How to Identify Hard (Sugar) Maple Wood (Acer saccharum)

Sapwood ranges from nearly white to an off-white cream, sometimes with a reddish or golden hue; heartwood is a darker reddish brown. Grain is generally straight but may be wavy; fine, even texture. End grain: Diffuse porous; pores solitary and in radial multiples, small to medium, moderately numerous to numerous; parenchyma banded (marginal); rays both narrow and wide, normal spacing.

Janka hardness 1,450 lbf (side hardness: the force needed to embed a 0.444-inch steel ball to half its diameter). Specific gravity 0.63 at 12% moisture content, so a cubic foot weighs roughly 39 lb. Weight in the hand is one of the quickest checks: compare a piece of known size against a board you already know.

Hard maple is markedly heavier/harder than soft maples (1,450 lbf vs roughly 700-950 lbf) and shows a greater diversity of ray widths on the endgrain (narrow to wide), while most other North American maples have more uniform medium-width rays. The Soft (Red) Maple page has its own details.

No characteristic odor; markedly heavier than soft-maple species such as silver or red maple.

Flooring (basketball courts, dance floors, bowling alleys, residential), veneer, paper (pulpwood), musical instruments, cutting boards, butcher blocks, workbenches, baseball bats, and turned objects.

Fairly easy to work with hand and machine tools, though slightly harder to work than soft maple due to higher density; maple dust may cause skin irritation, runny nose, and asthma-like respiratory effects.

Photograph a freshly cut or sanded face in daylight, not a finished or stained surface, since stain hides color and finish flattens grain. Add a close-up of the end grain: cut a clean end, wet it or sand it to 220, and shoot from straight on; pore pattern and rays are the most reliable marks. Put a ruler in frame. The app suggests the likely species; confirm with the end grain and weight.