Maple (Acer spp.) contains about 120 species native to
Asia [16], North America [13],
Mexico and Guatemala [1], and the European/Mediterranean region
[6], with the rest in Eurasia, Malaysia and northern Africa. The
Maples can be separated into two groups based on the ray widths
of their microscopic anatomy, the soft maple group and the hard
maple group.
Species within each group look alike microscopically. Acer
is the classical Latin name of maple.
Acer barbatum hammock maple, Florida maple, southern sugar maple, sugar maple
Acer circinatum vine maple, mountain maple
Acer glabrum bark maple, California mountain maple,
Douglas maple, dwarf
maple, mountain maple, New Mexico maple, rocky mountain
maple, shrubby maple, sierra maple, soft maple
Acer grandidentatum bigtooth maple, canyon maple, hard maple, large-toothed maple, sugar maple, ultravioletalde bigtooth maple, western sugar maple
Acer leucoderme chalk maple, palebark maple, sugar maple, whitebark maple
Acer macrophyllum* big-leaf, bigleaf maple, broadleaf maple, broadleaved maple, bugleaf maple, Californian maple, Oregon maple, pacific maple, white maple
Acer negundo* ash maple, ashleaf maple, black ash, boxelder, boxelder maple, California boxelder, cut-leaved maple, inland boxelder, manitoba maple, negundo maple, red river maple, stinking ash, sugar ash, three-leaved maple, western boxelder
Acer nigrum* black maple, black sugar maple, hard maple, rock maple, sugar maple, white maple
Acer pennsylvaticum buckwood, goose-foot maple, moosewood, mountain alder, northern maple, Pennsylvanian maple, striped dogwood, striped maple, whistlewood
Acer rubrum* Carolina red maple, drummond maple, drummond red maple, Oregon maple, red maple, scarlet maple, shoe-peg maple, silver maple, soft maple, southern soft maple, swamp maple, three-pointed-leaf maple, three-toothed red maple, water maple, white maple
Acer saccharinum* creek maple, papascowood, river maple, silver maple, silverleaf maple, soft maple, swamp maple, water maple, white maple
Acer saccharum* bird's-eye maple, black maple, curly maple, hard maple, rock maple, rough maple, sugar, sugar maple, sugar-tree, sweet maple, thumb-nail maple
Acer spicatum goose-foot maple, low maple, moose maple, mountain maple, mountain maple-bush, spiked maple, water maple
*commercial species
Distribution: Throughout most of North America, with commercial species in the eastern United States and Canada and the western coast of the United States (bigleaf maple).
The Tree: Maples grow to heights of 120 ft (36 m), with a diameter of 3 ft (1 m). Forest grown trees may have a clear bole of 60 ft (18 m).
General Wood Characteristics: Maple lumber comes principally from the Middle Atlantic and Lake States, which together account for about two-thirds of the production. The wood of sugar maple and black maple is known as hard maple; that of silver maple, red maple, and boxelder as soft maple. The sapwood of the maples is commonly white with a slight reddish-brown tinge; the heartwood is light reddish brown, but sometimes is considerably darker. The sapwood is from 3 to 5+ inches (76 to 127+ mm) thick.
Hard maple has a fine, uniform texture, turns well on a lathe, is resistant to abrasion and has no characteristic odor or taste. It is heavy, strong, stiff, hard, and resistant to shock, and it has large shrinkage. Sugar maple is generally straight grained but the grain also occurs as “birds-eye,” “curly,” and “fiddleback” grain.
The wood of soft maples resembles that of hard maples but is not as heavy, hard and strong, the better grade of soft maple has been substituted for hard maple in furniture. The sapwood in the soft maples is considerably wider than that in the hard maples and has a lighter heartwood color.
Maple lumber sometimes has olive or greenish black discolored areas known as mineral streak or mineral stain, which may be due to injury. Maple wood stains well and takes a high polish. It is intermediate in gluing and has low decay resistance.
Weight
Weightb
Species MC SGa lb/ft3 kg/m3
Acer Green 0.44 47 753
macrophyllum
(bigleaf 12% 0.48 34 545
maple)
Ovendry 0.51 NA NA
Acer nigrum Green 0.52 54 865
(black maple) 12% 0.57 40 641
Ovendry 0.62 NA NA
Acer Greenb 0.44 37 593
pennsylvaticum
(striped 12%c 0.46 32 513
maple)
Ovendry NA NA NA
Acer rubrum Green 0.49 50 801
(red maple) 12% 0.54 38 609
Ovendry 0.55 NA NA
Acer Green 0.44 45 721
saccharinum
(silver maple) 12% 0.47 33 529
Ovendry 0.51 NA NA
Acer saccharum Green 0.56 56 897
(sugar maple) 12% 0.63 44 705
Ovendry 0.68 NA NA
aData for green and 12% conditions taken
from reference
(98); ovendry data from reference (59).
bData from reference (59).
Mechanical propertiesa
Property Green Dry
Acer macrophyllum (bigleaf maple)
MOE 1.10 106 7.584 1.45 106 9.998
lbf/in2 GPa lbf/in2 GPa
MOR 7.4 103 51.023 MPa 10.7 103 73.777 MPa
lbf/in2 lbf/in2
C| | 3.24 103 22.340 MPa 5.95 103 41.025 MPa
lbf/in2 lbf/in2
C 0.45 103 3.103 0.75 103 5.171
lbf/in2 MPa lbf/in2 MPa
WML 8.7 59.987 7.8 in-lbf/in3 53.781
in-lbf/in3 kJ/m3 kJ/m3
620 lbf 2,757.76 N 850 lbf 3,780.80 N
Hardness
Shear| 1.11 103 7.653 MPa 1.73 103 11.928 MPa
| lbf/in2 lbf/in2
Acer nigrum (black maple)
MOE 1.33 106 9.170 GPa 1.62 106 11.170 GPa
lbf/in2 lbf/in2
MOR 7.9 103 54.471 MPa 13.3 103 91.704 MPa
lbf/in2 lbf/in2
C| | 3.27 103 22.547 MPa 6.68 103 46.059 MPa
lbf/in2 lbf/in2
C 0.60 103 4.137 MPa 1.02 103 7.033 MPa
lbf/in2 lbf/in2
WML 12.8 88.256 12.5 86.188
in-lbf/in3 kJ/m3 in-lbf/in3 kJ/m3
840 lbf 3,736.32 N 1,180 lbf 5,248.64 N
Hardness
Shear| 1.13 103 7.791 MPa 1.82 103 12.548 MPa
| lbf/in2 lbf/in2
Acer rubrum (red maple)
MOE 1.39 106 9.584 GPa 1.64 106 11.308 GPa
lbf/in2 lbf/in2
MOR 7.7 103 53.092 MPa 13.4 103 92.393 MPa
lbf/in2 lbf/in2
C| | 3.28 103 22.616 MPa 6.54 103 45.093 MPa
lbf/in2 lbf/in2
C 0.40 103 2.758 MPa 1.00 103 6.895 MPa
lbf/in2 lbf/in2
WML 11.4 78.603 12.5 86.188
in-lbf/in3 kJ/m3 in-lbf/in3 kJ/m3
700 lbf 3,113.60 N 950 lbf 4,225.60 N
Hardness
Shear| 1.15 103 7.929 MPa 1.85 103 12.755 MPa
| lbf/in2 lbf/in2
Acer saccharinum (silver maple)
MOE 0.94 106 6.481 GPa 1.14 106 7.860 GPa
lbf/in2 lbf/in2
MOR 5.8 103 39.991 MPa 8.9 103 61.366 MPa
lbf/in2 lbf/in2
C| | 2.49 103 17.169 MPa 5.22 103 35.992 MPa
lbf/in2 lbf/in2
C 0.37 103 2.551 MPa 0.74 103 5.102 MPa
lbf/in2 lbf/in2
WML 11.0 75.845 8.3 in-lbf/in3 57.229
in-lbf/in3 kJ/m3 kJ/m3
590 lbf 2,624.32 N 700 lbf 3,113.60 N
Hardness
Shear| 1.05 103 7.239 MPa 1.48 103 10.204 MPa
| lbf/in2 lbf/in2
Acer saccharum (sugar maple)
MOE 1.55 106 10.687 GPa 1.83 106 12.618 GPa
lbf/in2 lbf/in2
MOR 9.4 103 64.813 MPa 15.8 103 108.941
lbf/in2 lbf/in2 MPa
C| | 4.02 103 27.718 MPa 7.83 103 53.988 MPa
lbf/in2 lbf/in2
C 0.64 103 4.413 MPa 1.47 103 10.136 MPa
lbf/in2 lbf/in2
WML 13.3 91.704 16.5 113.768
in-lbf/in3 kJ/m3 in-lbf/in3 kJ/m3
970 lbf 4,314.56 N 1,450 lbf 6,449.60 N
Hardness
Shear| 1.46 103 10.066 MPa 2.33 103 16.065 MPa
| lbf/in2 lbf/in2
aReference (98).
Drying and shrinkage
Percentage of shrinkage
(green to final moisture
content)
Type of shrinkage 0% MCa 6% MCb 20% MCb
Tangential
Acer macrophyllum 7.1 5.7 2.4
(bigleaf maple)
Acer nigrum 9.3 7.4 3.1
(black maple)
Acer pennsylvaticum 8.6 NA NA
(striped maple)
Acer rubrum 8.2 6.6 2.7
(red maple)
Acer saccharinum 7.2 5.8 2.4
(silver maple)
Acer saccharum 9.9 7.6 3.2
(sugar maple)
Radial
Acer macrophyllum 3.7 3.0 1.2
(bigleaf maple)
Acer nigrum 4.8 3.8 1.6
(black maple)
Acer pennsylvaticum 3.2 NA NA
(striped maple)
Acer rubrum 4.0 3.2 1.3
(red maple)
Acer saccharinum 3.0 2.4 1.0
(silver maple)
Acer saccharum 4.8 3.9 1.6
(sugar maple)
Volumetric
Acer macrophyllum 11.6 9.3 3.9
(bigleaf maple)
Acer nigrum 14.0 11.2 4.7
(black maple)
Acer pennsylvaticum 12.3 NA NA
(striped maple)
Acer rubrum 12.6 10.5 4.4
(red maple)
Acer saccharinum 12.0 9.6 4.0
(silver maple)
Acer saccharum 14.7 11.9 5.0
(sugar maple)
aReference (98).
bReference (90).
Kiln drying schedulea
4/4, 5/4, 8/4 10/4 12/4 16/4
Condition 6/4 stock stock stock stock stock
Soft T8-D4 T6-C3 T5-C2 T3-B2 NA
maplesb
Hard T8-C3 T5-C2 T3-B2 T3-A1 T3-A1
maplesc
aReferences (6, 86).
bBigleaf, red and silver.
cBlack and sugar.
Working Properties: The wood turns well, is harder to work than softer woods, and has high nail-holding ability. It stains and polishes well, but is intermediate in gluing.
Durability: Rated as slightly or nonresistant to heartwood decay.
Preservation: Moderately resistant to penetration with preservatives.
Uses: Lumber, distillation, veneer, crossties, paper pulp, flooring, furniture, pallets, boxes and crates, shoe lasts, handles, woodenware, novelties, spools and bobbins, bowling alleys, dance floors, piano frames, bowling pins, cutting blocks, pulpwood and turnery.
Toxicity: May cause allergic bronchial asthma, dermatitis and rhinitis (40).
Additional Reading: 5, 29, 55, 68, 74.