Is Maple Considered A Hardwood

Bigleaf maple is moderately hard.

Is maple considered a hardwood.

The sugar maple tree or acer saccharum is classified as a hard hardwood maple tree. Generally the sapwood is greyish white sometimes with darker colored pith flecks. The first is hard maple acer saccharum which many also refer to as sugar maple. Silver maple red maple and boxelder are soft maples.

The texture and density of the wood a tree produces puts it in either the hardwood or softwood category. The wood of soft maple is not as heavy or as strong as that of hard maple. The specific gravities of sugar maple and black maple are 0 63 and 0 57 respectively. Also note that black maple not pictured isn t quite as hard as its close relative hard maple and ranks in the mid range with a hardness of 1 180 lb f.

It is also a relatively low density light and soft timber with a fairly open grain. There are many variations of the species but for practical purposes we separate maples into two types of lumber. Maple is considered hardwood. Cedar is a softwood.

Soft maple is very similar to hard maple in most respects. Most hardwood trees are deciduous trees which lose their leaves annually like elm or maple. Wood products are known for their natural beauty but when selecting a type of wood for your next cabinetry flooring furniture or millwork project it is important to also consider the level of durability by understanding the difference between wood types. Janka ratings for maple range from 700 for silver maple to 1 180 for black maple.

Maple trees are one of the most common species found in the hardwood forests of north america. They typically have either 5 or 7 lobes with vivid autumn coloring ranging from yellow to purplish red. The heartwood varies from light to dark reddish brown. Hard maple ought to be considered the king of the acer genus.

Types of wood comparing american hardwoods softwoods and tropical hardwoods. Taking the hardness data within context of other hardwoods soft maple may be used as a valid substitute for hard maple in most situations where a hardwood of moderate density is called for. Other soft hardwoods. Softwood comes from a conifer cone bearing or evergreen trees such as pine or spruce.

The wood of the sugar maple is strong heavy and hard with a light brown to reddish color.