Southern Yellow Pine GRN (Green / unseasoned)
Finish state
Pick for heavy timbers, cribbing and rough construction where drying time or cost rules and shrinkage in service is acceptable.
Values for the GRN condition
What is Southern Yellow Pine GRN?
Southern Yellow Pine GRN is Southern Yellow Pine supplied in the GRN condition — pick for heavy timbers, cribbing and rough construction where drying time or cost rules and shrinkage in service is acceptable. Southern Yellow Pine GRN has a tensile strength of 62 MPa (8.99 ksi), stronger than 66% of natural material grades. Elongation at break is 1.6% and the elastic modulus is 10.2 GPa (1.48 Msi). Southern Yellow Pine GRN has a density of 0.88 g/cm³ (0.0318 lb/in³), heavier than 70% of natural material grades.
Advantages
- Conducts heat well — 0.28 W/m·K (0.162 BTU/hr·ft·°F), better than 81% of natural material grades
- Low embodied carbon — 0.3 kg CO₂/kg, better than 79% of natural material grades
- Ductile — tolerates forming and impact — 1.6%, better than 77% of natural material grades
Limitations
- Needs corrosion protection — 15/100, worse than 100% of natural material grades
- Limited service temperature — 60°C (140 °F), worse than 94% of natural material grades
Southern Yellow Pine GRN properties
Typical room-temperature values for Southern Yellow Pine GRN; 14 are specific to this condition. Other listed values are Southern Yellow Pine reference data and may not represent this condition. Bars are the position among natural material grades.
Physical2
Southern Yellow Pine GRN has a density of 0.88 g/cm³ (0.0318 lb/in³), heavier than 70% of natural material grades.
Mechanical9
Southern Yellow Pine GRN has a tensile strength of 62 MPa (8.99 ksi), stronger than 66% of natural material grades. Elongation at break is 1.6% and the elastic modulus is 10.2 GPa (1.48 Msi).
Thermal5
Southern Yellow Pine GRN is rated for continuous service to 60°C (140 °F). It conducts heat at 0.28 W/m·K (0.162 BTU/hr·ft·°F), better than 81% of natural material grades. Thermal expansion is 4 µm/m·K (2.22 µin/in·°F).
Electrical2
Southern Yellow Pine GRN is an electrical insulator with a dielectric strength of 5 kV/mm (127 V/mil) and a resistivity of 1,000 Ω·m.
Chemical & Environmental1
Corrosion resistance is poor (15/100), worse than 100% of natural material grades.
Sustainability4
Producing a kilogram of Southern Yellow Pine GRN takes about 9 MJ of energy and emits 0.3 kg of CO₂ — less than 65% of natural material grades. Typical recycled content is 2%.
Manufacturability2
Southern Yellow Pine GRN's machinability is very good (70/100, worse than 67% of natural material grades).
Values are nominal handbook figures for design screening. Confirm any required mill or lot documentation when quoting.
Working with Southern Yellow Pine GRN
Is Southern Yellow Pine easy to machine?
Cuts easily with carbide-tipped tooling, but resin/pitch gums blades and router bits — use high rake, frequent cleaning, and back-up cuts to avoid tearout at the hard latewood bands.
Can Southern Yellow Pine be welded?
Not weldable; join by nails/screws (excellent withdrawal resistance), bolts with washers, metal plate connectors, or PVA/PUR/RF structural adhesives on freshly machined, dry surfaces.
Can Southern Yellow Pine be formed, bent or molded?
Poor steam-bending species (resin and steep density gradients cause failure); shape by sawing, CNC routing, finger-jointing or laminating into glulam/LVL.
What surface finishes work on Southern Yellow Pine?
Sand to 120–150 grit, seal knots and pitch streaks with shellac/knot sealer before painting; pressure-treated stock must reach ~19 % MC before coating and requires hot-dip galvanized or stainless fasteners.
Southern Yellow Pine chemical composition (wt %)
Limits by weight percent from the governing specification, written the way the spec states them — a single maximum for impurities, a range for alloying elements, and the base element as balance. Nominal is the typical mid-range value.
| Element | Spec limit (wt %) | Nominal |
|---|---|---|
| celluloseoven-dry basis | 40 – 45 | 42 |
| hemicellulosemainly galactoglucomannan/arabinoxylan | 24 – 30 | 27 |
| ligninguaiacyl-type softwood lignin | 26 – 32 | 28 |
| extractives (resin/pitch, fatty & resin high in heartwood and pitch pockets; causes bleed-through | 2 – 7 | 3.5 |
| ash (inorganics) | 0.1 – 0.6 | 0.3 |
| moistureas-supplied MC: green >19 %, KD19 ≤19 %, KD15 ≤15 %, interior EMC ~8–12 % | balance | — |
Southern Yellow Pine GRN — frequently asked
What is Southern Yellow Pine GRN used for?
Southern Yellow Pine GRN is typically used for structural lumber, pressure-treated decking, utility poles, plywood and railway ties. In short: densest structural softwood here; best fastener holding power; takes preservative treatment well.
What is the tensile strength of Southern Yellow Pine GRN?
Southern Yellow Pine GRN has a typical tensile strength of 62 MPa (8.99 ksi) — stronger than 66% of natural material grades.
Is Southern Yellow Pine GRN easy to machine?
Yes — machinability is rated very good (70/100, worse than 67% of natural material grades). Cuts easily with carbide-tipped tooling, but resin/pitch gums blades and router bits — use high rake, frequent cleaning, and back-up cuts to avoid tearout at the hard latewood bands.
Can Southern Yellow Pine GRN be welded?
Not weldable; join by nails/screws (excellent withdrawal resistance), bolts with washers, metal plate connectors, or PVA/PUR/RF structural adhesives on freshly machined, dry surfaces.
What surface finishes work on Southern Yellow Pine GRN?
Sand to 120–150 grit, seal knots and pitch streaks with shellac/knot sealer before painting; pressure-treated stock must reach ~19 % MC before coating and requires hot-dip galvanized or stainless fasteners.
Can Southern Yellow Pine GRN be formed, bent or molded?
Poor steam-bending species (resin and steep density gradients cause failure); shape by sawing, CNC routing, finger-jointing or laminating into glulam/LVL.
What is the maximum service temperature of Southern Yellow Pine GRN?
Southern Yellow Pine GRN is rated for continuous use to about 60°C (140 °F). Strength falls off well before that limit — check the elevated-temperature data for load-bearing parts.
Sources
- Wood Handbook — Wood as an Engineering Material, FPL-GTR-190/282 — USDA Forest Products Laboratory (2021)
- ASTM D245 — Establishing Structural Grades for Visually Graded Lumber — ASTM International (2019)
- ASTM D2555 — Establishing Clear Wood Strength Values — ASTM International (2017)
- Standard Grading Rules for Southern Pine Lumber — Southern Pine Inspection Bureau (SPIB) (2021)
- NDS Supplement — Design Values for Wood Construction — American Wood Council (2018)
- AWPA U1 — Use Category System: User Specification for Treated Wood — American Wood Protection Association (2023)
- ICE Database v3 / CES EduPack eco-property data for sawn softwood — Circular Ecology / Granta (2019)
Property data is compiled from published supplier and standards handbooks and normalised for comparison. Nothing on this page is a certification — request mill certs, CoC or material test reports with your order.