Hardwood Floor Ratings Hardness

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.

Hardwood floor ratings hardness.

A common use of janka hardness ratings is to determine whether a species is suitable for use as flooring. Relative hardness of wood flooring species. The janka hardness test measures the force required to embed a 444 inch steel ball to half its diameter in wood. The janka hardness test is often applied to bamboo and eucalyptus flooring products after manufacturing a process that artificially hardens the material by the addition of resins.

The janka hardness test from the austrian born emigrant gabriel janka 1864 1932 measures the resistance of a sample of wood to denting and wear. It measures the force required to embed an 11 28 millimetres 0 444 in diameter steel ball halfway into a sample of wood. Best hardwood floors 2020 wood flooring reviews there s a reason solid hardwood flooring has stood the test of time and continues to be a favorite flooring option despite the ever changing demands of interior décor trends. Below are listed the relative hardness for numerous wood species used in flooring.

The janka hardness scale determines the hardness of a particular type of wood over another. Forest service list the relative hardness for numerous wood species used in flooring. Janka hardness ratings are determined by testing how much force it takes to embed half of a 444 inch steel. Hardwood is durable widely available budget friendly and with the right finish can be easily adapted to suit any style.

While all hardwood floors will scratch under the right or rather the wrong circumstances harder floors tend to be more resistant to scratches than most so go for something that is at least as hard as red oak which has a janka rating of 1290. There are however some softwoods that are harder than some hardwoods. These ratings were done using the janka hardness test. For example eastern red cedar 900 hardness rating and douglas fir 660 hardness rating.

In this flooring guide we are going to look at the relative hardness of different species of wood the hardest wood flooring and why wood hardness might influence the type of wood you choose for your floor. Typically bamboo in its natural state carries a janka hardness rating of around 1 300 to 1 400 making it harder than most oak flooring and comparable to hard maple. Still the very impressive janka ratings accurately depict the excellent durability of these non wood flooring products. These ratings were calculated using the janka hardness test which measures the force needed to embed a 444 inch steel ball to half its diameter in a piece of wood.