Hickory is a very strong, close-grained wood that is known to have wide variations in colors. These color variations will range from white to chocolate brown. Hickory wood is often used as an alternative to oak for consumers who prefer an open-grained wood, but have tired of the traditional oak look. Hickory, with its extreme strength and flexibility, is used often in the manufacturing of ax handles and other products where strength is desired. All Haas maple cabinets utilize hard maple, rather than the less expensive soft maple used by most manufacturers.
Hard maple is a close-grained wood that is predominately white in color.
Hard maple is known for its strength and shock resistance and is used in the manufacturing of wood floors and bowling alleys. Due to its close graining, maple is mostly stained in a light color or whitewashed and can provide the consumer with a very contemporary look in a wood product. Oak is the most used wood in the manufacturing of cabinets and fine furniture and is considered the standard of wooden products.