Is Sycamore a Hardwood? Yes, but Only 770 lbf Hard

Yes, sycamore is a hardwood, but the label describes the tree, not how tough the lumber is. American sycamore (Platanus occidentalis) rates 770 lbf on the Janka scale, which puts it in the middle: harder than poplar and pine, softer than oak and hard maple. This page gives the numbers, the traps that catch buyers (two very different trees are both called sycamore), and what the wood is realistically good for.

Is Sycamore a Hardwood? The Short Answer

In the lumber trade, a hardwood is wood from a broadleaf, flowering tree, and a softwood is wood from a conifer. American sycamore is a broadleaf tree native to the eastern United States, so it is a hardwood. That classification says nothing about density, and sycamore is a good example of why: at 770 lbf it sits well below the woods most people picture when they hear the word hardwood.

One common belief on older pages, including the previous version of this one, is that sycamore is durable enough for outdoor furniture. The Wood Database says the opposite: it rates sycamore non-durable to perishable for decay resistance and susceptible to insect attack. Sycamore is an indoor wood.

Sycamore Hardness Compared With Other Woods

The values below are Janka ratings from The Wood Database, so every wood is measured the same way. The hardwood and softwood labels overlap: Douglas fir, a softwood, is not far below sycamore, and hard maple is nearly twice as hard.

Wood	Type	Janka hardness (lbf)
Eastern white pine	Softwood	380
Basswood	Hardwood	410
Yellow poplar	Hardwood	540
Douglas fir	Softwood	620
American sycamore	Hardwood	770
Lacewood (Panopsis, tropical)	Hardwood	840
London plane	Hardwood	940
Black cherry	Hardwood	950
Black walnut	Hardwood	1,010
Sycamore maple (European “sycamore”)	Hardwood	1,050
Red oak	Hardwood	1,220
Hard maple	Hardwood	1,450

The takeaway is practical. Sycamore will dent more easily than walnut or red oak, so it is a poor choice for a tabletop that takes daily abuse, but it is comfortably harder than poplar and pine and holds fine detail in turning and carving. For a broader look at how these ratings work, see our wood hardness scale. The same hardwood-label surprise shows up with other species too, for example zebrawood.

Two Trees Called Sycamore: The Mix-Up That Costs Buyers

The word sycamore covers two unrelated trees, and the lumber differs enough that it matters when you read a spec sheet or order a board.

	American sycamore	European sycamore (sycamore maple)	London plane
Botanical name	Platanus occidentalis	Acer pseudoplatanus	Platanus x acerifolia
Family	Plane tree	Maple	Plane tree
Janka hardness	770 lbf	1,050 lbf	940 lbf
Dried weight	34 lb/ft3	38 lb/ft3	35 lb/ft3
Native range	Eastern United States	Europe, southwestern Asia	Western Europe
Figure	Ray flecks when quartersawn	Curly or quilted grain possible	Ray flecks when quartersawn

If a European seller lists “sycamore,” you are probably being offered a maple, which is roughly 36 percent harder than the American wood. American sycamore is sometimes called American plane in Europe for the same reason. Our comparison of sycamore and maple covers how to tell the trees and the boards apart.

American Sycamore Wood Properties

These figures are from The Wood Database entry for sycamore at 12 percent moisture content. They are averages, and individual boards vary.

Property	American sycamore
Janka hardness	770 lbf (3,430 N)
Average dried weight	34 lb/ft3 (545 kg/m3)
Specific gravity (12% moisture)	0.46 to 0.55
Modulus of rupture (bending strength)	10,000 lbf/in2 (69.0 MPa)
Elastic modulus (stiffness)	1,420,000 lbf/in2 (9.79 GPa)
Crushing strength	5,380 lbf/in2 (37.1 MPa)
Shrinkage, radial / tangential / volumetric	5.0% / 8.4% / 14.1%
Tangential to radial shrinkage ratio	1.7
Rot resistance	Non-durable to perishable, susceptible to insect attack

The 1.7 tangential to radial shrinkage ratio is a genuine strength. The Wood Database lists a ratio of 2.6 for black willow, so sycamore moves more evenly as it dries and is less prone to warping, although its 14.1 percent volumetric shrinkage means you should still let boards acclimate before cutting joinery.

Color, figure and lacewood

Most sycamore boards are mostly sapwood, white to light tan, with some darker reddish brown heartwood streaks. The texture is fine and even, similar to maple, and the grain is interlocked. Cut quartersawn, the wide rays show as freckles across the face, and that is why sycamore is sometimes sold as lacewood. Do not confuse it with true Brazilian lacewood, which is a different tropical wood in the genus Panopsis. The Wood Database describes it as reddish brown with a coarser texture and a rating of 840 lbf.

How Sycamore Works in the Shop

The Wood Database reports that sycamore works easily with hand and machine tools, and turns, glues and finishes well. The interlocked grain can cause trouble when surfacing or machining, and the wood responds poorly to steam bending. Two consequences follow from those facts, and both are general shop practice rather than tested results on sycamore, so try them on scrap first:

• Expect tearout on the quartersawn ray flecks when planing. Sharp blades, a light final pass and a card scraper help on interlocked grain.
• Skip steam bending as a shaping method. If a project needs a curve, lamination is the safer route.
• Wear a dust mask when sanding. The Wood Database reports no specific health reactions to sycamore beyond the standard risks of any wood dust.

What Sycamore Is Used For

The Wood Database lists veneer, plywood, interior trim, pallets and crates, flooring, furniture, particleboard, pulpwood, tool handles and turned objects. Nearly all of those are indoor or short-life uses. The wood is usually moderately priced, though quartersawn boards cost more, which matters because quartersawn is the cut most buyers want for the figure.

If you are still deciding between species for a project, our types of wood guide puts the common options side by side.

Should You Choose Sycamore?

If you need	Sycamore fits?	Why
A pale, fine-textured wood for indoor furniture or trim	Yes	Fine even texture and 770 lbf hardness, works easily with tools
A figured quartersawn face for small projects	Yes	Ray flecks give a lacewood look
A hard-wearing tabletop	Borderline	Dents more easily than oak (1,220 lbf) or hard maple (1,450 lbf)
Outdoor furniture or decking	No	Rated non-durable to perishable
A steam-bent curve	No	Responds poorly to steam bending

Frequently Asked Questions

Is sycamore a hardwood or a softwood?

Sycamore is a hardwood. American sycamore (Platanus occidentalis) is a broadleaf, deciduous tree, and that is what the hardwood label means. Its Janka hardness of 770 lbf is only medium, softer than hard maple at 1,450 lbf but harder than eastern white pine at 380 lbf.

How hard is sycamore wood?

American sycamore measures 770 lbf (3,430 N) on the Janka scale, according to The Wood Database. London plane, a close relative, measures 940 lbf. Both are moderate: harder than poplar and basswood, softer than oak, walnut and hard maple.

Is sycamore good for outdoor use?

No. The Wood Database rates sycamore as non-durable to perishable and susceptible to insect attack, so it will decay quickly in contact with soil or moisture. Use it indoors, or protect it well if it must go outside.

Is sycamore the same as lacewood?

Sometimes, but not always. Quartersawn American sycamore and London plane are sold as lacewood because of their ray flecks. True Brazilian lacewood (Panopsis) is a different, unrelated tropical species that is coarser, reddish brown and harder at 840 lbf.

Is European sycamore the same as American sycamore?

No. European sycamore is a maple (Acer pseudoplatanus, sold as sycamore maple), while American sycamore is a plane tree (Platanus occidentalis). Sycamore maple is denser and harder at 1,050 lbf compared with 770 lbf.

Bottom Line

Sycamore is a hardwood by botany and a mid-hardness wood by measurement: 770 lbf for American sycamore, fine and even in texture, with an attractive quartersawn fleck. It is good indoors and poor outdoors, and it is not the same wood as the European tree sold under the same name. Check the botanical name on any listing before you buy.