Southern yellow pine is one of the strongest species of softwood. It’s so strong that it’s often used as the building material for wooden roller coasters. When it comes to its strength, MOR is 12,800 psi when dry. It’s also very stiff with a MOE of 1.8 million psi. And the hardness is 690 pounds.

The four rapidly-growing SYP species yield one of the strongest types of wood on the North American continent. Because of the unusual grain contained in yellow pine, certain parts will move substantially according to variations in moisture. The strength of SYP is also high: its modulus of rupture (MOR) can be up to 12,800 psi when dry.