Some of the hardest floors available are strand woven bamboo and eucalyptus where you may see janka ratings at levels from 3 800 to over 5 000 making them harder than all hardwoods.
Highest janka rating hardwood.
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.
The janka rating is a measure of the amount of force required to push a 444 diameter steel ball half way into a piece of wood.
The higher the rating the more resistant the floor will be to dents and scratches.
In laymans terms it is a way to measure a woods resistance to denting.
The highest rating on the scale is a 4000 making for an extremely hard wood also not likely suitable for flooring because it would be so difficult to saw.
For hardwood flooring the test usually requires a 2 6 sample with a thickness of at least 6 8mm and the most commonly used test is the astm d1037.
Yet these are not hardwoods.
The higher the number the harder the wood.
Janka ratings are from 0 to 4 000 the lower the rating the easier the species is susceptible to scratches and dents.
A common use of janka hardness ratings is to determine whether a species is suitable for use as flooring.
Janka wood hardness scale.