Deciduous, summer green tree which can grow to over 30 m in good locations. The maple (of which there are around 150 varieties in northern temperate zones) usually has very straight, cylindrical trunks that can be free of branches to up to 15 m. It has a diameter of 60 to 100 cm.

The wood of the maple is very homogenous, is often speckled coarse to fine and dense. Depending on the genus, the colour of the wood ranges from almost pure white (sycamore maple), to red (field maple) and yellow hues (Norway maple), to pale grey (also Norway maple).

Wood that has become part of the core (see heartwood) but, in contrast to heartwood, does not have any tannin deposits. Accordingly, mature wood differs from heartwood in that it does not stand out from sapwood in terms of colour. Mature wood trees include spruce, beech and fir.