Hardness Rating Of Wood Floors

Relative hardness of wood flooring species.

Hardness rating of wood floors.

Hi everyone and thanks for taking a few moments of your time to help a newbie renovator out. Below are listed the relative hardness for numerous wood species used in flooring. The janka hardness test measures the force required to embed a 444 inch steel ball to half its diameter in wood. Strand woven bamboo and eucalyptus flooring on average have janka ratings upwards of 3 800 which is much higher than traditional wood flooring.

These ratings were done using the janka hardness test. The janka hardness scale determines the hardness of a particular type of wood over another. Janka hardness ratings are determined by testing how much force it takes to embed half of a 444 inch steel ball s diameter into a piece of wood from a particular wood species. Although some tests have shown bamboo and eucalyptus to be over 5 000 on the janka scale the truth is that janka hardness ratings can vary from lot to lot even when produced by the same factory.

To learn the basic hardness of different common woods used in flooring check the chart below. The scale was invented in 1906 by gabriel janka an austrian wood researcher and standardized in 1927 by the american society for testing and materials depending on the room where the flooring will be installed a certain level of hardness may make it a more desirable choice. We moved in only a few months ago and knew that the laminate. It is important to remember that the testing process used in the janka scale is an impact test not a test of scratching scuffing or any other wear and tear that flooring experiences.

Janka hardness ratings of wood species. The indentation that is left is how the wood s hardness is measured.