Is maple a cheap wood?

Author: Cristian Frami  |  Last update: Tuesday, July 15, 2025

Hard maple is slightly more expensive than soft maple. Expect to pay anywhere from $8 to $12 per board foot, depending on the board width and grade. For highly figured variations like bird's eye maple or quilted maple, prices go up to $20 to $30 per board foot.

Is maple expensive wood?

Generally speaking, oak tends to be slightly more expensive than maple due to its higher demand in various industries. Both woods, however, are considered affordable options for homeowners looking to upgrade their space with high-quality materials.

What are the disadvantages of maple wood?

Sensitive to Humidity and Heat –

Like most hardwood varieties, maple is sensitive to extreme humidity and temperature changes. If summer humidity is an issue in your home, this wood isn't suitable as it can expand and contract, warp and split.

What type of wood is cheapest?

Pine. Pine wood is by far the cheapest wood that you can get on a consumer level, but it is also one of the best wood options when a high strength wood and low cost are needed. Pine wood is sourced from the dozens of different pine species that grow natively around the world.

Is maple wood affordable?

Maple hardwood flooring is not only beautiful and durable but also relatively affordable compared to other hardwood options. This cost-effectiveness makes it accessible to a wider range of homeowners, allowing more people to enjoy the benefits of hardwood flooring without breaking the bank.

What Wood Should I Buy? A Guide to Inexpensive - Expensive Wood Types for Beginners | Woodworking

Is oak or maple better?

When it comes to strength and durability, maple and oak are some of the best kitchen cabinet materials you can have. After all, they're both hardwoods. That being said, maple is a slightly stronger hardwood product than oak. Maple is one of the strongest and most durable natural wood options available.

Which wood is most expensive?

African blackwood (dalbergia melanoxylon) is the most expensive woods in the world because it comes from a slow-growing near-threatened tree.

What wood looks like oak but is cheaper?

Ash is a great alternative to white oak in nearly every application. Elm, similar to Ash, takes beautifully to colour thanks to its natural neutral tone.

Is maple a hardwood?

Both hard maple and soft maple are harvested from dicot trees, so both types are technically hardwoods. Hard maple, or sugar maple, is the most durable of the maple species with a janka value of 1,450, which makes it one of the hardest domestic woods used in furniture making.

What is the best cheap wood for beds?

Best Type of Wood for a Durable Bed
  • Golden-Brown Color and Straight Grain. ...
  • Aesthetic Appeal Over Time. ...
  • Resistance to Pests. ...
  • Rosewood. ...
  • Oak. ...
  • Walnut. ...
  • Mahogany. ...
  • Satinwood. Unique Aesthetic: Known for its light and warm shades of brown, Satinwood brings a unique touch to bed frames.

Does maple crack easily?

Thin barked trees such as maple and cherry are more prone to frost cracking, which makes site selection important when planting these species.

What is maple best for?

Soft maple can be a very good general purpose hardwood. Besides furniture and cabinetry, we have also seen our customers request this species for various other applications mouldings, millwork, musical instruments, crates, wood-turning uses, doors and even sometimes flooring.

Does maple wood scratch easily?

Due to its light color, which ranges from creamy white to a light brown, maple does not handle scratches very well. Any slight scratch or dent will be immediately visible, given the wood's fine grain and light color.

Is maple wood worth anything?

Because maple is a hardwood, it commands a high value on the market, especially for species like sugar maple and black maple. The worth of a maple tree depends on its age, size, and health, with larger and healthier specimens fetching a higher price.

Why is mahogany illegal?

Following the path of ivory, in 2003, mahogany was listed on the Convention on Trade in Endangered Species (CITES) as a species in need of strict regulation to prevent its extinction. Because Peruvian mahogany is traded in violation of CITES, it is illegal to trade or possess it under the U.S. Endangered Species Act.

What is the rarest wood in the world?

Agarwood, often called the “Wood of the Gods,” is one of Earth's rarest and most sought-after materials. This unique wood forms when an Aquilaria tree is infected with a specific fungus, triggering the tree to produce a dark, aromatic resin.

What are the negatives of maple wood?

Here are some of the top cons of maple flooring:
  • Difficult to Stain. Maple has a tight grain making it challenging to stain. ...
  • Easily Scratched. Maple floors scratch relatively easily. ...
  • Sensitive to Climate. Like most hardwood, maple is sensitive to temperature and humidity. ...
  • Discoloration Over Time. ...
  • Lack of Grain Pattern.

Is maple wood better than oak?

Overall, white oak is the best choice for projects that call for water-resistant, decay resistant wood. Oak offers more options as far as grain pattern, and will provide a richer look when used as cabinetry or flooring. Maple is lighter, more affordable, and works well in contemporary spaces and for indoor projects.

Does maple burn hotter than oak?

Sugar maple, 24 BTUs per cord. White oak, 24 BTUs per cord. White ash, 23.6 BTUs per cord. Yellow birch, 21.8 BTUs per cord.

What is poor man's oak?

Known in the trade as 'poor mans' oak' the other differences you'll notice between Oak and Idigbo (other than cost) is the weight of the timber – hold a piece of Idigbo in one hand and a piece of Oak in the other and there is a noticeable difference in weight, the Idigbo being far lighter.

What wood is cheapest?

While several varieties of wood may be affordable, softwoods emerge as the most inexpensive choice, particularly types like pine, spruce, and fir.

What wood is closest to maple?

Maple Chosen for its lighter color, the yellow birch was almost a perfect look-alike for sugar maple even before staining with a highly diluted Dark Golden Oak aniline dye and finishing with lacquer.

What wood is considered luxury?

Walnut is a semi-hard wood but with great modeling by the craftsman. The dark color of the walnut with veins tending to black, which stand out after polishing, makes it possible to create particularly elegant furniture. Oak is another of the more luxurious types of wood. Oak wood is heavy, solid and long-lasting.

What is the most expensive thing in the world?

History Supreme Yacht is the most expensive thing in the world with a price tag of $4.8 billion. While it's not pronounced as the largest yacht in the world, it still took three years to design this luxury.

Previous article
Does turning off the ice maker defrost it?
Next article
How long should I let bleach sit in the shower?