Hickory vs oak
Hickory is harder and heavier than either oak, and it moves more across a flatsawn board too.
- Shagbark hickory is about 38% harder than white oak.
- Shagbark hickory is about 6% heavier than white oak.
- Shagbark hickory has about 9% more movement across a flatsawn board than white oak.
- Shagbark hickory is about 46% harder than northern red oak.
- Shagbark hickory is about 14% heavier than northern red oak.
- Shagbark hickory has about 35% more movement across a flatsawn board than northern red oak.
Each column is the species its page leads with: shagbark hickory for hickory, northern red oak for red oak.
Side by side
| Property | Hickory | White oak | Red oak |
|---|---|---|---|
| Janka hardness, 12% MC | 1,880 lbf | 1,360 lbf | 1,290 lbf |
| Weight, 12% MC | 50.3 lb/ft³ (806 kg/m³) | 47.5 lb/ft³ (762 kg/m³) | 44.1 lb/ft³ (706 kg/m³) |
| Specific gravity, 12% MC | 0.72 | 0.68 | 0.63 |
| Tangential shrinkage | 10.5% | 10.5% | 8.6% |
| Radial shrinkage | 7.0% | 5.6% | 4.0% |
| 12 in flatsawn board, 6% → 12% MC | 0.296 in | 0.271 in | 0.219 in |
| 12 in quartersawn board, 6% → 12% MC | 0.186 in | 0.14 in | 0.099 in |
| Bending strength (MOR), 12% MC | 20,200 psi | 15,200 psi | 14,300 psi |
| Stiffness (MOE), 12% MC | 2.16 million psi | 1.78 million psi | 1.82 million psi |
| Crushing strength, 12% MC | 9,210 psi | 7,440 psi | 6,760 psi |
One source: USDA Forest Products Laboratory, the authority for species properties it measured
Wood Handbook Tables 5-3b, 4-3 and 13-5; weight and movement worked with its Eqs. 4-14 and 13-3. A dash means the Handbook prints no value.
What sets them apart
- Toughness
- The true hickories are exceptionally tough, heavy, hard and strong, which is why high-quality hickory goes into tool handles that take shock. The red oaks are heavy; second-growth red oak is generally harder and tougher than old growth. (Wood Handbook, p. 2-7 and 2-9)
- Shrinkage
- Hickory shrinks considerably in drying; the red oaks have fairly high shrinkage. (Wood Handbook, p. 2-7 and 2-9)
- Grouped values
- Table 13-5 gives one movement row for the true hickories as a group, so the hickory movement figures are the group’s, not shagbark’s alone. (Wood Handbook, p. 13-17)
- Uses
- Hickory goes into tool handles, ladder rungs, athletic goods, dowels and furniture, and into smoking meat. White oak goes into barrels, boats, furniture and flooring; red oak into flooring, furniture and millwork. (Wood Handbook, p. 2-7 and 2-9)
For any other pair, open each species page from the wood hub; every page uses the same layout and the same sources.