The flesh of soft maple trees resembles that of hard maple but is not quite as heavy, hard, or strong. Soft maple is commonly used for railroad crossties, boxes, pallets, crates, furniture, veneer, and woodenware. Soft maple is the common term for four species of maple trees - silver maple (Acer saccharinum), red maple (Acer rebrum), boxelder (Acer negundo), and bigleaf maple (Acer macrophyllum). As we mentioned, hard maple is commonly used for flooring, furniture, cabinets, pool cues, and many other finished wood products. Hard maple is the common term for two species of maple trees - sugar maple (Acer saccharum) and black maple (Acer nigrum). So, if it’s not about durability, what is the difference between hard maple and soft maple? The Difference Between Hard Maple and Soft Maple Hardwoods include cherry, oak, and maple. Softwoods come from gymnosperm trees such as conifers - trees such as fir, pine, or cedar. While maple can be described as both hard and soft, it’s not about the wood’s durability. While both hard maple and soft maple are commonly used to make furniture, cabinets, instruments, etc., hard maple is more commonly found in flooring as it’s denser and about 25% harder than soft maple. You can learn more about wood stains in our post, What to Look For In Wood Stains. It’s often used to mimic much more expensive hardwoods for the fact that it can take darker stains. Sapwood is found on the outer portion of the log and is lighter in color, lending itself to taking on many stain colors. ![]() ![]() While most woodworkers tend to choose heartwood in other hardwoods, sapwood tends to be more popular for maples. Woodworkers gravitate towards maple for its durability, smooth grain pattern, and light, creamy color. Maple wood is not only incredibly strong, it looks nice and stains beautifully. ![]() It’s a popular hardwood option among woodworkers for its affordability, yet durability. Maple is one of the widest spread species of trees in North America and can be found in nearly every region of the continent. But they’re also used for a vast variety of woodworking projects from furniture and cabinetry to flooring, even bowling pins and pool cues. Maple trees are striking in any landscape with their vibrant display of fall colors in reds, golds, and yellows.
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