Abstract The objectives of this study were to develop and assess a method of using tree ring measurements in standing pruned Pinus patula trees for modelling the knotty core of the pruned section of a tree and to assess variability in knotty core diameters in the tree stem. A total of 170 trees from 17 compartments on a wide variety of growth sites from the Mpumalanga escarpment in South Africa were selected and destructively sampled. We show that ring width measurements at breast height can be used to predict growth in the upper pruned section which in turn can be used to reconstruct the internal knotty core through the full pruned section of the log. Analysis of variation for the entire data set from ring width measurements showed that there was far greater variation in knotty core percentages (the percentage of diameter occupied by knotty core) between different compartments than within compartments. Within a tree, the knotty core percentages between three stem sections, 0.0–2.4 m, 2.4–4.8 m, and 4.8–7 m, differed significantly. As expected the knotty core percentages were found to increase from the bottom section (49.1%) to the top section (65.4%). A comparison of the actual measured knotty core size and the modeled knotty core size of a sub-sample of trees showed only a modest relationship ( R 2 = 0.62). Reasons for this might be variability in pruning quality, inaccurate pruning records, nodal swellings, and the methodology used to measure the actual knotty core sizes. Knowledge of knotty core sizes can be used as a decision aid in the forest and forest products industry.