Best wood for holding screws.

[Tony]

   Going to build a pole barn.  What would be the best wood to hold a fastener, screw or nail?  Choices are oak and sweetgum with a few other southern bottom land hardwoods and softwoods.

                                               Thanks,
                                                   Tony  8)

[Den-Den]

I doubt this a valid reason to select one wood over another.  Any dry hardwood will hold screws pretty well except in end-grain.  You may need to select screws long enough that it takes about as much force to pull them out as it does to break them.  Most of the time screws will be shear loaded, not withdrawal loaded.  Don't be stingy with them, use enough screws.

[Don P]

A screw used in shear is one of the structural screws though, Fastenmaster, ledgerlock, etc. Many/most deck and drywall screws are brittle in shear.

[Andries]

Up here: oak and GRK screws.
We've got Northern Bottom Lands, and get the concrete footings below the frost line. 😉😂 
You'll be climate change proof!