Pignut hickory lumber uses are the same as those of the other hickories. It is similar in appearance to the shagbark hickory, but is smaller in stature. It is a distinct tree of coves and richer slopes. Shellbark hickories tolerate moister sites than do the shagbark hickory. The lower branches of this stately hickory are drooping and clothed with large leaves.
Twigs are much stouter and glabrous, or only slightly hairy, when young with orangish-brown bark.
The bark of the trunk is shaggy with long thin strips separating from the trunk, as does the shagbark hickory. Leaves are composed of five to nine, usually seven, leaflets on a leaf stalk that is abruptly thickened at the base. The leaf base remains after the leaflets fall and often curls backward. Flowers are monoecious. Male flowers are catkins and showy, while the female flowers are green and inconspicuous.