Shop Hickory

For premium projects in the Seattle-Port Townsend-Tacoma area, Edensaw Woods (Edensaw.com) is your trusted local marine and cabinet grade plywood supplier. We proudly serve the nearby Pacific Northwest region. Our expansive selection of wood panels and plywood is ideal for fine woodworking, construction, and boat-building. You can find essential materials like durable fir plywood and high-grade hickory plywood, along with an array of stunning veneer faces: ash, beech, cherry, maple, and Tennessee cedar. To save time on finishing, we also stock prefinished options, such as birch (prefin).

View our complete line of products and specialized services to find exactly what your next project requires. For material consultation or stock checks, please contact us directly. You can also share details about your finished work with us at Tell us about your completed project!

Hickory is among the hardest and strongest woods native to the United States. It is prized for its high density and excellent shock resistance, making it a great choice for durable applications like flooring, tool handles, and cabinetry.

• Janka Rating: Hickory has an average Janka hardness rating of 1,820 lbf (pounds-force). This places it significantly higher than woods like red oak (1,290 lbf) and hard maple (1,450 lbf), making it exceptionally resistant to dents and wear, which is ideal for high-traffic flooring and rugged furniture.
  
  
• Color/Appearance: The heartwood tends to be light to medium brown with a reddish hue, while the sapwood is a paler yellowish-brown or cream color. Boards with a sharp contrast between the dark heartwood and light sapwood create a distinct, dramatic look often marketed as "calico hickory." This bold color variation should be factored in when choosing stains, as it can affect color uniformity.
  
  
• Grain/Texture: The grain is typically straight, though it can occasionally be wavy, adding a unique figure to the veneer face. It has a medium-to-coarse texture and a classic ring-porous structure, giving the surface a natural, distinct look that accepts deep, rich stains well.
  
  
• Rot Resistance: Hickory is considered non-durable to perishable regarding heartwood decay, and it is also very susceptible to insect attack. It is unsuitable for outdoor applications unless chemical preservative treatments are applied. For exterior marine or decking projects, we recommend naturally durable species or pressure-treated lumber.
  
  
• Workability: Hickory is generally difficult to work with due to its extreme hardness and density. Tearout is common during machining operations, especially on pieces with irregular grain, if cutting edges are not kept sharp. It has a moderate blunting effect on tools. It glues, stains, and finishes well but requires powerful machinery and pre-drilling for screws and nails to prevent splitting.
  
  
• Odor: Hickory wood has no characteristic odor when being worked, which is ideal for indoor applications like kitchen cabinetry where odors could be undesirable.
  
  
• Sustainability: This wood species is generally not listed in the CITES Appendices or on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. It is a common, domestically harvested hardwood with good availability across its range, making it an excellent North American-sourced material.
  
  
• Common Uses: Due to its superior strength, high density, and shock resistance, common uses include tool handles (e.g., axes, hammers), ladder rungs, sporting goods, high-traffic flooring, cabinetry, and rugged furniture. Its density also makes it a popular wood for smoking meats.
  
  

Hickory Wood FAQs for Buyers:

• What kind of wood is hickory? Hickory is a true American hardwood belonging to the Carya genus, which includes various species like Shagbark, Pecan, and Pignut. It is classified as one of the hardest and strongest commercially available native woods in the United States.
  
  
• What is hickory wood good for? Hickory is excellent for applications requiring high durability and impact resistance. It is primarily used for functional items like striking tool handles and athletic equipment. In home interiors, its aesthetic is valued in rustic or country-style cabinetry and flooring, where its striking grain and exceptional durability ensure a long lifespan in high-traffic areas.
  
  
• Why is hickory so expensive? The cost of hickory is influenced by its extreme density and hardness, which increases the milling time and causes more wear on industrial machinery. Furthermore, the natural tendency for color variation means achieving a highly uniform "prime" grade often requires more selective processing, contributing to the overall cost of premium, color-matched cuts or veneers.
  
  
• Is hickory high quality wood? Yes, hickory is considered a high-quality wood, particularly when strength, hardness, and durability are the key criteria. Its high density translates to excellent resistance to dents, wear, and shock. When used in plywood veneer, it offers this durability combined with the stability of a panel product, making it a reliable choice for long-lasting, robust projects.
  
  

For a full-service local domestic and imported lumber and wood supplier in Port Townsend-Tacoma, Washington, trust Edensaw Woods (Edensaw.com). Serving the entire Pacific Northwest region, including Seattle, we stock far more than just panels " - " we also offer rough sawn and surfaced lumber, wood veneer, hardwood flooring, and live edge wood. Our deep inventory of wood panels and plywood includes durable fir, high-grade hickory, shop plywood, and assorted plywood and panels. Choose from a variety of veneers like birch, poplar, Tennessee cedar, and prefinished cherry (prefin) - all essential components for specialty projects. We invite you to explore all of our available products and services and share your success with us: tell us about your completed project!