Color: Heartwood is creamy white to light reddish brown; sapwood is pale to creamy white.

Grain: Closed, subdued grain, with medium figuring and uniform texture. Occasionally shows quilted, fiddle back, curly or or bird’s-eye figuring. Figures boards often culled during grading and sold at a premium.

Variations Within Species & Grades: Black maple is also hard; other species are classified as soft.

Hardness/Janka: 1450; 12% harder than Northern Red Oak.

Durability: Dense, strong, tough, stiff; excellent shock resistance – often used in bowling alleys and athletic facilities. Markedly resistant to abrasive wear.

Sawing/Machining: Density makes machining difficult.

Sanding: Sands satisfactorily.

Nailing: Fair resistance to splitting, good holding ability.

Finishing: Takes neutral finish well; does not stain uniformly.