Maple, Oregon

The handsome Oregon maple grows on the pacific coast of North America and is prized for furniture and cabinetry veneers.

Other Names

Maple, Broad-leaved Maple, Big-leaf, British Columbia Maple, Pacific Maple

Botanical Name

Acer macrophyllum

Common Form
Sawn
Species Type
Hardwood
  • Overview

    • The Oregon maple's huge, distinctive leaves are the largest of any maple species. It grows on the pacific coast of North America, from northern British Columbia to California, where it is widely recognised for its superb autumn foliage. It is sometimes used for maple syrup production.

    Oregon maple heartwood varies from creamy white to light reddish brown with pinkish hues. The sapwood is reddish-white, sometimes with a greyish cast. Although much of the wood is straight-grained, some highly figured wood, which includes wavy, quilted, fiddle-back or birds-eye grain patterns, is also produced. Growth rings are indistinct and moderately small to medium in size. 

    Oregon maple is very hardwearing, extremely stable and moderately durable. It can therefore be used for pergolas and structural framing, flooring and interior joinery. Popular for its availability in long lengths, it is only moderately easy to work with. Its high resin content sometimes crystallises on the surface of the timber but can be scraped off when dry. Oregon maple is not good for staining but takes polyurethanes well and oil can add more depth of colour.

    Oregon maple is also popular as a veneer for furniture and cabinetry. Its highly figured wood is sought after for musical instruments such as guitar bodies, other stringed instruments and piano frames as well as salad bowls. The Indigenous Lakwungen people of Vancouver Island knew it as the 'Paddle Tree' and created paddles and spindle wheels from its wood.

    Shrinkage

    Very Low Low Medium High Very High
    Check mark Check mark

    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.
    4.40%

    Radial : Radial shrinkage is perpendicular to the growth rings. It is shrinkage in the direction towards the centre of the tree. Measurement is % value
    2.30%

    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.
    0.25%

    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.
    0.13%

    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

    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:

    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:

    545kg/m3

    Unseasoned:

    440kg/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

    Seasoned:

    JD1

    JD2

    JD3

    JD4

    JD5

    JD6

    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
       
    Check mark

    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.
    51

    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.
    74

    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.
    8

    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.
    10

    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.
    22

    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.
    41

    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.

    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.

    Hardness - Unseasoned: Refers to the Janka hardness test and is a measure of timber’s resistance to indentation.
    2.8

    Hardness - Seasoned: Refers to the Janka hardness test and is a measure of timber’s resistance to indentation.
    3.8

    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.

    		 Check mark
    (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.

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

    Lyctid Borer Susceptibility - Other:

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

    Fire Properties

    0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

    EFH Spread-of-Flame Index: This is a material's propensity to burn rapidly and spread flames based on a scale of 0 to 10 where 0 means that the materials will not cause flames to reach the ceiling and 10 indicates that the material could be expected to cause flames to reach the ceiling of a room within 10 seconds of ignition.

    EFH Smoke-Developed Index:This is a measure of the concentration (measured by optical density) of smoke a material emits as it burns. It is based on an arbitrary scale of 0 to 10. The higher the index, the greater the hazard from smoke is likely to be.

    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

    Oregon maple heartwood varies from creamy white to light reddish brown with pinkish hues. The sapwood is reddish-white, sometimes with a greyish cast. Although much of the wood is straight-grained, some highly figured wood, which includes wavy, quilted, fiddle-back or birds-eye grain patterns, is also produced. Growth rings are indistinct and moderately small to medium in size. 

    Common Applications

    Oregon maple is popular in veneer for furniture and cabinetry. Its highly figured wood is sought after for musical instruments such as guitar bodies, other stringed instruments and piano frames as well as salad bowls. It is strong, hard and moderately durable and can be used for pergolas and structural framing, flooring and interior joinery. 

    Workability

    Oregon maple it is only moderately easy to work with because its high resin content can crystallise on the surface of the timber. This can be scraped off when dry before recoating. The timber does not stain well but takes polyurethanes readily and the right oil can be used to add more depth of colour. 

     

    Origin of timber
    North America
    Some Oregon maple is imported into Australia. Check with local suppliers for more details.
    a large room with rows of chairs

    Portal Frames

    For buildings that require large spans and column free interiors, timber portal frames provide one of the most aesthetically pleasing solutions. Utilising modern engineering technology, portal frame design transforms timber into a highly effective, efficient and economical structural product.

    Are you looking for a supplier?

    Start Your Search

    Social Media Feeds