There are many methods of testing the hardness of flooring products. One of the most accepted methods is the JANKA hardness test. While the actual numbers have little meaning, the comparison between different species of hardwood can give the homeowner an indication of the hardness of the hardwood floor being contemplated as compared to other hardwoods.
The JANKA test involves pushing a steel ball (0.444″ in diameter) into a piece of lumber until half of the ball's diameter has penetrated. The force necessary to do this is measured in pounds-force and becomes the comparison between hardness of different lumber species.
The higher the number, the harder the wood. As a general statement tropical woods are harder than woods grown in temperate climates.
Table 1 lists the most common hardwoods by JANKA Number and alphabetically by species.
By JANKA Hardness Number |
|
Wood Species |
JANKA Number |
Brazilian Ebony |
3690 3680 3540 3190 3000 2820 2345 2300 2200 2170 1925 1910 1820 1820 1710 1630 1575 1500 1450 1410 1375 1360 1320 1300 1290 1260 1260 1225 1200 1155 1125 1120 1080 1010 950 830 800 690 650 420 |
Alphabetical By Species |
|
Wood Species |
JANKA Number |
African Mahogany |
830 1290 1320 2170 1375 1120 1410 1300 2820 3690 1125 3190 1500 3000 3540 3680 420 2300 950 650 1820 800 1910 1710 1200 1925 2345 1450 1820 1080 1225 690 1260 2200 1155 1010 1630 1360 1260 1575 |