Home / Wood Compare / Southern Yellow Pine vs Scots Pine
Professional Comparison · Verified Engineering Data · Updated 19 July 2026
Southern Yellow Pine VS Scots Pine
Which wood is better for your project? Scores are computed from the verified figures on each species page — how we score.
🥇
Southern Yellow Pine
54/100 Library Score
🌲Softwood💧Moisture Stable
- Harder wear surface (Janka 870 vs 540 lbf)
- Stronger in bending (MOR 100.0 vs 83.0 MPa)
🥈
Scots Pine
36/100 Library Score
🌲Softwood💧Moisture Stable
- Easier to machine and fasten
- Lighter (0.49 vs 0.51 g/cm³)
- Solid choice where its profile fits the project
Visual comparison
Southern Yellow PineScots Pine
Winner by category
There isn't one universally best wood — there's a best wood for each purpose.
| Category | Winner |
|---|---|
| Durability | Tie |
| Stability | Tie |
| Hardness | Southern Yellow Pine |
| Strength (MOR) | Southern Yellow Pine |
| Stiffness (MOE) | Southern Yellow Pine |
| Flame spread | Tie |
| Machining ease | Scots Pine |
| Lightness | Scots Pine |
Engineering data
| Property | Southern Yellow Pine | Scots Pine |
|---|---|---|
| Janka Hardness | 870grade lbf | 540WD lbf |
| Density | 0.51grade g/cm³ | 0.49WD g/cm³ |
| MOE | 12.3grade GPa | 10.1WD GPa |
| MOR | 100.0grade MPa | 83.0WD MPa |
| Durability | Class 4 Slightly Durable | Class 4 Slightly Durable |
| Stability | Excellent | Excellent |
| Fire (E84) | Class C indicative | Class C indicative |
| Radial Shrink | 5.4grade % | 5.2WD % |
| Tangential Shrink | 7.7grade % | 8.3WD % |
| T/R Ratio | 1.43 | 1.6 |
Figures carry the same source status as the species pages they come from — verified where cited, indicative where marked.
Best for
| Application | Recommended | Suitability |
|---|---|---|
| Exterior cladding | 🥇 Scots Pine | ★★★☆☆ |
| Flooring / wear surfaces | 🥇 Southern Yellow Pine | ★★★☆☆ |
| Furniture / interior joinery | 🥇 Scots Pine | ★★★★☆ |
| Structural / load-bearing | 🥇 Southern Yellow Pine | ★★★☆☆ |
Advantages & limitations
Southern Yellow Pine
Advantages
- Very low movement in service
Limitations
- Not durable outdoors untreated (Class 4)
Scots Pine
Advantages
- Very low movement in service
- Easy to machine, glue and fasten
- Lightweight — easy handling and installation
Limitations
- Not durable outdoors untreated (Class 4)
- Soft surface — dents under point loads
Recommendation
Choose Southern Yellow Pine if…
- The surface takes traffic or impact
Choose Scots Pine if…
- Ease of working and fastening matters
- Weight matters — ceilings, wall panels, transport
- Its profile matches the application better than a single overall score
Frequently asked questions
Which is more durable, Southern Yellow Pine or Scots Pine?
Neither — both carry the same EN 350 rating (Class 4, Slightly Durable). For outdoor decisions between them, weigh dimensional stability and hardness instead.
Which wood is better for outdoor use?
They are closely matched outdoors — durability and stability come out almost level. Let the application decide: harder surface for decking traffic, lighter weight for cladding.
Is Southern Yellow Pine harder than Scots Pine?
Yes — Janka 870 lbf vs 540 lbf.
How we score. Each wood gets a weighted composite of the verified figures shown above: durability 22%, stability 18%, hardness 12%, bending strength 12%, machining ease 12%, stiffness 8%, flame spread 8%, lightness 8%. The Library Score is that composite's percentile rank within our 60-species library — 50 means the library median, 90 means it outperforms nine of every ten species we cover. No price data is scored — cost guidance is qualitative. The score summarises the data; it does not replace judgement about your specific application.