Comparison Of Hardness of Woods For Flooring
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
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.
| Table 1 - List of Hardwoods by JANKA Number & Alphabetically | |||
| By JANKA Hardness Number | Alphabetical By Species | ||
| Wood Species | JANKA Number | Wood Species | JANKA Number |
|
Brazilian Walnut |
3680 |
Angelique Teak |
1290 |