Is Maple Considered A Hardwood

There are many variations of the species but for practical purposes we separate maples into two types of lumber.

Is maple considered a hardwood.

Soft maple is very similar to hard maple in most respects. Silver maple red maple and boxelder are soft maples. Types of wood comparing american hardwoods softwoods and tropical hardwoods. The wood of soft maple is not as heavy or as strong as that of hard 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. 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. The specific gravities of sugar maple and black maple are 0 63 and 0 57 respectively. Maple is considered hardwood.

Hard maple ought to be considered the king of the acer genus. It grows natively in the northeastern regions of the united states and can reach a height of more than 100 feet at maturity. 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. Janka ratings for maple range from 700 for silver maple to 1 180 for black maple.

Its wood is stronger stiffer harder and denser than all of the other species. The wood of the sugar maple is strong heavy and hard with a light brown to reddish color. Softwood comes from a conifer cone bearing or evergreen trees such as pine or spruce. The texture and density of the wood a tree produces puts it in either the hardwood or softwood category.

Most hardwood trees are deciduous trees which lose their leaves annually like elm or maple. The heartwood varies from light to dark reddish brown. Cedar is a softwood. They typically have either 5 or 7 lobes with vivid autumn coloring ranging from yellow to purplish red.

Generally the sapwood is greyish white sometimes with darker colored pith flecks. It is also a relatively low density light and soft timber with a fairly open grain. Other soft hardwoods. Sugar maple s leaves pictured below are the shape that most people associate with maple leaves.

Maple trees are one of the most common species found in the hardwood forests of north america.