Wood species
Calico Hickory
Calico / mixed hickory · Carya spp.
Calico hickory keeps cream sapwood and tan heartwood together on the face. People buy it when they want hickory toughness without a factory-uniform look on furniture or floors.
Key facts
- Janka hardness
- HardHickory-class hardness — strong dent resistance
- Stability
- AverageMoves like other dense ring-porous domestics; dry stock matters
- Grain type
- ContrastingSapwood cream against tan heart — the calico look
- Rot resistance
- Indoor defaultSold for furniture and flooring; finish for use
- Sustainability
- DomesticNorth American hickory supply
- Workability
- DemandingHard on edges; clean finished surface with sharp tools
About this wood
It’s dense and hard, so sharp tooling and patience at the planer are part of the job. Sap-to-heart balance varies board to board.
What we carry
- Calico hickory with sapwood/heartwood contrast for character furniture
Thickness is sold in quarters (4/4, 6/4, and so on) — see our hardwood thickness guide. Grades: NHLA grades.