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

Machining
Nailing
Screwing
Gluing
Finishing

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.

Strength And Mechanical Properties (inch-pound) (a)
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