The wood of the Shellbark Hickory Tree is strong, dense and flexible and used to make tool handles. The nuts of the Shellbark Hickory Tree are sweet, fragrant and large when compared to other hickory nuts. The Tree is self pollinated and slow growing when compared to the Shagbark Hickory Tree. The wood if the Shellbark Hickory Tree is made into charcoal and to smoke meat on grills.

The seedlings of Shellbark Hickory Trees have been used as rootstock in grafting pecan cultivars of selected hickory trees. The cold hardy nature of the tree makes it adaptable to the Ohio Valley. The nuts of the Shellbark Hickory Tree are eaten by game birds such as duck and wild turkey, and squirrels store the nuts away for Winter eating.