The sapwood is creamy white with a slight reddish brown tinge and the heartwood varies from light to dark reddish brown. The amount of darker brown heartwood can vary significantly according to growing region. The wood has a fine texture and is generally straight grained, but it can also occur as "curly ", "fiddleback " and " birds-eye " figure.

Hard Maple dries slowly with a large shrinkage, so it can be susceptible to movement in performance. Pre-boring is recommended when nailing and screwing. With care it machines well, turns well, glues satisfactorily, and can be stained and polished to an outstanding finish.

Hard maple is especially used in flooring, furniture, kitchen worktops and doors, stair-treads and handrails.