Sugar Maple

Acer saccharum · Hardwood · North America

Janka 1,450 lbf≈39 lb/ft³ dried (est.)

Properties

Janka hardness	1,450 lbf (6,450 N)
Average dried weight (est.)	39 lb/ft³ (630 kg/m³)
Specific gravity	0.63
Modulus of rupture	15,800 psi (108.9 MPa)
Modulus of elasticity	1.83 million psi (12.62 GPa)
Crushing strength	7,830 psi (54.0 MPa)
Shrinkage — radial	4.8%
Shrinkage — tangential	9.9%
Shrinkage — volumetric	14.7%
Shrinkage T/R ratio	2.1

Values at 12% moisture content, clear-wood averages. Source: USDA Forest Products Laboratory, Wood Handbook FPL-GTR-282 (2021), Table 5–3b p. 5–10; shrinkage Table 4–3 p. 4–8.

Sugar maple is the principal hard maple — a heavy, strong, hard wood with a fine, uniform texture. Its lumber and veneer are specified for flooring, furniture, cabinets, bowling alleys, and dance and gymnasium floors.

Appearance & grain

The heartwood is usually light reddish brown, sometimes considerably darker. The sapwood is commonly white with a slight reddish-brown tinge and usually 8 to 12 cm (3 to 5 in.) wide, and the texture is fine and uniform; the grain is generally straight, though birdseye, curly, and fiddleback figure are often selected for furniture and novelty items.

Workability

Hard maple is heavy, strong, stiff, and hard, and it is resistant to shock. The group also has high shrinkage, which the Handbook flags alongside its strength properties.