Hardwood · Eastern North America

Soft Maple

Acer rubrum

Light tan with grey streaks.

Janka hardness950 lbf

Density (12% MC)38.0 lb/ft³

Weight per board foot3.2 lb

Rot resistanceLow

Workability4/5

Price$$

Hardness compared

White pine Yellow Poplar Soft Maple Black Cherry Red Oak Hard Maple Shagbark Hickory Jatoba

Easier to work than hard maple and noticeably cheaper — a great paint-grade hardwood.

Typical uses: Painted furniture, cabinets, millwork.

Tangential coefficient (flatsawn)	0.00289 per 1% MC
Radial coefficient (quartersawn)	0.00137 per 1% MC
T/R ratio	2.11 (prone to cupping when flatsawn)
12" flatsawn board, 6% → 11% MC	0.173" (≈ 4.4 mm)

Finishing Intermediate

3 min readOct 17, 2026