The wood of the black locust is extremely hard, durable, and resistant to rot. This makes the tree prized for furniture, flooring, paneling, fence posts and small watercraft.

The tree is also known for its honey, and from it is made the famous acacia monofloral honey from France. Black locust honey is also produced in the United States.

Because the wood burns slowly and produces little visible flame or smoke, the tree is also heavily utilized as firewood. In fact, black locust has the highest heat content of any species growing wildly in the eastern U.S.