Janka hardness has been shown to be directly related to density. In my opinion, getting an accurate density value is the best way to practically evaluate maple. There are four main ways that can help you tell hard maple from soft maple. (Please have a look at The Truth Behind Wood Identification to approach the task in a proper mindset.) When attempting to sort out different maple species, it’s important to keep in mind the limitations and obstacles that are present in our task.
Hard maple, based on simple outward appearances, looks very similar to soft maple, and in general is tough to tell apart in finished pieces. Unlike the task of telling red and white oak apart, sorting between hard and soft maple isn’t quite as clear-cut. (And to a great extent, this also accounts for the difference in cost between the two types of maples as well.) Hard maple (1,450 lb f janka) is roughly twice as hard as soft maple (700-950 lb f janka)-primarily because it tends to grow about half as fast as most other soft maple species. The main instances where you would want to stick with hard maple would be in applications where hardness and strength are important, such as: butcher blocks, flooring, workbench tops, etc. In addition, soft maple is slightly easier to work with, and won’t dull cutting edges as quickly, or burn as readily when being shaped as hard maple. Taking the hardness data within context of other hardwoods, soft maple may be used as a valid substitute for hard maple in most situations where a hardwood of moderate density is called for.
Also note that black maple (not pictured), isn’t quite as hard as its close relative, hard maple, and ranks in the mid-range, with a hardness of 1,180 lb f. Now it may look like hard maple is heads and tails above the rest (and to a certain extent, it is), but for reference, black cherry has a janka hardness of 950 lb f (the same as red maple), and black walnut is rated at 1,010 lb f. The results for each of the maple species are shown in the chart below. 444″ diameter steel ball halfway into the wood. The test measures the amount of force required to embed a. Even though it is referred to as soft maple, it is only soft in relation to hard maple.Ī common measurement of wood hardness is the janka hardness test. The good news is that for many purposes, soft maple will be hard enough to be used in place of hard maple. Will soft maple simply collapse like a polystyrene cup as its “soft” name implies? It should be obvious that hard maple is harder than soft maple, but you may be wondering how much of a difference there is between the two. But overall, they are not as hard nor as strong as hard maple though for a more exact comparison, continue to the data found in the next section. Some of the most common species of maple that fall under the grouping of soft maple are:Įach of these maples have their own characteristics regarding strength, hardness, weight, etc. (And just as citizens of both the east coast and the west coast each like to assert the superiority of their own respective region, there is almost a rivalry between bigfleaf maple advocates on the west coast, and red maple fans on the east coast.) For instance, if you live in Oregon, the soft maple that you buy (if it has been harvested locally) will likely be bigleaf maple, while those living in the eastern United States may actually be buying red maple or silver maple. floridanum, respectively.ĭepending on where you live, different species might be sold as soft maple. But these species are far less commonly seen commercially, and they are both so closely related to hard maple that some even consider them to be sub-species of the same tree, classifying them as Acer saccharum subsp. Besides this one species of maple, the only other species that are sometimes considered in the grouping of hard maple in the United States are black maple (Acer nigrum) and Florida maple (Acer floridanum). Hard maple is also known as rock maple or sugar maple, (this is the same tree which is tapped to get maple syrup). Hard Maple, on the other hand, typically refers to one specific type of maple species: Acer saccharum. The term “soft maple” is merely used to differentiate these species from hard maple. The term “soft maple” does not refer to any specific species of maple, but rather, it’s a broad term which includes several different species of maple. Perhaps you’ve seen a type of lumber for sale known as “soft maple,” and were wondering: what’s the difference between between this Soft Maple and Hard Maple? Just how soft is it? Why does it cost about half as much as Hard Maple? How can I tell the two apart?
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