ›
On the other hand, if you wanted to smoke a delicious Memphis-style rack of ribs, the ideal type of wood for smoking would be hickory, pecan, or a mixture of both to draw out the rich pork flavor.
Pecan – Pecan is another all-around good performer for heating with similar burning characteristics as oak but with the advantage of pleasantly aromatic smoke that is great for smoking meat poultry and fish.
Can you smoke with fresh cut pecan wood? ›
Pecan is also quite good when it is used to smoke cuts of beef or any sort game meat. This is because pecan trees are a very hardy crop that can tolerate a broad range of climates. if you want to smoke chicken or a nice carp, stick to subtler woods like fruit or nut trees.
Are pecan trees worth money? ›
Seedling trees can be purchased for as little as $8-10, depending on size and quantity. Improved varieties (budded trees) range in price from $10-25, depending on size and quantity. Cost to culture trees for each year of reestablishment.
Is pecan wood hard to work with? ›
Yes, pecan is difficult to work on. It tears out during machine operations, especially when the blades are not sharp enough. Cutting live-edge pecan may also lead to quick blade dulling. However, the wood does respond well to glues, stains, and finishes.
Is pecan better than oak for firewood? ›
Pecan – Pecan is another all-around good performer for heating with similar burning characteristics as oak but with the advantage of pleasantly aromatic smoke that is great for smoking meat poultry and fish.
Which wood is harder than oak? ›
As you can see in the accompanying graph, rock maple is the hardest of these four hardwoods - about 15% harder than red oak, which ranks second. Black walnut ranks third in hardness - about 20% below red oak. Cherry is another 5% or so softer than walnut.
Is pecan considered a hard wood? ›
Pecan is a hardwood. Unfortunately, many people do not consider it a true hardwood, given its low density. However, the term hardwood refers to trees that shed leaves during fall. Because pecan does not retain its leaves all year round, it is hardwood.
