Advantages and disadvantages of maple wood

Maple wood is easy to work with and very robust, signs of wear are rare. In many parts of Europe the wood can be found in different species.

The maple is one of the deciduous trees, in Europe it is one of the most important forest trees. In Germany, a distinction is made between the three species Norway maple, field maple and sycamore maple, maple and sycamore are further processed industrially. For the production in North America the kinds sugar maple and Eschenahorn are used. In addition, the maple is common in England, West, Southeast and Central Europe and Asia Minor in various species.

The look

The appearance of the maple wood differs depending on the species. Some species have very bright tints, which correspond to almost a white, others are light brown or reddish-gray colored. The wood of the maple tree, which grows in America and Canada, is yellowish-brown and relatively dark. Maple sycamore maple is more yellowish-white in color and darkens due to sun exposure.

Maple wood has a uniform structure and has small pores. European maple wood is subtle in its grain, fine light brown lines occur.

advantages

• very hard-wearing
• Easy to process
• better environmental performance than other native wood species

disadvantage

• not weather resistant
• Tendency to cracks
• can be forgiven over time

properties

Maple wood is a medium-hard to hard wood. It has a tendency to crack but is also very firm and relatively elastic. With wood tools of any kind, it can be easily edited. The surface of the wood can be easily varnished, varnished and stained.

However, maple wood is not suitable for outdoor use because it is not weather resistant. Maple wood may discolor if not properly dried, with fine blue streaks. At the same time, the maple wood is relatively stable in shape and resistant to all types of daily use. It may, however, warp, shrinkage is rare.

use

Since maple wood is not weather resistant, it is mainly used indoors. In the manufacture of furniture it is used as solid wood or veneer, it is also used for decorative elements. In interior design, maple wood is often used for stairs and floor coverings because it is very resistant to daily wear and tear. Especially parquet from maple wood is hard-wearing. For a better contrast, bright European maple wood is often used with other dark woods. In addition, the wood of the maple tree is used in art to make sculptures or carving and turning. But maple wood is also a popular material for the production of children’s toys.

Maple wood – what price do you have to expect?

Many people ask themselves the question, with which prices for maple wood is to be counted. For maple wood there is also the name as hardwood, because it is one of the highest quality among the local woods. The prices are correspondingly high for this reason.

The prices of maple species

Between the Canadian and European maple species of the non-native locations in wood trade usually clear differences in the price are recognized.

In the case of European maple wood, timber is usually required to cost between 750 and 900 euros per m³. In exceptional cases, this can also be around 1000 euros per m³.

As sawn timber, the Canadian maple species usually cost around 1200 to 1500 euros per cubic meter and the edged goods can cost more again.

The prices for trimmed goods are often 1400 and 1700 Euro per m³.

The birdseye maple is a peculiarity and in commerce this is rarely found. The prices for this maple wood are at a very high level and therefore it must be assumed that the sawn timber of more than 5000 euros per m³.

The quality plays an important role in the price

In the case of the native maple wood, the high price differences are also explained by the fact that the top quality of the highest quality grades of the maple are rarer compared to other German types of wood. Therefore, the market price of wood of the highest quality level is subject to significant fluctuations every year. The highest quality maple wood can even double or halve within five years.

The firewood prices

The maple wood has the relatively high calorific value, which is only slightly lower than that of oak or beech. However, as firewood, maple wood is rarely found on the market. The price of the maple wood is then approximately in the range of the beech wood. However, this is always dependent on the offer and the dealer. If logs are bought by the forestry, then about 95 euros per harvest meter must be expected.

Important information about prices for maple wood

The trading class is always opting for the wood price and this is especially true of the raw wood. Depending on the type of wood is then sorted according to some criteria and these are the intended use of the wood, the quality and the trunk diameter. If you are interested in current prices, you can find them at the respective State Forestry Administration or at the Chamber of Agriculture. Even forest service providers can always provide reliable information about current prices for raw wood.