Pine: The Ubiquitous Species
When most people think of reclaimed lumber, they think of pine. And for good reason — pine in its many species was the primary framing, flooring, siding, and structural timber for the majority of American buildings from the colonial era through the mid-20th century. It was abundant, workable, and strong. As a result, pine is the species most commonly encountered in our salvage operations, and it fills the largest portion of our yard at Norfolk Lumber.
But "reclaimed pine" is not a single category. The term encompasses several distinct species, each with different properties, and the growth conditions of the original trees matter enormously. Understanding these distinctions is essential for choosing the right reclaimed pine for your project.
Types of Reclaimed Pine
Longleaf Pine (Heart Pine)
We have covered heart pine extensively in other articles, but it deserves mention here as the king of reclaimed pine species. Old-growth longleaf pine — dense, resinous, and tight-grained — is a fundamentally different material from any pine you can buy new today. When we talk about "heart pine" at Norfolk Lumber, this is what we mean: the heartwood of old-growth longleaf pine, salvaged from 19th and early 20th-century buildings.
Eastern White Pine
Eastern white pine (Pinus strobus) was the premier building wood of New England and the northern Mid-Atlantic from the colonial era through the 19th century. The original old-growth white pine forests produced trees of staggering size — 150 feet tall with trunk diameters of 3 to 5 feet. The lumber from these trees was light, soft, straight-grained, and available in widths of 20 inches or more.
Reclaimed old-growth white pine is distinctly different from the new white pine you find at the hardware store. Old-growth boards are wider, with tighter grain (12 to 20 rings per inch compared to 4 to 8 for new growth), and the heartwood has aged to a warm honey-amber color that new white pine will never develop. It is softer than heart pine (Janka hardness around 380 lbf) but prized for paneling, wainscoting, wide-plank flooring in low-traffic areas, and furniture.
Shortleaf Pine and Loblolly Pine
In the Mid-Atlantic and Southeast, shortleaf pine (P. echinata) and loblolly pine (P. taeda) were widely used for construction. These species fall between longleaf pine and white pine in hardness and density. Old-growth specimens of both species are significantly denser and harder than modern plantation timber, making reclaimed shortleaf and loblolly far more desirable than their contemporary counterparts.
In reclaimed form, shortleaf and loblolly are often indistinguishable without microscopic analysis. Both produce warm-toned heartwood with moderate resin content and grain densities of 8 to 15 rings per inch in old-growth specimens.
Identifying Reclaimed Pine Species
Accurate species identification is important for pricing, appropriate use, and customer expectations. At Norfolk Lumber, we use these identification methods:
- Density and hardness: True heart pine (longleaf) is noticeably harder and heavier than other pine species. A quick fingernail test tells us a lot — if you cannot dent it with your thumbnail, it is likely longleaf.
- Resin content: Longleaf heart pine has the highest resin content of any domestic pine. The surface often has a waxy, slightly sticky feel, and cut surfaces smell strongly of pine resin.
- Ring count: Old-growth longleaf pine typically shows 20+ growth rings per inch. Other old-growth pines are usually 8 to 15. New-growth plantation pine is 4 to 8.
- Color: Longleaf heartwood is amber to reddish-brown. White pine heartwood is honey to light amber. Shortleaf and loblolly heartwood is tan to medium brown.
Applications by Species
- Heart pine (longleaf): Flooring, structural beams, countertops, stair treads — any application demanding hardness, density, and rich grain.
- White pine: Paneling, wainscoting, wide-plank flooring (low traffic), furniture, cabinet interiors, molding and trim.
- Shortleaf/loblolly: General construction, wall sheathing, utilitarian shelving, and mid-range flooring applications. Often used where the look of pine is desired without the premium price of heart pine.
Pricing Tiers
The price range for reclaimed pine reflects the dramatic quality differences between species and growth conditions. Genuine old-growth heart pine commands $8 to $18 per board foot. Old-growth white pine in wide widths runs $6 to $12 per board foot. Reclaimed shortleaf and loblolly pine are the most affordable, typically $3 to $7 per board foot. These prices reflect species rarity, density, and market demand.
Working with Reclaimed Pine
Heart pine requires carbide tools and a slow feed rate due to its density and resin content. White pine is the opposite — soft, easy to cut, but prone to tearout if planer knives are not sharp. All reclaimed pine should be thoroughly checked for hidden metal before machining. Pine was the most commonly nailed, screwed, and bolted species in American construction, and the chances of encountering embedded fasteners are high.
Stop by our yard to see the full range of reclaimed pine we carry. Handling different species side by side is the best way to understand the dramatic differences in weight, hardness, and character that make species identification so important.