Common Name(s): Virginia Pine, Scrub Pine
Scientific Name: Pinus virginiana Distribution: Eastern United States Tree Size: 50-65 ft (15-20 m) tall, 1-2 ft (.3-.6 m) trunk diameter Average Dried Weight: 32 lbs/ft3 (515 kg/m3) Hardness: 740 lbf (3,290 N) Rupture Strength: 13,000 lbf/in2 (89,660 kPa) Elastic Strength: 1,520,000 lbf/in2 (10,480 MPa) Crushing Strength: 6,710 lbf/in2 (46.3 MPa) Shrinkage: Radial: 4.2%, Tangential: 7.2%, Volumetric: 11.9%, T/R Ratio: 1.7 |
Color/Appearance: Heartwood is reddish brown, wide sapwood is yellowish white.
Grain/Pore: Straight grained with a medium texture.
Endgrain: Large resin canals, numerous and evenly distributed, mostly solitary; earlywood to latewood transition abrupt, color contrast relatively high; tracheid diameter medium-large.
Durability: The heartwood is rated as moderate to low in decay resistance.
Workability: Overall, Virginia Pine works fairly well with most tools, though the resin can gum up tools and clog sandpaper. Virginia Pine glues and finishes well.
Scent: Has a distinct smell that is shared among most species in the Pinus genus.
Safety: Working with pine has been reported to cause allergic skin reactions and/or asthma in some people. See the articles Wood Allergies and Toxicity and Wood Dust Safety for more information.
Price/Availability: Virginia Pine is sold and mixed interchangeably with other species as Southern Yellow Pine, which is widely available as a construction lumber for a modest price.
Comments: Virginia Pine is technically considered to be in the group of southern yellow pines, though it is a very minor species.
Southern Yellow Pine is used for heavy construction, such as: bridges, beams, poles, railroad ties, etc. It’s also used for making plywood, wood pulp, and veneers.
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- Limber Pine (Pinus flexilis)
- Loblolly Pine (Pinus taeda)
- Lodgepole Pine (Pinus contorta)
- Longleaf Pine (Pinus palustris)
- Maritime Pine (Pinus pinaster)
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- Patula Pine (Pinus patula)
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- Pond Pine (Pinus serotina)
- Ponderosa Pine (Pinus ponderosa)
- Radiata Pine (Pinus radiata)
- Red Pine (Pinus resinosa)
- Sand Pine (Pinus clausa)
- Scots Pine (Pinus sylvestris)
- Shortleaf Pine (Pinus echinata)
- Slash Pine (Pinus elliottii)
- Spruce Pine (Pinus glabra)
- Sugar Pine (Pinus lambertiana)
- Sumatran Pine (Pinus merkusii)
- Table Mountain Pine (Pinus pungens)
- Western White Pine (Pinus monticola)