- Hickory is a semi-ring-porous hardwood. This means that it transitions from large cells to small ones gradually, unlike ring-porous species, including oak and chestnut, which have a sharp transition. Diffuse-porous hardwoods, such as maple and poplar, have no large cells and produce even wood with indistinct rings. Semi-ring-porous woods have less visible rings than ring-porous species, but the rings are still easy to distinguish. This group also includes black walnut and butternut.
- Hickory trees and pecan trees sold as hickory produce pale, wide sapwood that is clearly demarcated from the hardwood. In some species, the sapwood may be pale brown while in others it is almost white. This wood is sometimes sold separately as "white hickory." The heartwood is pale brown to reddish brown and is often sold as red hickory. Unlike the case with many other lumber species, hickory sapwood is considered more valuable than the heartwood. Some hickory contains deposits of magnesium carbonate, a crystalline material.
- This wood is dense and heavy, rating around 1820 on the Janka hardness scale and weighing between 50 and 95 pounds per cubic foot. Hickory is harder and denser than most other North American woods, including oak, maple, chestnut and black walnut. Its average specific gravity is 0.72, according to the University of Tennessee. Both heartwood and sapwood tend to resist preservative treatments.
- Woodworkers may identify unmarked hickory lumber by its behavior when worked. This material blunts cutting tools readily, requiring very sharp saws or carbide-tipped tools. Hickory turns and bores well. It also holds a mortise effectively, making it a good choice for joinery. This lumber sands and polishes readily, producing smooth, clean surfaces. It works well with and without a finish and steam bends well but is much more difficult to work with hand tools than similar species, including black walnut.
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