Hard Maple
Acer saccharum
Also known as sugar maple, rock maple, white maple · Botanical Acer saccharum
Revision history
- — Data re-verified in site-wide audit (formulas, sources, durability classes)
- — Working properties and comparable-species data cross-checked against listed sources
About Hard Maple
Hard Maple (Acer saccharum) is a mid-range timber, hard enough for everyday wear and still easy to work, with a Janka hardness of 1,450 lbf (6,450 N) and a density of about 0.63 g/cm³. It grows in North America.
At 4.8% radial and 9.9% tangential the T/R ratio is 2.06 — typical, and manageable in interior joinery and furniture provided the gaps are designed rather than assumed. Its fibre saturation point is near 29%. Below it, movement is the governing constraint on this species: 9.9% tangential against 4.8% radial, a T/R ratio of 2.06. Flatsawn boards will cup; quartersawn stock is worth the premium here. — wide boards need real expansion room, not a token gap.
At 630 kg/m³ a cubic metre of Hard Maple weighs about 630 kg air-dry — that figure, the 9.9% tangential and 4.8% radial movement and the 1,450 lbf hardness are the three inputs the calculators below actually consume. Select Hard Maple in any of them to get species-specific results for weight, moisture, shrinkage and hardness.
Working properties
How Hard Maple behaves at the bench and on the machine, drawn from the USDA Forest Products Laboratory and the American Hardwood Export Council (AHEC).
Durability & use classification
Hard Maple is rated non-durable (EN 350 Class 5). It is strictly an interior timber — it has no meaningful resistance to decay and should never be used in damp, ground-contact or sustained-exterior situations.
Typical applications & suitability
Indoor — Indoor use only. What it offers instead of weather resistance is exceptional hardness and abrasion resistance — the reason it rules high-wear interior floors.
Documented end-uses: sports and gymnasium flooring, butcher blocks and cutting boards (it imparts no taste to food), kitchen cabinets, worktops and table tops, furniture, toys and kitchenware, and interior millwork such as stairs, handrails and mouldings.
Comparable species
Species closest to Hard Maple by density, hardness, stiffness and bending strength, computed directly from the Vriksai species dataset rather than hand-picked.
Trade alternatives. Where its pale colour or hardness is wanted, Yellow Birch and European Beech are the usual temperate substitutes, both close in density and machining feel.
Alternatives to Hard Maple
Hard Maple measures 1,450 lbf Janka at 0.63 g/cm³, EN 350 durability Class 5, movement rated Moderate. Hard Maple sits mid-range, which gives the widest choice of substitutes — and the widest scope to pick the wrong one on appearance alone. Read the numbers against the Janka scale and EN 350 durability classes.
For domestic flooring, worktops and furniture edges taking regular contact. Harder timber dents less and machines slower — both matter on a quotation.
Lighter and faster to work. Pricing is not shown here: timber cost varies with region, grade, origin, certification and availability, and we hold no verified price data to publish.
The axis that decides whether a wide panel or a door stays flat through a Panipat monsoon and then a 45 °C May. Size the gaps with the shrinkage predictor and EMC calculator.
If Hard Maple is unavailable and the specification cannot change, these are the nearest substitutes across hardness, density, movement, stiffness, bending strength and durability class together — not on any single property. Lower distance means a closer match.
Hard Maple is EN 350 Class 5, so untreated exterior service is not advisable. These reach Class 1–2 at comparable hardness.
Computed from measured properties only — hardness, density, movement, stiffness, bending strength and EN 350 class. Price, availability and appearance are never inputs. Figures are representative values, not consignment absolutes: two species within a few percent are equivalent until verified on the material. Full method and the rules the engine cannot break.
Substitution is a match on durability class, movement and strength — not on colour or grain. Where two candidates are close, compare them directly before specifying.
Compare Hard Maple side by side
The head-to-heads specifiers most often weigh against it for furniture and interior joinery. Every pairing shows the measured figures side by side; full matrix in the comparison index.
Calculators relevant to Hard Maple
Chosen for how Hard Maple is actually specified — its density, movement and durability class feed straight in. Full set in the tool index.
Understand the figures
ThermoWood species guide — Thermo-D/Thermo-S treatment classes · Janka hardness scale — how the lbf figure is measured · Wood density reference — oven-dry vs air-dry basis · Moisture content — EMC, FSP and service conditions.
Further reading. What is ThermoWood? · Wood moisture content explained · How to calculate board feet.
Common questions about Hard Maple
unverified no published source for this figure · FPL USDA FPL Wood Handbook GTR-190 · WD The Wood Database (Eric Meier) · calc derived from the figures above