Maple, American Hard

American hard maple produces timber with good strength properties and an attractive appearance. Its most common applications are flooring, cabinet making, furniture and interior joinery.

Other Names

Sugar Maple, Black Maple, Rock Maple, White Maple, Sap Maple

Botanical Name

Accer saccharum

Common Form
Sawn
Species Type
Hardwood
  • Overview

    • American hard maple is a cold weather tree that grows across the north-east States of the US and in Canada. It produces an attractive timber with creamy-white sapwood, sometimes with a pink tinge, and light to reddish brown heartwood. Higher grades of the timber are selected for the white colour of the sapwood, and this can limit their availability. While generally straight-grained, American hard maple can have a distinctive curly, fiddleback or birdseye figure. Figured maple is generally only commercially available as veneer.

    American hard maple, as the name suggests, is a hard, heavy wood with a fine texture that is high in all strength properties except for stiffness, which is medium. It is a hardwearing timber, making it ideal for flooring applications where there is a high volume of foot traffic, such as gymnasiums or concert halls. It also has a very good steam bending classification.

    American hard maple is considered to be quite difficult to work with due to its blunting effect. Pre-boring is recommended when nailing or screwing. The timber does not take glue well. When care is taken, the timber machines and turns well, and it can be stained and polished to achieve an extremely attractive finish. 

    Readily available in Australia as both sawn timber and veneer, American hard maple is used in a variety of interior applications, such as furniture, panelling, cabinet making and interior joinery. It is also used in stairs, handrails, mouldings and doors. As mentioned above, the hardwearing properties of American hard maple means that it is an excellent timber for flooring applications in gymnasiums, theatres, concert halls and basketball courts. In its veneer form, American hard maple is also used in the construction of skateboards.

     

     

     

     

    Shrinkage

    Very Low Low Medium High Very High
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    Tangential : Provides a simplified rating for tangential shrinkage. This is the measure of the percentage reduction in dimension from the unseasoned to 12% moisture content condition.
    6.30%

    Radial : Radial shrinkage is perpendicular to the growth rings. It is shrinkage in the direction towards the centre of the tree. Measurement is % value
    3.10%

    Unit Movement Tangential: This is the percentage of dimensional change for each 1% moisture content change between about 3% moisture content and the fibre saturation point for the particular species.
    0.35%

    Unit Movement Radial: This is the percentage of dimensional change for each 1% moisture content change between about 3% moisture content and the fibre saturation point for the particular species.
    0.17%

    Strength Group Strength groups are given for unseasoned (S1-S7) and seasoned (SD1-SD8) timber in accordance with AS 2878. S1 and SD1 yield the highest strength and stiffness whereas S7 and SD8 yield the lowest.

    Very High

    High

    Reasonably High

    Medium High

    Medium

    Reasonably Low

    Low

    Very Low

    Unseasoned:

    S1

    S2

    S3

    S4

    S5

    S6

    S7

    S8

    Seasoned:

    SD1

    SD2

    SD3

    SD4

    SD5

    SD6

    SD7

    SD8
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    Stress Grade A stress grade is defined in AS 1720 as the classification of timber for structural purposes by means of either visual or machine grading. The stress grade indicates the basic working stresses and stiffnesses to be used for structural design purposes. Measured in MPa.

    Structural
    No. 1    		 Structural
    No. 2    		 Structural
    No. 3    		 Structural
    No. 4    		 Structural
    No. 5

    Unseasoned:

    Seasoned:

    F17

    F14

    F11

    F8

    F7

    Density per Standard Seasoned density is based on moisture content of 12%. Unseasoned density is an approximation as it depends on the moisture content at the time of measurement. Measured kg/m3.

    Seasoned:

    705kg/m3

    Unseasoned:

    925kg/m3

    Joint Group The joint group is a classification of the strength of a species in joint design. The values are from 1 (very high strength) to 6 (very low strength).

    Very High

    High

    Reasonably High

    Medium

    Low

    Very Low

    Unseasoned:

    J1

    J2

    J3

    J4

    J5

    J6
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    Seasoned:

    JD1

    JD2

    JD3

    JD4

    JD5

    JD6
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    Colour The colour of seasoned heartwood can vary between species and often within a species. The information provided should be used as a general guide only. In most cases, the colour of sapwood is either a lighter shade of the heartwood or a white/cream colour.

      White, yellow, pale straw to light brown Pink to pink brown Light to dark red Brown, chocolate, mottled or streaky
       
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    Mechanical Properties

    Modulus of Rupture - Unseasoned: This property is a measure of maximum stress which timber can momentarily sustain when loaded slowly and continuously as a beam. Measured in MPa.
    65

    Modulus of Rupture - Seasoned: This property is a measure of maximum stress which timber can momentarily sustain when loaded slowly and continuously as a beam. Measured in MPa.
    109

    Modulus of Elasticity - Unseasoned: This property is of importance in determining the deflection of a beam under load — the greater the stiffness, the less the deflection. Measured in GPa.
    11

    Modulus of Elasticity - Seasoned: This property is of importance in determining the deflection of a beam under load — the greater the stiffness, the less the deflection. Measured in GPa.
    13

    Maximum Crushing Strength - Unseasoned:

    Also referred to as compression strength. This property measures the ability of the timber to withstand loads applied on the end grain. Measured in MPa.
    28

    Maximum Crushing Strength - Seasoned: Also referred to as compression strength. This property measures the ability of the timber to withstand loads applied on the end grain. Measured in MPa.
    54

    Impact - Unseasoned: Provides the Izod value, which is the energy taken in joules (J) to fracture the timber.

    Impact - Seasoned: Provides the Izod value, which is the energy taken in joules (J) to fracture the timber.

    Toughness - Unseasoned: This is a measure of timber’s ability to resist shocks and blows, and is synonymous with impact strength. It is measured in Nm.
    Medium - 15 - 24 Nm

    Toughness - Seasoned: This is a measure of timber’s ability to resist shocks and blows, and is synonymous with impact strength. It is measured in Nm.
    Medium - 15 - 24 Nm

    Hardness - Unseasoned: Refers to the Janka hardness test and is a measure of timber’s resistance to indentation.
    4.3

    Hardness - Seasoned: Refers to the Janka hardness test and is a measure of timber’s resistance to indentation.
    6.4

    Durability

    Low Moderate Reasonably High High
    (0 - 5 yrs) (5 - 15 yrs) (15 - 25 yrs) (more than 25 yrs)

    In-Ground: Durability is defined as the inherent resistance of a timber species to decay, or to insect or marine borer attack. All references to durability refer to the heartwood only. A scale of low to high (durability class 4 = low; 1 = high) has been adapted for above and in-ground durability.

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    (0 - 7 yrs) (7 - 15 yrs) (15 - 40 yrs) (More than 40 yrs)

    Above ground: Durability is defined as the inherent resistance of a timber species to decay, or to insect or marine borer attack. All references to durability refer to the heartwood only. A scale of low to high (durability class 4 = low; 1 = high) has been adapted for above and in-ground durability.
    (0 - 20 yrs, usually < 5) (21 - 40 yrs) (41 - 64 yrs) (More than 60 yrs)

    Marine Borer Resistance: Indicates whether a species is resistant (R) or not resistant (NR) to marine borer attack.

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    Lyctid Borer Susceptibility: Indicates whether a species is susceptible (S) or not susceptible (NS) to lyctid borer attack.

    Susceptible

    Lyctid Borer Susceptibility - Other:

    Termite Resistance: Indicates whether a species is resistant (R) or not resistant (NR) to termites.

    Fire Properties

    Bushfire Resistance: Naturally bushfire-resisting timbers are those with inherent bushfire-resisting properties. Some species have been tested and a number are in the process of being tested and are measured by Bushfire Attack level (BAL). BAL -12.5: Ember attack, BAL – 19: Increasing levels of ember attack and burning debris ignited by windborne embers together with increasing heat flux between 12.5 and 19 kWm3, BAL – 29: Increasing levels of ember attack and burning debris ignited by windborne embers together with increasing heat flux between 19 and 29 kWm3.
    Not tested
    Appearance

    American hard maple is an attractive creamy white timber with a pinkish tinge. Heartwood can vary from a light to dark reddish brown, depending on the growing region. Both the heartwood and sapwood can have a pith fleck. The timber is fine-textured and generally straight-grained. Sometimes a curly, fiddleback or birdseye figure can occur, which is considered to enhance the appearance of the wood. American hard maple sapwood darkens over time when exposed to UV light.

    Common Applications

    American hard maple is used in a wide range of interior applications such as flooring, panelling, cabinet making, table tops, joinery, stairs, handrails, mouldings and doors. Its hardwearing properties make it ideal for flooring in areas with a high volume of foot traffic. It is also used in boat building and in the construction of musical instruments and skateboards.

    Workability

    A hard, heavy timber, American hard maple is considered to be quite difficult to work. However, when care is taken it machines and turns well, and can be glued satisfactorily. Pre-boring is recommended when nailing and screwing. The timber steam bends well. When sanded, stained and polished, the timber has an extremely attractive finish.

    Origin of timber
    North America
    Readily Available
    NSW
    American hard maple is imported into Australia in fairly high quantities and is readily available from specialist timber suppliers.
    Source of timber
    Native Forest
    a room with benches and paintings on the wall

    Flooring

    The warmth, strength and natural beauty of timber flooring is enduringly popular in a wide variety of domestic, commercial and industrial applications.

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