Appearance
COLOR: Pecan heartwood is reddish brown with dark brown stripes; sapwood is white or creamy white with pinkish tones. Hickory heartwood is tan or reddish; sapwood is white to cream, with fine brown lines.
GRAIN: Pecan is open, occasionally wavy or irregular. Hickory is closed, with moderate definition; somewhat rough-textured.
VARIATIONS WITHIN SPECIES AND GRADES: In both hickory and pecan, there are often pronounced differentiations in color between spring wood and summer wood. In pecan, sapwood is usually graded higher than darker heartwood. Pecan and hickory are traditionally mixed by flooring mills.
Properties
HARDNESS (JANKA): 1820 (41% harder than Northern red oak). Pecan is slightly softer than true hickories.

DIMENSIONAL STABILITY: Average (8.9; 3% less stable than Northern red oak).
Origin: North America.