4/4 Curly Maple Rough Sawn Lumber
Direct Kingma listing for Black Maple; inventory, lengths, and widths can rotate by variant.
View optionBlack Maple Wood Guide
Wood species guide · Domestic hardwood species
Black Maple is best understood by how it looks, how it works, and where it should be used. This guide explains the practical buying details before sending you to the right Kingma products.
Scientific nameAcer nigrum
Janka hardness1,180 lbf
Average dried weight40.0 lb/ft³
Best fitFlooring (from basketball courts and dance-floors to bowling alleys and residential)
Overview
Why choose Black Maple?
Black Maple is a domestic hardwood species associated with Northeastern United States. It is useful when the project calls for flooring (from basketball courts and dance-floors to bowling alleys and residential), veneer, paper (pulpwood), musical instruments, cutting boards, butcher blocks, workbenches, baseball bats, and other turned objects and specialty wood items
For SEO and customer usefulness, this page separates the science from the buying decision: appearance, working behaviour, durability, project fit, and then the right Kingma shopping path.
Scientific nameAcer nigrum
DistributionNortheastern United States
ShrinkageRadial: 4.8%, Tangential: 9.3%, Volumetric: 14%, T/R Ratio: 1.9 More images | Identification
DurabilityRated as non-durable to perishable in regard to decay resistance.
Black Maple colour, grain, and figure
Expect colour and figure that should be checked board by board before purchase.
In practical selection, the grain and texture are best treated this way: grain is generally straight, but may be wavy. Has a fine, even texture.
Working notes
In the shop, fairly easy to work with both hand and machine tools, though slightly more difficult than soft maple due to black maple’s higher density. Maple has a tendency to burn when being machined with high-speed cutters such as in a router.
Black maple, along with other maples in the Acer genus have been reported to cause skin irritation, runny nose, and asthma-like respiratory effects.
Black Maple should be sold by project fit: colour, workability, durability, and the format the customer actually needs.
Best uses for Black Maple
Best projects
Flooring (from basketball courts and dance-floors to bowling alleys and residential), veneer, paper (pulpwood), musical instruments, cutting boards, butcher blocks, workbenches, baseball bats, and other turned objects and specialty wood items
Use caution
Avoid specifying it by name alone; confirm board size, moisture, colour, figure, and the project environment before buying.
Finish strategy
Test finishes on offcuts first, especially when colour, blotching, outdoor exposure, or grain filling matters.
Buying note
Choose boards, slabs, plywood, blanks, or posts based on the project rather than species name alone.
Shop path
Buying Black Maple from Kingma
Start with the direct species match when Kingma sells it. If stock rotates, use the closest live collection or a clearly explained alternative.
4/4 Maple Dimensional Rough Sawn Lumber
Direct Kingma listing for Black Maple; inventory, lengths, and widths can rotate by variant.
View option6/4 Maple Dimensional Rough Sawn Lumber
Direct Kingma listing for Black Maple; inventory, lengths, and widths can rotate by variant.
View optionSimilar woods and alternatives
If Kingma does not have an exact match online, use the buying links below as practical alternatives only when the colour, grain, hardness, or project environment makes sense.
Black Maple FAQ
What is Black Maple best used for?
Black Maple is best considered for flooring (from basketball courts and dance-floors to bowling alleys and residential), veneer, paper (pulpwood), musical instruments, cutting boards, butcher blocks, workbenches, baseball bats, and other turned objects and specialty wood items. Match it to the exact board format, colour, hardness, and finish plan before buying.
Is Black Maple beginner friendly?
It depends on density, grain direction, and tooling. Test cuts on offcuts first, and choose Maple, Cherry, Walnut, or Poplar when easier machining is the priority.
Does Kingma sell Black Maple?
Use the buying section on this page. If an exact product is not listed, the linked alternatives are included only when they make practical sense for colour, grain, or project use.