Soft Maple Products
Soft Maple (Acer rubrum, Acer saccharinum)
Tilo makes a number of products using soft maple, including
- architectural millwork
- cabinets
- doors
- flooring
- furniture
- moulding
- paneling
Browse our selection of Standard Profiles or talk to us about a Custom Profile using soft maple hardwood
General Description of Soft Maple
In most respects soft maple is very similar to hard maple. Generally the sapwood is grayish white, sometimes with darker colored pith flecks. The heartwood varies from light to dark reddish brown. The wood is usually straight-grained. The lumber is generally sold unselected for color.
Relative Abundance and Availability of Soft Maple
4 percent of U.S. hardwoods commercially available. Readily available.
Working Properties of Soft Maple
- machines well
- glues, screws and nails satisfactorily
- polishes well and is suitable for enamel finishes and brown tones
- dries slowly with minimal degrade, little movement in performance
Physical Properties of Soft Maple
Soft maple is about 25 percent 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.
Moisture content |
12% |
Specific Gravity (b)
|
0.44-0.54 |
Static Bending Modulus of Rupture (lbf/in2)
|
5,800-13,400 |
Static Bending Modulus of Elasticity (c) (106 lbf/in2) |
0.94-1.64 |
Static Bending Work to Maximum Load (in-lbf/in3) |
7.8-12.5 |
Impact Bending to Grain (in) |
23-32 |
Compression Parallel to Grain (lbf/in2) |
2,490-6,540 |
Compression Perpendicular to Grain (lbf/in2) | 370-1,000 |
Shear Parallel to Grain (lbf/in2) | 1,050-1,850 |
Tension Perpendicular to Grain (lbf/in2) | 600 |
Side Hardness (lbf) | 590-950 |
a) Results of tests on small clear specimens in the green and
air-dried conditions. Definition of properties; impact bending is height
of drop that causes complete failure, using 0.71-kg (50 lb.) hammer;
compression parallel to grain is also called maximum crushing strength;
compression perpendicular to grain is fiber stress at proportional
limit; shear is maximum shearing strength; tension is maximum tensile
strength; and side hardness is hardness measured when load is
perpendicular to grain.
b) Specific gravity is based on weight when oven dry and volume when green or at 12% moisture content.
c)
Modulus of elasticity measured from a simply supported, center-loaded
beam, on a span depth ratio of 14/1. To correct for shear reflection,
the modulus can be increased by 10%.
Reprinted with permission from Hardwood Manufacturers Association