Hardwood Flooring Janka Scale

While the complete janka hardness listings will reveal that there are some fairly hard softwoods and some relatively soft hardwoods in the species most commonly used in flooring the identifiers hold true.

Hardwood flooring janka scale.

The most popular hardwood flooring out there is red oak and it has a rating of about. Janka hardness scale for hardwood flooring the janka hardness test was designed to rate the relative hardness of wood on a scale of 0 to 4000. The janka test measures the force required to embed a 444 inch steel ball into the wood by half its diameter. Solid hardwood flooring will always be stronger than hardwood veneer engineered flooring.

The janka hardness scale starts at 0 and goes through 4000 with 4000 being an extremely hard wood so hard it is difficult to saw. The janka scale can even reveal subtle hardness differences between woods that appear to be quite similar. The industry standard for hardness the hardness of a wood is rated on an industry wide standard known as the janka test. This test is one of the best measures of the ability of a wood specie to withstand denting and wear.

The best wood for hardwood flooring typically falls above 1000 on the scale. A common use of janka hardness ratings is to determine whether a species is suitable for use as flooring. 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. Hardwoods are better than softwoods.

Although this janka hardness test is one of the best methods to measure the ability of wood species to withstand indentations it should be used only as a general guide when comparing various species of wood flooring. 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. The janka hardness scale determines the hardness of a particular type of wood over another. When choosing floors for your home keep in mind the janka hardness scale as it will tell you generally how.

It is also a good indicator of how hard a.