Wood Species Guide
Red Pine
Pinus resinosa
Also called: Norway Pine, Canadian Red Pine, Hard Pine; often sold in SPF lumber
About the name “Red Pine”
Red pine is often called Norway pine, especially in Minnesota and the Great Lakes, but it is a native North American tree. It is not Norway spruce, and it is not Scots pine, which is sometimes sold in Europe as red pine or redwood.
What Red Pine looks like
Heartwood is a light reddish brown and the sapwood is pale yellow. The bark is reddish, which gives the tree its name more than the wood does.
Grain and texture
Straight grain with a medium texture and fairly distinct growth rings, a bit harder in the latewood than the white pines.
Working Red Pine: planing, cutting and gluing
Works easily with hand and machine tools. It is a little harder and more resinous than white pine, so blades and sandpaper can gum up. It glues and holds fasteners well.
Finishing Red Pine: oil, film finishes and epoxy
Stain can blotch, so use a conditioner or gel stain. Seal knots and pitchy spots with dewaxed shellac before a film finish. For epoxy, make sure the wood is fully kiln dried, then seal coat to keep resin and trapped air from causing bubbles.
Durability, stability and Florida humidity
Heartwood is moderately to slightly durable, and the sapwood rots quickly. It takes preservatives well, which is why it is used for poles and treated posts. In Florida, untreated red pine belongs indoors.
Shop notes from our Fort Myers shop
Red pine shows up mostly as construction lumber, log homes, utility poles and treated posts. It makes sturdy, low-cost shop furniture and painted pieces. If you want a clear-finish pine table, a white pine or heart pine will usually look better. We don't stock it, but ask us and we can often source it.
Common uses for Red Pine
Construction lumber, log homes, utility poles, posts, railroad ties, pallets and pulpwood.
Sustainability and CITES status
Not listed in the CITES Appendices. Listed as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List.
Safety and toxicity
- Skin irritation
- Respiratory / asthma
- Sensitizer (allergy builds with exposure)
Pine dust and resin can irritate skin and airways. The resin is a known contact allergen, so people who handle a lot of pitchy pine can become sensitized.
- In the shop
- Dust collection + mask or respirator when sanding; gloves for pitchy boards
- Food contact
- Not recommended for cutting boards, bowls and utensils
General information, not medical advice. See a doctor if you have a reaction.
Pine dust and resin can irritate skin and airways, and rosin from pine resin is a known contact allergen. Use dust collection and a mask or respirator when sanding.
Red Pine in stock now
Ask us. We can often source it.
We don't have Red Pine listed online right now, but new slabs and lumber come in all the time and not everything makes it to the website. Tell us what you're building and we'll check our racks and suppliers.
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