The shelling process reduces a pecan’s weight by 50 to 65 percent and its volume approximately by half. To keep the pecan meat from shattering, the nuts are moistened or "conditioned" before cracking. There are two methods used to accomplish this. The cold water method soaks the pecans in chlorinated water for as long as eight hours. The pecans are then drained for 16 to 24 hours in sacks, vats or barrels in preparation for cracking (within the next 24-hour period). With the steam pressure method, pecans are exposed to hot water or steam pressure for six to eight minutes, then cooled and held for 30 to 60 minutes. The steam pressure method is faster, but can cause discoloration of the pecan kernels.

The pecans are cracked by a machine that applies force to both ends of each nut. The cracked pecans are then placed on a conveyer, where they are moved to the sheller machines. Meats and shells are separated by a series of shaker screens. Shelled pecans are then separated into grades – the meats pass over rapidly vibrating machines with holes of many different sizes (for example, halves come in eight sizes, based on the number per pound.

The pecans are cracked by a machine that applies force to both ends of each nut