Species guide

American soft maple

Latin name

Principally Acer rubrum, A. saccharinum

Other Common names

Red maple, silver maple

Distribution

Throughout Eastern USA, and to a lesser extent on the West coast (bigleaf maple).

General Description

In most respects the wood of soft maple is very similar to that of hard maple. Although due to its widespread growth it may be more susceptible to regional colour variations. Generally the sapwood is greyish white, sometimes with darker coloured pith flecks. The heartwood varies from light to dark reddish brown. The wood is usually straight grained. The lumber is generally sold unselected for colour.

Working Properties

Soft maple machines well and can be stained and polished to an excellent finish. It glues, screws, and nails satisfactorily. It dries slowly with minimal degrade and there is little movement in performance.

Physical Properties

Soft maple is about 25% less hard than hard maple, has medium bending and crushing strength, and is low in stiffness and shock resistance. It has good steam bending properties.

Durability

Non-resistant to decay and insect attack. The heartwood is moderately resistant to preservative treatment but the sapwood is permeable.

Availability

USA:
Readily available as lumber and veneer.

Export:
Availability is improving as demand increases.

Main Uses

Furniture, panelling, interior joinery, kitchen cabinets, mouldings, doors, musical instruments, and turning. Soft maple is often used as a substitute for hard maple or stained to resemble other species such as cherry. Its physical and working properties also make it a possible substitute for beech.

Grading

Typically red leaf in the North and silver leaf in the South, it is essential to know which you are buying. Red leaf resembles hard maple and is generally most consistent in colour, whereas silver leaf tends to have a wide colour spectrum and can be a lower density. Both species can produce a highly figured wormy variety which is sold as WHND, worm holes are not considered a defect. All soft maple can be sorted for colour according to the specifications in the grading guide.

Technical statistics

Specific Gravity (12% M.C.):	0.54
Average Weight (12% M.C.):	609 kg/m3
Average Volume Shrinkage (Green to 6% M.C.):	10.50%
Modulus of Elasticity:	11,308 MPa
Hardness:	4226 N