Hard Maple
Hard Maple is a dense, close-grained North American hardwood supplied green, KD12 or KD7, with about 0.70 specific gravity, 108 MPa tensile strength, 12.6 GPa modulus and roughly 1.5 % elongation.
Reference datasheet — Hard Maple is not in the instant-quote catalog. Upload your part and an engineer will quote it in this grade or suggest the closest stocked equivalent.
Values for the KD12 condition
Hard Maple tempers and conditions
Hard Maple is supplied in 3 conditions, soft to hard. KD12 is the default FabDigit quotes; the values on this page are for it.
Compare all 3 conditionsHide
| Condition · open for datasheet | Best for | Yield MPa | Tensile MPa | Elong. % | Hardness | Conductivity |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Freshly sawn, MC above fibre saturation | Pick for steam-bending, wet turning or when the part will be dried after shaping; strength is roughly half of dry. | 70 | 2 | 0.3 W/m·K | ||
KD12Default Kiln-dried / air-dried to 12 % MC | Default engineering condition: lumber equilibrated near 12 % MC, matching all published design and clear-wood strength tables. | 108 | 1.5 | 0.16 W/m·K | ||
Kiln-dried to 6–8 % MC | Pick for glued-up worktops, butcher blocks, flooring and machine jigs in heated indoor service where movement must be minimal. | 115 | 1.3 | 0.15 W/m·K |
What is Hard Maple?
Hard Maple is a dense, close-grained North American hardwood supplied green, KD12 or KD7, with about 0.70 specific gravity, 108 MPa tensile strength, 12.6 GPa modulus and roughly 1.5 % elongation. Engineers specify it for wear and impact resistance and for the smooth, closed-grain surface it produces in boards, edge-glued panels and turned blanks. Thermal conductivity is 0.16 W/m·K and service temperature is capped near 90 °C; natural decay resistance is low (rating 30), it moves with humidity and it dulls HSS tooling quickly (machinability 70). White oak or European beech are the usual alternatives where damp service or easier cutting matters. Hard Maple has a density of 0.7 g/cm³ (0.0253 lb/in³), heavier than 53% of natural material grades. Hard Maple has a tensile strength of 108 MPa (15.7 ksi), stronger than 94% of natural material grades. Elongation at break is 1.5% and the elastic modulus is 12.6 GPa (1.83 Msi).
What is Hard Maple used for?
- flooring
- cutting boards
- furniture
- musical instruments
- bowling lanes
Advantages
- Polishes to a fine finish — 85/100, better than 87% of natural material grades
Limitations
- Needs corrosion protection — 30/100, worse than 77% of natural material grades
Hard Maple properties
Typical room-temperature values for Hard Maple-KD12; bars are the position among natural material grades.
Physical2
Hard Maple has a density of 0.7 g/cm³ (0.0253 lb/in³), heavier than 53% of natural material grades.
Mechanical9
Hard Maple has a tensile strength of 108 MPa (15.7 ksi), stronger than 94% of natural material grades. Elongation at break is 1.5% and the elastic modulus is 12.6 GPa (1.83 Msi).
Thermal5
Hard Maple is rated for continuous service to 90°C (194 °F). It conducts heat at 0.16 W/m·K (0.0924 BTU/hr·ft·°F), better than 64% of natural material grades. Thermal expansion is 4.5 µm/m·K (2.5 µin/in·°F).
Electrical1
Hard Maple has an electrical resistivity of 1×10⁹ Ω·m.
Chemical & Environmental1
Corrosion resistance is poor (30/100), worse than 77% of natural material grades.
Sustainability4
Producing a kilogram of Hard Maple takes about 12 MJ of energy and emits 0.55 kg of CO₂ — more than 69% of natural material grades. Typical recycled content is 0%.
Manufacturability2
Hard Maple's machinability is very good (70/100, worse than 67% of natural material grades).
Common Calculations4
Values are nominal handbook figures for design screening. Certified mill or lot data ships with every FabDigit order on request.
Working with Hard Maple
Is Hard Maple easy to machine?
Cuts cleanly with carbide at moderate feed rates but burns easily on stationary cuts and dulls HSS quickly — use sharp tooling, climb-limited feeds and good chip evacuation.
Can Hard Maple be welded?
Not weldable; joined by PVAc/PU/epoxy adhesives or mechanical fasteners — pre-drill for screws to avoid splitting.
Can Hard Maple be formed, bent or molded?
Bends fairly well when steamed or after ammonia/hot-water plasticising at green to 20 % MC; account for ~9–10 % tangential and ~5 % radial shrinkage when drying.
Hard Maple chemical composition (wt %)
Limits by weight percent from the governing specification, written the way the spec states them — a single maximum for impurities, a range for alloying elements, and the base element as balance. Nominal is the typical mid-range value.
| Element | Spec limit (wt %) | Nominal |
|---|---|---|
| celluloseoven-dry basis | 42 – 48 | 45 |
| hemicellulosemainly glucuronoxylan | 25 – 33 | 30 |
| ligninsyringyl-rich hardwood lignin | 20 – 25 | 22 |
| extractivessugars, phenolics — low decay resistance | 1 – 4 | 2.5 |
| ash | 0.2 – 0.5 | 0.3 |
| moistureservice MC; reference tables at 12 % | ≥ 6 (balance) |
What surface finishes work on Hard Maple?
Fine closed grain sands to a very smooth surface and takes clear lacquer, oil-wax or hardwax well; it blotches with pigmented stains, so use a washcoat or dye, and keep out of persistently damp service.
Equivalent designations
Standards and trade names that resolve to Hard Maple in FabDigit's catalog. Equivalence is nominal — check the exact specification when certification matters.
- Also called
- Acer saccharum
How much does Hard Maple cost?
Hard Maple is a standard-cost natural material ($$), cheaper than about 71% of the materials FabDigit quotes. Part price depends far more on geometry, tolerance and quantity than on the raw stock — upload a CAD file for a live quote.
Hard Maple — frequently asked
What is Hard Maple used for?
Hard Maple is typically used for flooring, cutting boards, furniture, musical instruments and bowling lanes. In short: most wear-resistant domestic hardwood; closed grain, very smooth finish; low decay resistance when damp.
What is the tensile strength of Hard Maple?
Hard Maple has a typical tensile strength of 108 MPa (15.7 ksi) — stronger than 94% of natural material grades. Strength varies by condition: see the 3 listed tempers.
Is Hard Maple easy to machine?
Yes — machinability is rated very good (70/100, worse than 67% of natural material grades). Cuts cleanly with carbide at moderate feed rates but burns easily on stationary cuts and dulls HSS quickly — use sharp tooling, climb-limited feeds and good chip evacuation.
Can Hard Maple be welded?
Not weldable; joined by PVAc/PU/epoxy adhesives or mechanical fasteners — pre-drill for screws to avoid splitting.
What surface finishes work on Hard Maple?
Fine closed grain sands to a very smooth surface and takes clear lacquer, oil-wax or hardwax well; it blotches with pigmented stains, so use a washcoat or dye, and keep out of persistently damp service.
Can Hard Maple be formed, bent or molded?
Bends fairly well when steamed or after ammonia/hot-water plasticising at green to 20 % MC; account for ~9–10 % tangential and ~5 % radial shrinkage when drying.
What is the maximum service temperature of Hard Maple?
Hard Maple is rated for continuous use to about 90°C (194 °F). Strength falls off well before that limit — check the elevated-temperature data for load-bearing parts.
How much does Hard Maple cost?
Hard Maple is a standard-cost natural material ($$), cheaper than about 71% of the materials FabDigit quotes. Part price depends far more on geometry, tolerance and quantity than on the raw stock — upload a CAD file for a live quote.
Sources
- Wood Handbook — Wood as an Engineering Material, FPL-GTR-282, Ch. 5 Mechanical Properties — USDA Forest Service, Forest Products Laboratory (2021)
- ASTM D143 — Standard Test Methods for Small Clear Specimens of Timber — ASTM International (2022)
- ASTM D2555 — Establishing Clear Wood Strength Values — ASTM International (2017)
- NHLA Rules for the Measurement and Inspection of Hardwood and Cypress — National Hardwood Lumber Association (2023)
- CES EduPack / ICE embodied-energy data for kiln-dried hardwood — Granta Design / University of Bath (2019)
Property data is compiled from published supplier and standards handbooks and normalised for comparison; hardness values on non-Brinell scales are converted approximately for charting only. Manufacturability limits are FabDigit quote-engine defaults and may be relaxed by engineering review. Nothing on this page is a certification — request mill certs, CoC or material test reports with your order.