Wood Species Guide

Hard Maple

Acer saccharum (black maple, Acer nigrum, is sold under the same name)

Also called: Sugar Maple, Rock Maple, Black Maple (Acer nigrum)

Hard maple is the tough, light-colored workhorse of American hardwoods. It is dense enough for butcher block and flooring, clean enough for modern furniture, and its rare curly and birdseye boards are some of the prettiest wood grown in North America.
DomesticHardwoodMaples
Good forTabletops & SlabsCutting Boards (food-safe, closed grain)TurningGuitars & Tonewoods

What Hard Maple looks like

The sapwood, which is what most buyers want, is nearly white to a pale cream with a faint golden or reddish tint. Heartwood is a darker reddish brown. It ambers gently over time, especially under oil-based finishes.

Grain and texture

Fine, even texture with a usually straight grain. Curly, quilted and birdseye figure all occur in hard maple and command a premium.

Working Hard Maple: planing, cutting and gluing

Dense and tough, so it is harder on tools than most domestics. It planes to a glassy surface with sharp knives, but figured boards tear out easily; a helical head or a sander saves the day. Like cherry it burns if the cut stalls. Pre-drill for screws. It glues well.

Finishing Hard Maple: oil, film finishes and epoxy

Takes clear finishes beautifully, but it blotches with stain, so use a conditioner, dye or gel stain if you must color it. Oil-based finishes add an amber tone; water-based keeps it whiter. With epoxy, maple is a great light partner for dark or colored river fills, and its tight pores mean little outgassing.

Durability, stability and Florida humidity

Not resistant to decay, so keep it indoors. It moves a fair amount with humidity changes. In Florida, give it time to acclimate and keep glue-ups balanced and finished on both faces.

Shop notes from our Fort Myers shop

We carry hard maple as rough-sawn lumber. It is our go-to for cutting boards, butcher block and anything that needs to shrug off dents, like counters and workbench tops. Sharp tooling is a must, and slow cuts leave burn marks that are a pain to sand out. For a striped cutting board it pairs well with walnut and cherry.

Common uses for Hard Maple

Butcher block and cutting boards, flooring, countertops, workbench tops, cabinetry, furniture, bowling alleys and pins, and musical instruments.

Sustainability and CITES status

Not listed in the CITES Appendices or on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species.

Safety and toxicity

Our toxicity rating LowWhat the ratings mean
  • Skin irritation
  • Respiratory / asthma

Sound hard maple rarely causes trouble, though some people get skin or airway irritation from the dust. Spalted maple is different: mold spores in it can cause a serious lung reaction, so use a respirator on spalted pieces.

In the shop
Dust collection and a mask; respirator for spalted maple
Food contact
Good choice for cutting boards, bowls and utensils

General information, not medical advice. See a doctor if you have a reaction.

Maple dust can cause skin irritation and respiratory effects such as runny nose or asthma-like symptoms in some people. Use dust collection and a mask.

Wood toxicity and dust safety guide: every species compared

Hard Maple in stock now

Hardwood lumber in stock (1)

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Similar woods: Maples

See the Maples group guide

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