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. This species of wood is closed, with moderate definition; somewhat rough-textured.
Variations within species and grades: In both hickory and pecan, there are often pronounced differentiation's 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: Pecan, average (change coefficient .00315; 15% more stable than red oak). Hickory, below average (change coefficient .00411; 11% less stable than red oak).
Durability: Combination of strength, hardness, toughness and stiffness found in no other commercial wood; exceedingly high in shock resistance.