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Clicking any heading in the main data area (at right) will scroll the page back to this top position. Use the following links to jump to the associated section in the main data. Blunting Effect Boring Carving Comments Common Names Common Uses Countries of Distribution Cutting Resistance Distribution Overview Drying Defects Ease of Drying Environmental Profile Family Name Gluing Grain Heartwood Color Kiln Drying Rate Kiln Schedules Luster Mortising Moulding Movement in Service Nailing Natural Durability Numerical Data Odor Painting Planing Polishing Product Sources References Regions of Distribution Resistance to Impregnation Response to Hand Tools Routing & Recessing Sanding Sapwood Color Scientific Name Screwing Staining Steam Bending Strength Properties Texture Trade Name Tree Size Turning Varnishing Scientific Name Carya illinoensis Trade Name Pecan Family Name Juglandaceae Common Names Bitter pecan, Hickory, Nogal morado, Nuez encarcelada, Pecan, Pecan hickory, Sweet pecan Regions of Distribution Central America, North America Countries of Distribution  [VIEW MAP] Mexico, United States Common Uses Building materials, Chairs, Chests, Concealed parts (Furniture), Decorative veneer, Desks, Dining-room furniture, Domestic flooring, Dowell pins, Dowells, Drawer sides, Figured veneer, Fine furniture, Floor lamps, Flooring, Fuelwood, Furniture , Furniture components, Furniture squares or stock, Handles, Hatracks, Interior construction, Interior trim, Kitchen cabinets, Ladders , Living-room suites, Millwork, Office furniture, Paneling , Parquet flooring, Poles, Radio - stereo - TV cabinets, Rustic furniture, Shafts/Handles, Stools, Sub-flooring, Tool handles, Turnery, Vehicle parts, Wheelwright work Environmental Profile Widespread May be rare in some parts of its range Globally secure Generally secure within most of its natural habitat, but note exceptions. Data source is Nature Conservancy Abundant Species may be rare in some areas at the periphery of its range Distribution Overview The indigenous distribution of Carya illinoensis is in southeastern USA including  the lower and middle Mississippi Valley and through to eastern Mexico. It thrives in open woodlands on river flood plains that are well drained. Trees can live for hundreds of years and reach 50 m in height with a trunk diameter of 2 metres. Pecans were harvested by Indian tribes well before the arrival of European settlers in the 1500's. They were introduced to Spain in the 1600's and are now grown in all temperate regions of the world although the USA remains the main producer. Pecan grows principally in the bottomlands of the Mississippi River valley. Its range extends westard from southern Indiana through Illinois, southeastern Iowa, and eastern Kansas, south to central Texas, and eastward to western Mississippi and western Tennessee. Pecan occurs locally in southwestern Ohio, Kentucky, Alabama, and central Mexico. Its best commercial development is on river-front lands of the Mississippi Delta and along major rivers west of the Delta to Texas. Pecan is cultivated in Hawaii Heartwood Color Yellow Brown Orange Red Green/grey Pink Grey Reddish brown May contain streaks of slightly darker hue Sapwood Color Brown Yellow White Pale brown Grain Even Closed Figure Straight Irregular Wavy Occasionally wavy Irregular grain occasionally Generally straight, but not always Texture Medium Coarse Coarse Luster Low Natural Durability Durable Very durable Resistant to marine borers Resistant to termites Susceptible to insect attack Moderately durable Non-resistant to marine borers Resistant to powder post beetles Vulnerable to attack by hickory bark beetle Susceptible to attack by insects Susceptible to attack by fungi Succombs easily to frost damage Odor No specific smell or taste Kiln Schedules T8 - D3 (4/4); T6 - D1 (8/4) US Drying Defects Distortion Checking Case Hardening Splitting Slight surface checking Slight end splitting Poor air circulation while slow drying may cause chemical sapwood stains Ease of Drying Moderately Difficult to Difficult Fairly Easy Slowly Thick Stock Requires Care Fairly high risk of shrinkage Easy Dries easily and rapidly Kiln Drying Rate Naturally dries slowly Tree Size Tree height is 40-50 m Tree height is 30-40 m Trunk diameter is 200-250 cm Trunk diameter is 150-200 cm Trunk diameter is 100-150 cm Tree height is 50-60 m Bole length is 20-30 m Pecan occurs in the wild and is cultivated. State tree of Texas. Largest of the hickories. Can live up to 350 years Product Sources Pecan is available at a moderate price on the U.S. market in the form of lumber, veneers and plywood. Comments 'bird pecks' leave residue Deposits in the wood Mineral Deposits - Magnesium carbonate deposits are often present and 'Bird pecks' leave residue that crystallizes Blunting Effect Severe effect Medium effect Boring Fair to good results Fairly difficult to very difficult Good (75+ pieces out of 100 will yield good to excellent results) Carving Fair to Good Results Fairly Difficult to Very Difficult Cutting Resistance Easy to saw Moderate to saw Fairly Difficult to Very Difficult to saw Difficult to saw Gluing Fairly Difficult to Very Difficult Carefully Controlled Conditions Satisfactory gluing properties Mortising Fair to Good Results Fairly Difficult to Very Difficult Excellent mortising properties Moulding Fair to Good Results Fairly Difficult to Very Difficult Requires special attention. For wood with irregular grain a 20 degree reduction in cutting angle is recommended Movement in Service Not prone to move High Nailing Fair to Good Results Fairly Difficult to Very Difficult Fairly Easy to Very Easy Poor nailing properties Planing Fair to Good Results Fairly Difficult to Very Difficult Special attention required Good planing properties Careful machining required Material with irregular grain requires a reduced cutting angle of 20 degrees Resistance to Impregnation Resistant sapwood Resistant heartwood Wood is moderately resistant to treatment Response to Hand Tools Easy to Work Fairly Difficult to Difficult to Work Routing & Recessing Fair to Good Results Fairly Difficult to Very Difficult Sanding Extra care required for smooth surface Screwing Fairly Difficult to Very Difficult Fair to Good Results Easy to screw Turning Fair to Good Results Fairly Difficult to Very Difficult Easy to turn Steam Bending Good Painting Fairly Difficult to Very Difficult Polishing Fair to Good Results Smooth polished surface Finishes well Staining Fairly Difficult to Very Difficult Stains well Varnishing Fairly Difficult to Very Difficult Strength Properties Resists denting and marring Max. crushing strength = high Heavy Compression strength (parallel to grain) = high Bending strength (MOR) = high Pecans can be differentiated from true Hickories by weight, and by the narrow bands of parenchyma, which appear between the rays and between the large earlywood pores. (In hickories the band occurs after the first row of earlywood pores). Strength properties of C. illinoensis are similar to those of other hickories. Bending strength in the air-dry condition (about 12 percent moisture content) is high, and maximum crushing strength, or compression strength parallel to grain, is also high. It is hard - harder than Teak, and does not marr or dent easily. The wood is very heavy. Numerical Data Item Green Dry English Bending Strength 9604 13426 psi Crushing Strength 764 1686 psi Hardness 1784 lbs Impact Strength 52 43 inches Maximum Crushing Strength 3910 7693 psi Shearing Strength 2038 psi Stiffness 1343 1695 1000 psi Work to Maximum Load 14 15 inch-lbs/in3 Specific Gravity 0.56 0.62 Weight 45 37. lbs/ft3 Item Green Dry Metric Bending Strength 675 943 kg/cm2 Crushing Strength 53 118 kg/cm2 Hardness 809 kg Impact Strength 131 109 cm Maximum Crushing Strength 274 540 kg/cm2 Shearing Strength 143 kg/cm2 Stiffness 94 119 1000 kg/cm2 Work to Maximum Load 0.98 1.05 cm-kg/cm3 Specific Gravity 0.56 0.62 References Boone, R. S., C. J. Kozlik, P. J. Bois, and E. M. Wengert. 1988. Dry Kiln Schedules for Commercial Woods: Temperate and Tropical. USDA, Forest Service, General Technical Report FPL-GTR-57, Forest Products Laboratory, Madison, Wisconsin. California Department of Forestry. Comparative Physical & Mechanical Properties of Western & Eastern Hardwoods. Prepared by Forest Products Laboratory, University of California at Berkeley, Berkeley, California. n/d. Jackson, A. and D. Day. 1991. Good Wood Handbook - The Woodworker's Guide to Identifying, Selecting and Using the Right Wood. Betterway Publications, Cincinnati, Ohio. Kaiser, J. Wood of the Month: Hickory. Wood and Wood Products, September, 1990. Page 46. Kline, M. 1981. Carya illinoensis - Pecan. In A Guide to Useful Woods of the World. Flynn Jr., J.H., Editor. King Philip Publishing Co., Portland, Maine. 1994. Page 86. Lincoln, W. A. 1986. World Woods in Color. Linden Publishing Company, Inc., Fresno, California. Little, E.L. 1980. The Audubon Society Field Guide to North American Trees - Eastern Region. Published by Arthur A. Knopf, New York. Panshin, A. J. and C. deZeeuw. Textbook of Wood Technology. McGraw-Hill Series in Forest Resources. McGraw-Hill Book Company, New York. USDA. 1987. Wood Handbook: Wood as an Engineering Material. Agriculture Handbook No. 72. United States Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Madison, Wisconsin.