Sugar Maple wood movement, board-foot & weight calculator
- Janka
- 1,450lbf
- Density
- 44lb/ft³
- T/R ratio
- 2.1
- Spec. gravity
- 0.63
Sugar Maple is a North American hardwood. It has a Janka side hardness of 1,450 lbf, a specific gravity of 0.63, and an air-dry density near 44 lb/ft³ (705 kg/m³) (mechanical values at 12% moisture content). It shrinks 9.9% tangentially and 4.8% radially from green to oven-dry (T/R ratio 2.1), so a 12-inch flatsawn board moves about 0.24 in (≈ 1/4 in) across a 6-point moisture swing (about 6%→12% MC).
Compute Sugar Maple: movement, weight & board footage
Every number below is worked from Sugar Maple's own shrinkage and density figures, not looked up from a table — change the width, moisture swing, or board size in the calculators linked alongside.
Cross-grain movement by board width
| Board width | Flatsawn (tangential) | Quartersawn (radial) |
|---|---|---|
| 2″ | 0.04″ (≈ 1/32 in) | 0.019″ (≈ 1/32 in) |
| 3″ | 0.059″ (≈ 1/16 in) | 0.029″ (≈ 1/32 in) |
| 4″ | 0.079″ (≈ 3/32 in) | 0.038″ (≈ 1/32 in) |
| 6″ | 0.119″ (≈ 1/8 in) | 0.058″ (≈ 1/16 in) |
| 8″ | 0.158″ (≈ 5/32 in) | 0.077″ (≈ 1/16 in) |
| 10″ | 0.198″ (≈ 3/16 in) | 0.096″ (≈ 3/32 in) |
| 12″ | 0.238″ (≈ 1/4 in) | 0.115″ (≈ 1/8 in) |
| 16″ | 0.317″ (≈ 5/16 in) | 0.154″ (≈ 5/32 in) |
Need a different width or moisture swing? Run the movement calculator preloaded with Sugar Maple. At a T/R ratio of 2.06, Sugar Maple is moderately unstable — it moves substantially more tangentially than radially, so flatsawn stock is noticeably cup-prone and quartersawn stock is worth the extra cost in wide panels.
Board footage & weight, standard sizes
| Nominal size × length | Board feet | Weight |
|---|---|---|
| 1×4 × 8′ | 2.67 bd ft | 9.8 lb |
| 1×6 × 8′ | 4 bd ft | 14.7 lb |
| 1×8 × 8′ | 5.33 bd ft | 19.6 lb |
| 1×10 × 8′ | 6.67 bd ft | 24.4 lb |
| 1×12 × 8′ | 8 bd ft | 29.3 lb |
| 2×4 × 8′ | 5.33 bd ft | 19.6 lb |
| 2×6 × 8′ | 8 bd ft | 29.3 lb |
| 2×8 × 8′ | 10.67 bd ft | 39.1 lb |
Different length or size? Run the board foot calculator or the weight calculator, both preloaded with Sugar Maple.
Seasonal movement by city
| City | Driest month (EMC) | Most-humid month (EMC) | EMC swing | 12″ board movement |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Phoenix, AZ | Jun · 4.4% | Dec · 9% | 4.6 pts | 0.182″ (≈ 3/16 in) |
| Chicago, IL | May · 12.3% | Dec · 15.1% | 2.8 pts | 0.111″ (≈ 1/8 in) |
| Miami, FL | Apr · 12.2% | Sep · 14.4% | 2.2 pts | 0.087″ (≈ 3/32 in) |
| Boston, MA | Apr · 11.5% | Sep · 12.8% | 1.3 pts | 0.051″ (≈ 1/16 in) |
| Denver, CO | Jul · 8% | Dec · 10.5% | 2.5 pts | 0.099″ (≈ 3/32 in) |
| Seattle, WA | Jul · 12% | Dec · 16.9% | 4.9 pts | 0.194″ (≈ 3/16 in) |
Driven by Sugar Maple's tangential shrinkage of 9.9%. These are outdoor equilibrium-moisture figures, so they are an upper bound — a climate-controlled interior swings less. How this is calculated.
How Sugar Maple compares
Ranked against the 196 species in the Wood Handbook tables this site carries.
- Hardness: at 1,450 lbf, Sugar Maple is harder than 73% of the 157 species with a Janka figure.
- Weight: at 44 lb/ft³ it is heavier than 68% of the 170 species measured — an 8-foot 1×6 board weighs about 14.7 lb.
- Stability: its T/R ratio of 2.06 is more even than 27% of the 196 species here — as humidity changes, 73% of them hold their shape more evenly.
See Sugar Maple plotted against every species we carry: the full Janka hardness chart and the full density chart .
Species with a similar working profile
Closest matches on hardness, weight and stability together — useful when Sugar Maple is unavailable or priced out.
- Bur Oak is a common substitute for Sugar Maple : nearly identical hardness, about the same weight, and similarly stable in service.
- Afrormosia is a common substitute for Sugar Maple : nearly identical hardness, about the same weight, and similarly stable in service.
- Northern Red Oak is a common substitute for Sugar Maple : 11% softer, about the same weight, and similarly stable in service.
- American Beech is a common substitute for Sugar Maple : 10% softer, about the same weight, and similarly stable in service.
| Species | Janka | Density | T/R |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bur Oak | 1,370 lbf | 44.7 | 2 |
| Afrormosia | 1,560 lbf | 42.6 | 2.13 |
| Northern Red Oak | 1,290 lbf | 44 | 2.15 |
| American Beech | 1,300 lbf | 44.7 | 2.16 |
About Sugar Maple
The Wood Handbook describes Sugar Maple as part of the Maple (Hard Maple Group); the account below is of that group, which Sugar Maple belongs to.
Hard maple includes sugar maple (Acer saccharum) and black maple (A. nigrum). Sugar maple is also known as rock maple, and black maple as black sugar maple. Maple lumber is manufactured principally in the Middle Atlantic and Great Lake States, which together account for about two-thirds of production. The heartwood is usually light reddish brown but sometimes considerably darker. The sapwood is commonly white with a slight reddish-brown tinge. It is usually 8 to 12 cm (3 to 5 in.) wide. Hard maple has a fine, uniform texture. It is heavy, strong, stiff, hard, and resistant to shock and has high shrinkage. The grain of sugar maple is generally straight, but birdseye, curly, or fiddleback grain is often selected for furniture or novelty items. Hard maple is used principally for lumber and veneer. A large proportion is manufactured into flooring, furniture, cabinets, cutting boards, pianos, billiard cues, handles, novelties, bowling alleys, dance and gymnasium floors, spools, and bobbins.
Durability & sustainability
CITES status: not listed on any CITES Appendix — no international-trade restriction applies to Sugar Maple.
Properties
| Specific gravity | 0.63 |
|---|---|
| Janka hardness (side) | 1,450 lbf |
| Density (air-dry, 12% MC) | 44 lb/ft³ (705 kg/m³) ovendry-weight basis: 39.3 lb/ft³ |
| Weight per board foot (air-dry) | 3.67 lb |
| Radial shrinkage (green→oven-dry) | 4.8% |
| Tangential shrinkage (green→oven-dry) | 9.9% |
| Volumetric shrinkage (green→oven-dry) | 14.7% |
| T/R ratio (stability indicator) | 2.1 |
Shrinkage is total green-to-oven-dry (Table 4-3); strength values are at 12% MC. Full bases and the derivation formulas are on the methodology page.
Data: USDA Forest Products Laboratory, Wood Handbook FPL-GTR-282 (2021), public domain.