Hickory grows mostly in the central and southern U.S.

The sapwood of hickory is white, tinged with brown while the heartwood is pale to reddish brown. Both are coarse textured and the grain is usually straight but can be wavy or irregular.

Hickory is used in furniture, cabinetry, flooring, wooden ladders, dowels and sporting goods. Hickory wood is very hard, stiff, dense and shock resistant. The combination of strength, toughness, hardness, and stiffness found in hickory wood is not found in any other commercial wood. The grain is normally straight, with a great deal of color variation between reddish brown, lighter brown, and white.