Soft is a relative term, and is only used to differentiate it from hard maple (Acer saccharum). Hard Maple is commonly referred to as Sugar Maple. Soft maple is creamy white and has a straight grain.
Rays are narrower than. USES : Suitable for furniture, joinery, domestic f.
WORKING PROPERTIES : Can be worked fairly. MECHANICAL PROPERTIES : Medium bending. Generally the sapwood is greyish-white, sometimes with darker colored pith. Despite being called soft maple, both hard and soft maple are considered hard woods.
As a general rule, soft maple is about the same "hardness" as american black cherry, hard maple is supposedly 25% harder. Generally, the sapwood is greyish-white, sometimes with darker-colored pith flecks.