Maple, hard

Botanical name: Acer saccharum, A. nigrum

 

Other names: US: hard maple, sugar m., black m. UK: maple FR: érable DE: Ahorn IT: acero VL: esdoorn, Amerikaans hard e., hard maple, sugar maple, black maple NL: Amerikaans esdoorn

 

The heartwood is usually light reddish brown but sometimes considerably darker. The sapwood is commonly white with a slight reddish-brown tinge. It is usually 8 to 12 cm (3 to 5 in.) wide. Hard maple has a fine, uniform texture. It is heavy, strong, stiff, hard, and resistant to shock and has high shrinkage. The grain of sugar maple is generally straight, but birdseye, curly, or fiddleback grain is often selected for furniture or novelty items.

Hard maple is used principally for lumber and veneer. A large proportion is manufactured into flooring, furniture, cabinets, cutting boards and blocks, pianos, billiard cues, handles, novelties, bowling alleys, dance and gymnasium floors, spools, and bobbins.