Appalachian Species & Grades
Soft Maple
Other Common Names: Scarlet Maple, Swamp Maple, Carolina Red Maple, Drummond Red Maple, Water Maple
NWH’s Soft Maple is grown in both the Glacial and Appalachian regions.
Soft Maple is less dense than Hard Maple with similar grain and figure. The sapwood in the soft maples is considerably wider than that in the hard maples and has a lighter heartwood color. Soft Maple is used for furniture, kitchen cabinets, doors, musical instruments, turnings and millwork. It is lower priced than Hard Maple and sometimes used as a substitute. Both Soft Maple and Hard Maple can be purchased in special white color pulls.
Soft Maple is also used in veneer, pallets, plywood, barrels, crates and flooring.
Grades Available:
Properties
- Machining 4
- Nailing 4
- Screwing 4
- Gluing 4
- Finishing 5
Properties of Soft Maple
Soft Maple is neither as strong or hard as Hard Maple. It has good machining properties, turning and planing quite well.
How does it compare
| Lumber (12 % moisture content) | Specific Gravity (Density) | Dimensional R (%) | Movement T (%) | Hardness (lbs) | Compression Parallel (ps) | Bending Strength (ps) | Bending Stiffness (kps) | Grain |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alder, Red (Western) | .41 | 4.4 | 7.3 | 590 | 5,820 | 9,800 | 1,380 | Fine |
| Ash | .60 | 4.9 | 7.8 | 1,320 | 7,410 | 15,400 | 1,770 | Fine |
| Basswood | .37 | 6.6 | 9.3 | 410 | 4,730 | 8,700 | 1,460 | Fine |
| Beech | .64 | 5.5 | 11.9 | 1,300 | 7,300 | 14,900 | 1,720 | Fine/Medium |
| Birch, Yellow | .62 | 7.3 | 9.5 | 1,260 | 8,170 | 16,600 | 2,010 | Fine |
| Cherry, Black | .50 | 3.7 | 7.1 | 950 | 7,110 | 12,300 | 1,490 | Mod/Coarse |
| Hickory | .66 | 4.9 | 8.9 | 1,820 | 7,850 | 13,700 | 1,730 | Mod/Coarse |
| Maple, Hard | .63 | 4.8 | 9.9 | 1,450 | 7,830 | 15,800 | 1,830 | Fine |
| Maple, PC | .48 | 3.7 | 7.1 | 850 | 5,950 | 10,700 | 1,450 | Fine |
| Maple, Soft | .47 | 3.0 | 7.2 | 700 | 5,220 | 8,900 | 1,140 | Fine |
| Oak, Red | .63 | 4.0 | 8.6 | 1,290 | 6,760 | 14,300 | 1,820 | Coarse |
| Oak, White | .68 | 4.4 | 8.8 | 1,360 | 7,440 | 15,200 | 1,780 | Mod/Coarse |
| Poplar, Yellow | .42 | 4.6 | 8.2 | 450 | 5,290 | 9,200 | 1,500 | Fine |
| Walnut, Black | .55 | 5.5 | 7.8 | 1,010 | 7,580 | 14,600 | 1,680 | Medium |
