Soft Maple Prime Sap & Better Lumber

Soft Maple is an increasingly popular choice for its durability and aesthetic flexibility. Ideal for the demands of modern design, Soft Maple is known for its ability to take stain and finish well. It can be stained to appear as Walnut or Cherry at a reasonable cost and can add rich elegance to any décor. Soft Maple is most desirable with a large portion of board consisting of light, clear sapwood and little heartwood. Climate, soil conditions and light all play an important role in the amount of heartwood and sapwood in the log. More information on Soft Maple grading can be found in the Specifications tab.

Lumber is a living product, responding to its environment as a tree does to its forest. Humidity, age, area and cut will slightly alter the appearance of the lumber product. The product images on this page are a sample of this species, not an exact depiction of the product you will receive.

Why Soft Maple?

• Straight, close grain
• Machines well, finishes exceptionally well and glues easily
• Abundant and readily available
• Ideal for cabinetry, millwork and mouldings
• Accepts stains and paints well
• Highly durable and dimensionally strong lumber
• Lighter weight than Hard Maple yet still hard

Benefits of Plain Sawn Lumber:

The plain sawn cutting pattern optimizes the clear sapwood in Soft Maple, while also minimizing waste and increasing yield. The clear wood on the outer most faces of the log is what yields the prime grade. This cut generates the traditional cathedral grain pattern.

Contact your Sales or Specifications Representative for more information on how to configure Soft Maple for your project.

Prime Grade Lumber:

Using the National Hardwood Lumber Association (NHLA) Grading standard, Prime Lumber is a premium grade. Developed for the European export market, Prime captures grades within the Select and Better and FAS 1Face and better grades and ensures only the very best production, drying and packaging standards are used to meet the demands of that market.

Prime grade includes a range of boards with minimum yield from 831/3% (10/12ths) clear-wood cuttings on the best face. It allows boards 4” and wider before kiln drying and 6’ and longer in length. 6” before kiln drying by 7’ option available.

Color Grading Sap & Better:

Sap & Better is the combination of three NHLA color grades. The mix between these color grades depends on which geographic region the material originates from. Logs with smaller hearts will yield a higher number of boards in the bundle which would be considered white 2 face. The three color grades are:

• Sap 1 Face: specifies sapwood is only required on 1 Face of the board within the cuttings. The opposite face has no restriction and can be all heartwood.
• #2 White: specifies that one face should be white within cuttings (like Sap 1 Face), but the opposite face should be a minimum 50% sapwood in the cuttings. This is a better board than a Sap 1 Face board.
• #1 White: specifies that both faces of the board need to yield White 2 Faces within the cutting. This is the better board, with more sapwood than both #2 White and Sap 1 Face.

A bundle of Soft Maple then will contain a mixture of boards who individually fall into one of the three above color grades.

Contact your Sales or Specifications Representative for further information on specific color and character varieties available and best suited for your project.

Sustainability:

There are two main sub-species that are traded as Eastern Soft Maple which are considered dominant in various regions of the continent. Red Maple is generally in demand for the brighter tone of its sapwood and is found largely in Northern states and through Eastern Canada. Silver Maple grows predominantly in central and southern states. In the United States, Soft Maple species at-large is the third most abundant hardwood species, representing 11.5% of standing hardwood timber. Harvest rates verses growth rates based on data from the US Forest Service show that 56% more Soft Maple timber is growing annually than is being harvested.

We recognize the importance of ethically harvested lumber. As our most valuable resource, sustainably harvested forests increase the rate of carbon sequestration and significantly cut carbon emissions. Wood is a renewable and sustainable material for the built environment, requiring less energy than alternatives like concrete or steel. From harvesting to recycling, lumber is the most carbon-efficient choice for building materials. Wood is of the few elements that can increase sustainability in a building’s life cycle, reduce waste, and create positive biophilic health benefits. Increasingly, architects and designers are calling for a return to wood as the prominent basic building material.

As an early adopter of FSC®, we recognize the importance of sustainably harvested lumber. FSC® Certified lumber is available upon request. Contact your Sales or Specifications Representative for more information.

• Kitchen Cabinets
• Kitchen Cabinet Doors
• Railings
• Vanity Cabinets
• Vanity Cabinet Doors
• Wall Paneling
• Acoustic Paneling
• Passage Doors
• Interior Millwork
• Treads
• Risers
• Residential Indoor Furniture
• Commercial Indoor Furniture
• Floors