BLC hard maple is harvested within our tight geographic region of north western
Pennsylvania and is manufactured at our single location, providing our customers
with a consistently great color hard maple. Although our region provides BLC
with hard maple of great color and consistency, our highly skilled inspectors
still grade against heartwood and other color defects to provide our customers
with the best consistent color product.
BLC hard maple is properly kiln dried, equalized and conditioned in our own
kilns. We utilize a low temperature schedule to ensure the whitest maple. We do
not exceed 120° until the moisture content is at 10% and even then we do not
exceed 160°. We also take great care with our hard maple to avoid enzymatic
bruising in the lumber.
Before kiln drying, BLC fresh sawn hard maple is promptly stacked on
Breeze-Dried ™ stickers. A sticker and bolster are placed every foot. All green
lumber is also end waxed to help minimize end checking. We also place a weighted
roof on top of every stack of lumber when it is put on sticks and placed in our
air drying yard. These weighted roofs stay in place until after the lumber is
dried and cooled. We also use a 2” thick rigid pile bottom on the bottom pack of
every stack of lumber. All of this is designed to give you, the customer, the
flattest and straightest possible product, minimizing warp, cup, side bend and
bow, increasing your yield. BLC also double end trims at an over length of 3” to
give our customers maximum yield from every board.
BLC grading standards for hard maple:
Prime Supreme
--Is put up 4” (4.0") & wider, 100% #1 & #2 white. Lengths are typically sorted as
7'-8', 9'-10', 11'-12', and 13'-16'. Customers can request loads that meet their optimum
length requirements.
--BLC Prime Supreme hard maple wane restrictions greatly exceed NHLA rules,
providing an exceptional square edge product for increased customer yield. BLC
only allows in the aggregate, 1/3 the length (NHLA ½) and ¼ the width (NHLA 1/3).
--BLC Prime Supreme is a true random width product with no widths pulled,
resulting in a better average width and includes all the wide clear boards
produced as we do not pull any clear stock from our Prime Supreme hard maple.
--Consistent color is the norm and no #1 white is pulled out.
--BLC Prime Supreme hard maple makes an excellent choice for distribution yard
stock.
Select and Better Brown
--Is put up 4” & wider. Lengths are typically sorted as 6'-8', 9'-12' and
13'-16'.
--SBB hard maple contains boards that have too much heartwood.
--This product is a great buy for a customer for whom color is not an issue.
1Com Prime
--Is put up 4” & wider, 100% sap & better. Lengths are typically sorted as
4'-6', 7'-8', 9'-10', 11'-12', and 13'-16'.
--Inspectors greatly limit wane for increased customer yield.
--Consistent color is the norm and no white is pulled out.
1Com Brown
--Is put up 4” & wider. Lengths are typically sorted as 4'-8', 9'-12' and
13'-16'.
--1Com brown soft maple contains boards that have too much heartwood.
--This product is a great buy for a customer for whom color is not an issue.
2Com Prime
--Is put up 4” & wider, 100% sap & better. Lengths are typically sorted as
4'-6', 7'-8', 9'-10', 11'-12', and 13'-16'.
--Inspectors greatly limit wane for increased customer yield.
--Consistent color is the norm and no white is pulled out.
2Com Brown
--Is put up 4” & wider. Lengths are typically sorted as 4'-8', 9'-12' and
13'-16'.
--2Com brown hard maple contains boards that have too much heartwood.
--This product is a great buy for a customer that color is not an issue.
BLC has surfacing facilities available on site and can S2S to your specific
requirements. Additional sorting is also available at the customers request
after surfacing as this may reveal defects not seen in the rough. These may
include color issues, checking, planer splits, pin knots, thin ends or thin
boards and etc.
BLC Grade
Standards - Hard Maple