Appearance
COLOR: Heartwood varies from light yellow/orange to reddish brown or yellowish brown; sapwood is light tan to yellowish white.
GRAIN: Closed, with high figuring; patterns range from clear to knotty.
VARIATIONS WITHIN SPECIES AND GRADES: Longleaf pine (P. palustris), shortleaf pine (P. echinata), loblolly pine (P. taeda), slash pine (P. elliottii). All have many of the same characteristics as Douglas fir. Old-growth lumber in these varieties has substantially higher density and is more stable than second-growth material.
Properties
HARDNESS (JANKA): Loblolly and shortleaf 690, (47% softer than Northern red oak); longleaf 870 (33% softer than Northern red oak).
DIMENSIONAL STABILITY: Above average (7.5; 13% more stable than Northern red oak).
Origin: North America.