Soft maple 
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Sales of soft maple are about the same or better, despite some higher prices, according to suppliers interviewed by Woodshop News.

Doug White says sales are up slightly at Doug White Hardwoods, a family-owned establishment in Marissa, Ill., that opened in 1869.

“We don’t sell a lot of it, but there’s a couple cabinet shops that use that instead of popular because it’s a little denser,” says White. “We don’t have any problems getting it.”

Paul Koffron of Koffron Hardwoods in Tiffin, Iowa, says soft maple has gone up about a dollar per board foot in the past year, but that hasn’t affected demand.

“I think that since the pricing in hard maple has gone up, that has pushed the soft maple price up because more people are using soft instead of hard maple. The two are very similar in color. It’s a little volatile because it’s availability changes. It’s a regional thing, I think,” says Koffron.

The term “soft maple” does not refer to any specific species of maple, but rather, it’s a broad term which includes several different species of maple. Hard maple tends to be of a lighter, more uniform color, while soft maple tends to be a bit darker, with red, brown, or gray streaks, according to The Wood Database.

“It’s popular for painted woodwork, cabinets, drawer sides, things like that. It works up easy and nice, and you can stain it and make it look like walnut,” adss Koffron.

“It’s always been one of our top five or so selling woods,” says Clint Dillon of Steve Wall Lumber in Mayodan, N.C. “I wouldn’t say that I’ve seen more demand for it. It’s just most of the time when we sell it, it’s just going for painted cabinets. That’s just how it is on our end.

“As far as price goes, it seems it’s gone up in the past two to three years, but right now it’s holding pretty steady on this end. Availability and supply have been fine. I haven’t run into any issues on that.”

Originally published in the February 2025 issue of Woodshop News.