Soft Maple (Red Maple) Lumber
Acer rubrum, Acer saccharinum
Soft Maple is mainly used in the manufacturing of furniture, paneling, moulding and millwork, kitchen cabinets, doors, musical instruments, and turnings.
Soft maple is very similar to hard maple. Generally the sapwood is greyish white, sometimes with darker colored pith flecks. The heartwood varies from light to dark reddish brown. The wood is usually straight-grained.
Soft maple machines well and can be stained to an excellent finish. It glues, screws, and nails well. Polishes well and is suitable for enamel finishes and brown tones.
Soft maple is about 25 percent less dense than hard maple, has medium bending and crushing strength, and is low in stiffness and shock resistance. It has good steam-bending properties.