The Janka hardness test measures the resistance of a type of wood to withstand denting and wear. It measures the force required to embed

Indentation hardness

Indentation hardness tests are used to determine the hardness of a material to deformation. Several such tests exist, wherein the examined material is indented until an impression is formed; these tests can be performed on a macroscopic or microscopic scale....

 an 11.28 mm (0.444094488188976 in) steel ball into wood to half the ball's diameter. This method leaves an indentation. A common use of Janka hardness ratings is to determine whether a species is suitable for use as flooring

Wood flooring

Wood flooring is any product manufactured from timber that is designed for use as flooring, either structural or aesthetic. Bamboo flooring is often considered a wood floor, although it is made from a grass rather than a timber....

.
The hardness of wood varies with the direction of the wood grain

Wood grain

In speaking of wood the term grain refers to the alternating regions of relatively darker and lighter wood resulting from the differing growth parameters occurring in different seasons . The term is used in several ways. Perhaps most important is that in woodworking techniques...

. Testing on the surface of a plank, perpendicular to the grain, is said to be of "side hardness." Testing the cut surface of a stump is called a test of "end hardness."

The results are stated in various ways, which can lead to confusion, especially when the name of the actual units employed is often not attached. In the United States, the measurement is in pounds-force

Pound-force

The pound force is a unit of force in some systems of measurement including English engineering units and British gravitational units.- Definitions :...

 (lbf). In Sweden it is in kilograms-force

Kilogram-force

A kilogram-force , or kilopond , is a gravitational metric unit of force. It is equal to the magnitude of the force exerted by one kilogram of mass in a gravitational field...

 (kgf), and in Australia, either in newtons (N) or kilonewtons (kN). Sometimes the results are treated as units, for example "660 Janka".

To convert pound-force (lbf) units to newtons N multiply pound-force by 0.45359237 then multiply by 9.80665 (1 standard g in units of m/s²). Janka hardness N = (lbf × 0.45359237) × 9.80665 OR multiply by 4.4482216152605. To get lbf from N, multiply N by 0.224808943099736.

The Janka Hardness test below is done in accordance with ASTM D 1037-7 testing methods. Material stocks ranges from 1" to 2" thick. (Numbers are an average. Testing is done on samples, not flooring that is already in place.) There is a standard deviation, but these numbers are not published. Other factors affect how flooring performs: type of core (for engineered flooring), grain direction and thickness floor or top wear surface.

Wood Flooring Species	Janka Hardness (pounds-force)
Lignum vitae Lignum vitae Lignum vitae is a trade wood, also called guayacan or guaiacum, and in parts of Europe known as pockenholz, from trees of the genus Guaiacum. This wood was once very important for applications requiring a material with its extraordinary combination of strength, toughness and density...  / Guayacan / Pockenholz	4500
Patagonian Rosewood / Curupay / Angico Preto / Piptadenia Macrocarpa / Brazilian Tiger Mahogany	3840
Brazilian Ebony	3692
Ipê Tabebuia Tabebuia is a neotropical genus of about 100 species in the tribe Tecomeae of the family Bignoniaceae. The species range from northern Mexico and southern Florida south to northern Argentina, including the Caribbean islands of Hispaniola and Cuba...  / "Brazilian Walnut" / Lapacho Lapacho Lapacho or Taheebo is a herbal tea made from the inner bark of Pink Ipê, Tabebuia impetiginosa. It is also sold under more ambiguous and possibly misleading names like "Ipes", "Ipê", "Pau d'arco", "Ipe Roxo", or "Trumpet Bush"....	3684
African Pearlwood / Moabi Moabi Moabi can refer to:*Baillonella toxisperma, a tropical tree*Moabi , a city in Gabon...  Sometimes: Brazilian Cherry "Lite"	3680
Bolivian Cherry	3650
Lapacho Lapacho Lapacho or Taheebo is a herbal tea made from the inner bark of Pink Ipê, Tabebuia impetiginosa. It is also sold under more ambiguous and possibly misleading names like "Ipes", "Ipê", "Pau d'arco", "Ipe Roxo", or "Trumpet Bush"....	3640
Cumaru / "Brazilian Teak" sometimes: "Brazilian Chestnut," "Tiete Chestnut," "South American Chestnut," "Southern Chestnut"	3540
Ebony Ebony Ebony is a dense black wood, most commonly yielded by several species in the genus Diospyros, but ebony may also refer to other heavy, black woods from unrelated species. Ebony is dense enough to sink in water. Its fine texture, and very smooth finish when polished, make it valuable as an...	3220
Brazilian Redwood / Paraju / Massaranduba	3190
Yvyraro Pterogyne nitens Pterogyne nitens is a species of legume in the Fabaceae family. It is also known as Amendoim Bravo, Cocal, Guiraró, Madeira Nova, Palo Coca, or Tipa Colorado. It is found in Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, and Paraguay. It is threatened by habitat loss.-Source:* Prado, D. 1998. . Downloaded on...	3040
Stranded/woven bamboo Bamboo Bamboo is a group of perennial evergreens in the true grass family Poaceae, subfamily Bambusoideae, tribe Bambuseae. Giant bamboos are the largest members of the grass family....	3000
Bloodwood Bloodwood Bloodwood has several meanings. It is the name of a dark red wood, from South America. It is also a common name for several unrelated groups of trees, for instance:* Brosimum paraense, a tree found in Central and South America...	2900
Red Mahogany Eucalyptus resinifera Eucalyptus resinifera , known as the Red Mahogany, is a common eucalyptus tree of eastern Australia. Its range of distribution is from Jervis Bay north to about Gladstone, Queensland in dry sclerophyll or wet sclerophyll forest habitats, preferring soils of a medium to high fertility.- Description :E... , Turpentine Turpentine Tree Turpentine tree may refer to:* Canarium australianum , native to Australia and Papua New Guinea* Pistacia terebinthus , native to the Mediterranean region and also the Canary Islands...	2697
"Southern Chestnut"	2670
Spotted Gum Corymbia maculata Corymbia maculata , commonly known as Spotted Gum, is an endemic Australian tree.-Description:Spotted Gum is a medium to tall tree with a straight trunk, growing up to 70 metres in height. However, there is an old reference to a 91 metre tall tree...	2473
Brazilian Cherry / Jatoba Jatobá Hymenaea courbaril is a tree common to the Caribbean, Central, and South America. It is a hardwood that is used for furniture, flooring and decorative purposes....	2350
Mesquite Mesquite Mesquite is a leguminous plant of the Prosopis genus found in northern Mexico through the Sonoran Desert and Chihuahuan Deserts, and up into the Southwestern United States as far north as southern Kansas, west to the Colorado Desert in California,and east to the eastern fifth of Texas, where...	2345
"Golden Teak"	2330
Santos Mahogany, Bocote Bocote Cordia alliodora is a species of flowering tree in the borage family, Boraginaceae, that is native to the American tropics. It is commonly known as Spanish Elm, Ecuador Laurel, or Salmwood... , Cabreuva Cabreúva Cabreúva is a municipality in the state of São Paulo in Brazil. The population in 2003 is 36,106, the density is about 138/km² the area is 261 km² The elevation is 640 m... , Honduran Rosewood	2200
Pradoo Pterocarpus macrocarpus Pterocarpus macrocarpus is a species of Pterocarpus native to southeastern Asia in northeastern India, Burma, Laos, Thailand, and Vietnam....	2170
Brazilian Koa	2160
Sucupira Sucupira Sucupira is a town and municipality in the state of Tocantins in the Northern region of Brazil.-References:...  sometimes "Brazilian Chestnut" or "Tiete Chestnut"	2140
Brushbox Lophostemon confertus The Brush Box, Lophostemon confertus, is a tree native to Australia, though it can be found in the United States and elsewhere. Quite frequently, it has been planted as a street tree, due to its hearty nature, its disease and pest resilience, high tolerance for smog, drought and poor drainage, as...	2135
Karri Karri Eucalyptus diversicolor, commonly known as the Karri, is a eucalypt which is native to the wetter regions of south west of Western Australia.-Description:...	2030
Sydney Blue Gum	2023
Bubinga	1980
Cameron Cameron -People:* Cameron * Cameron * The Scottish Clan Cameron* David Cameron, Prime Minister of the United Kingdom* Cam'ron, the stage name of hip hop artist Cameron Giles...	1940
Tallowwood Tallowwood Tallowwood is a native Eucalypt species common in New South Wales and Queensland, Australia. It grows in forests near the coast on moderate to fertile soils in a protected, sunny position. Tallowwood is drought and frost tender....	1933
Merbau	1925
Amendoim	1912
Jarrah Jarrah Eucalyptus marginata is one of the most common species of Eucalyptus tree in the southwest of Western Australia. The tree and the wood are usually referred to by the Aboriginal name Jarrah...	1910
Purpleheart Purpleheart Peltogyne, known as Purpleheart, is a genus of 23 species of flowering plants in the family Fabaceae, native to tropical regions of Central and South America, where they occur in tropical rainforests....	1860
Goncalo Alves Goncalo alves Goncalo alves is a hardwood . It is sometimes referred to as zebrawood or tigerwood — names that underscore the wood’s often dramatic, contrasting color scheme, that some compare to rosewood....  / Tigerwood Tigerwood Tigerwood may refer to several species of trees:* Coula edulis, a tree species native to tropical western Africa from Sierra Leone to Angola* Lovoa trichilioides, a tree species found in Africa* Goncalo alves, several species found in Brazil...	1850
Hickory Hickory Trees in the genus Carya are commonly known as hickory, derived from the Powhatan language of Virginia. The genus includes 17–19 species of deciduous trees with pinnately compound leaves and big nuts...  / Pecan Pecan The pecan , Carya illinoinensis, is a species of hickory, native to south-central North America, in Mexico from Coahuila south to Jalisco and Veracruz, in the United States from southern Iowa, Illinois, Missouri, and Indiana east to western Kentucky, southwestern Ohio, North Carolina, South... , Satinwood Satinwood Satinwood can mean the following:*A name for a wood that can be polished to a high gloss derived from certain species of the flowering plant family Rutaceae:**Chloroxylon swietenia, Ceylon satinwood or East Indian satinwood...	1820
Afzelia Afzelia Afzelia is a genus in the subfamily Caesalpinioideae of the family Fabaceae . The thirteen species all are trees, native to tropical Africa or Asia.- Uses :...  / Doussie / Australian Wormy Chestnut	1810
Bangkirai Shorea Shorea is a genus of about 196 species of mainly rainforest trees in the family Dipterocarpaceae. The genus is named after Sir John Shore, the Governor-General of the British East India Company, 1793-1798. They are native to southeast Asia, from Northern India to Malaysia, Indonesia and the...	1798
Rosewood Rosewood Rosewood refers to any of a number of richly hued timbers, often brownish with darker veining, but found in many different hues. All rosewoods are strong and heavy, taking an excellent polish, being suitable for guitars, marimbas, turnery , handles, furniture, luxury flooring, etc.In general,...	1780
African Padauk	1725
Blackwood Blackwood -Botany:* African Blackwood , decorative timber tree native to seasonally dry regions of Africa* Australian Blackwood, Acacia melanoxylon, native to eastern Australia...	1720
Merbau	1712
Kempas	1710
Black Locust	1700
Highland Beech	1686
Wenge Wenge Wenge is a tropical timber, very dark in color with a distinctive figure and a strong partridge pattern. The wood is heavy and hard, suitable for flooring and staircases. It also gives its name to the colour wenge.-Uses:... , Red Pine Red Pine Pinus resinosa, commonly known as the red pine or Norway pine, is pine native to North America. The Red Pine occurs from Newfoundland west to Manitoba, and south to Pennsylvania, with several smaller, disjunct populations occurring in the Appalachian Mountains in Virginia and West Virginia, as well...	1630
Tualang	1624
Zebrawood Zebrawood thumb|300px|ZebrawoodThe name zebrawood is used for wood with a figure that resembles the striping of a zebra, with dark stripes on a light background...	1575
True Pine, Timborana	1570
Peroba	1557
Sapele Sapele Sapele , also known as Sapelli or Aboudikro, is a large tree, Entandrophragma cylindricum, up to 45 m high and native to tropical Africa. The leaves are deciduous in the dry season, alternately arranged, pinnate, with 5-9 pairs of leaflets, each leaflet about 10 cm long...  / Sapelli Sapele Sapele , also known as Sapelli or Aboudikro, is a large tree, Entandrophragma cylindricum, up to 45 m high and native to tropical Africa. The leaves are deciduous in the dry season, alternately arranged, pinnate, with 5-9 pairs of leaflets, each leaflet about 10 cm long... , Kupa'y	1510
Curupixa	1490
Sweet Birch Sweet Birch Betula lenta is a species of birch native to eastern North America, from southern Maine west to southernmost Ontario, and south in the Appalachian Mountains to northern Georgia.-Characteristics and habitat:It is a medium-sized deciduous tree reaching 20 m tall with...	1470
Hard Maple Hard maple Hard maple is the wood yielded by Acer saccharum in its wider sense . It is a favorite for floors, bowling alleys and furniture. The weight per cubic metre is roughly 740kg....  / Sugar Maple Sugar Maple Acer saccharum is a species of maple native to the hardwood forests of northeastern North America, from Nova Scotia west to southern Ontario, and south to Georgia and Texas...	1450
Caribbean Walnut	1390
Coffee Bean Coffee bean A coffee bean is a seed of a coffee plant. It is the pit inside the red or purple fruit often referred to as a cherry. Even though they are seeds, they are referred to as 'beans' because of their resemblance to true beans. The fruits - coffee cherries or coffee berries - most commonly contain two...	1390
Natural Bamboo Bamboo Bamboo is a group of perennial evergreens in the true grass family Poaceae, subfamily Bambusoideae, tribe Bambuseae. Giant bamboos are the largest members of the grass family....  (represents one species)	1380
Australian Cypress Callitris Callitris is a genus of coniferous trees in the Cupressaceae . There are 15 species in the genus, of which 13 are native to Australia and the other two native to New Caledonia. Traditionally the most widely used common name is cypress-pine, a name shared by the closely related genus Actinostrobus...	1375
White Oak	1360
Tasmanian Oak Tasmanian Oak Tasmanian Oak refers to the hardwood produced by three trees: Eucalyptus regnans, Eucalyptus obliqua or Eucalyptus delegatensis, when it is sourced from the Australian state of Tasmania....	1350
Ribbon Gum	1349
Ash (White)	1320
American Beech American Beech Fagus grandifolia, also known as American Beech or North american beech, is a species of beech native to eastern North America, from Nova Scotia west to southern Ontario in southeastern Canada, west to Wisconsin and south to eastern Texas and northern Florida in the United States. Trees in the...	1300
Red Oak (Northern)	1290
Caribbean Heart Pine	1280
Yellow Birch Yellow Birch Betula alleghaniensis , is a species of birch native to eastern North America, from Newfoundland to Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, southern Quebec and Ontario, and the southeast corner of Manitoba in Canada, west to Minnesota, and south in the Appalachian Mountains to northern Georgia.It is a... , Iroko Iroko Tree Iroko is a large hardwood tree from west coast of tropical Africa. It is one of the woods sometimes referred to as African Teak, although it is unrelated to the teak family. The wood color is initially yellow but darkens to a richer brown over time....	1260
Movingui	1230
Heart Pine	1225
"Brazilian Mesquite" / Carapa Guianensis	1220
Larch Larch Larches are conifers in the genus Larix, in the family Pinaceae. Growing from 15 to 50m tall, they are native to much of the cooler temperate northern hemisphere, on lowlands in the north and high on mountains further south...	1200
Carbonized Bamboo Bamboo Bamboo is a group of perennial evergreens in the true grass family Poaceae, subfamily Bambusoideae, tribe Bambuseae. Giant bamboos are the largest members of the grass family....   (represents one species)	1180
Teak Teak Teak is the common name for the tropical hardwood tree species Tectona grandis and its wood products. Tectona grandis is native to south and southeast Asia, mainly India, Indonesia, Malaysia, and Burma, but is naturalized and cultivated in many countries, including those in Africa and the...	1155
Cocobolo Cocobolo Cocobolo is a tropical hardwood of the tree Dalbergia retusa from Central America.Only the heartwood is used: this is typically orange or reddish-brown in color, often with a figuring of darker irregular traces weaving through the wood. The sapwood is a creamy yellow, with a sharp boundary with...	1136
Brazilian Eucalyptus / Rose Gum Eucalyptus grandis Eucalyptus grandis, commonly known as the Flooded gum or Rose gum, is a tall tree with smooth bark, rough at the base fibrous or flaky, grey to grey-brown...	1125
Makore	1100
Siberian Larch Siberian Larch The Siberian Larch or Russian Larch is a frost-hardy tree native to western Russia, from close to the Finnish border east to the Yenisei valley in central Siberia, where it hybridises with the Dahurian Larch L...	1100
Peruvian Walnut	1080
Boreal	1023
Black Walnut Black Walnut Juglans nigra, the Eastern Black walnut, is a species of flowering tree in the hickory family, Juglandaceae, that is native to eastern North America. It grows mostly in riparian zones, from southern Ontario, west to southeast South Dakota, south to Georgia, northern Florida and southwest to central... /North American Walnut	1010
Teak Teak Teak is the common name for the tropical hardwood tree species Tectona grandis and its wood products. Tectona grandis is native to south and southeast Asia, mainly India, Indonesia, Malaysia, and Burma, but is naturalized and cultivated in many countries, including those in Africa and the...	1000
Cherry Cherry The cherry is the fruit of many plants of the genus Prunus, and is a fleshy stone fruit. The cherry fruits of commerce are usually obtained from a limited number of species, including especially cultivars of the wild cherry, Prunus avium....	995
Black Cherry, Imbuia Imbuia Imbuia may refer to*Phoebe porosa, a species of tree belonging to the Laurel family*Imbuia, a Brazilian city in the state of Santa Catarina...	950
Boire Boire Boire may stand for :* French word for the verb to drink,* Alain Boire , a Quebec politician* Nashua Municipal Airport, also known as Boire Field* first album of singer Miossec,...	940
Paper Birch Paper Birch Betula papyrifera is a species of birch native to northern North America.-Description:...	910
Eastern Red Cedar	900
Southern Yellow Pine Southern Yellow Pine Southern Yellow Pine doesn't refer to any one species of tree, but rather a group of species which are classified as yellow pine , and are native to the Southern United States. They grow very well in the acidic red clay soil found in most of the region. The varieties include Loblolly, Longleaf,...  (Longleaf)	870
Lacewood Lacewood Lacewood is a common name for lumber made from the wood of trees of species Cardwellia sublimis.The term may also refer to the wood of the American Sycamore, which has a similar appearance when quartersawn.-Uses:... , Leopardwood Flindersia Flindersia is a genus of 14 species of tree in the family Rutaceae. They are native to the Moluccas, New Guinea, Australia and New Caledonia.They are cultivated and planted for both timber and as a street tree...	840
African Mahogany African Mahogany African Mahogany is the common name for at least two types of trees:* genus Khaya of the family Meliaceae* genus Afzelia of the family Fabaceae...	830
Mahogany Mahogany The name mahogany is used when referring to numerous varieties of dark-colored hardwood. It is a native American word originally used for the wood of the species Swietenia mahagoni, known as West Indian or Cuban mahogany.... , Honduran Mahogany Swietenia humilis Swietenia humilis is a tree species in the diverse Meliaceae family. The Genus Swietenia, the true mahoganies, is made up of three species: S. mahagoni, S. macrophylla, and S. humilis. The Latin, humilis, translates to small or dwarfish. S. humilis at 6 m. reaches one-fifth the height of S....	800
Parana Araucaria angustifolia Araucaria angustifolia, the Paraná pine or Brazilian pine , is a species in the conifer genus Araucaria. Covering an original area of 233000 km², it is native to southern Brazil Araucaria angustifolia, the Paraná pine or Brazilian pine , is a species in the conifer genus Araucaria. Covering an...	780
Sycamore Sycamore Sycamore is a name which is applied at various times and places to three very different types of trees, but with somewhat similar leaf forms....	770
Shedua Guibourtia ehie Guibourtia ehie is a species of Guibourtia in the family Fabaceae, native to tropical west Africa in Cameroon, Gabon, Ghana, Ivory Coast, Liberia, and Nigeria. It prefers closed rain forests and transitional forests, often in small groups...	710
Southern Yellow Pine Southern Yellow Pine Southern Yellow Pine doesn't refer to any one species of tree, but rather a group of species which are classified as yellow pine , and are native to the Southern United States. They grow very well in the acidic red clay soil found in most of the region. The varieties include Loblolly, Longleaf,...  (Loblolly Loblolly Pine Pinus taeda is one of several pines native to the Southeastern United States, from central Texas east to Florida, and north to Delaware. It is particularly dominant in the eastern half of North Carolina, where there are huge expanses consisting solely of Loblolly Pine trees...  and Shortleaf)	690
Douglas Fir	660
Western Juniper Juniperus occidentalis Juniperus occidentalis is a shrub or tree native to the western United States, growing in mountains at altitudes of 800-3,000 m .-Description:...	626
Alder (Red)	590
Larch Larch Larches are conifers in the genus Larix, in the family Pinaceae. Growing from 15 to 50m tall, they are native to much of the cooler temperate northern hemisphere, on lowlands in the north and high on mountains further south...	590
Chestnut Chestnut Chestnut , some species called chinkapin or chinquapin, is a genus of eight or nine species of deciduous trees and shrubs in the beech family Fagaceae, native to temperate regions of the Northern Hemisphere. The name also refers to the edible nuts they produce.-Species:The chestnut belongs to the...	540
Hemlock Tsuga Tsuga is a genus of conifers in the family Pinaceae. The common name hemlock is derived from a perceived similarity in the smell of its crushed foliage to that of the unrelated plant poison hemlock....	500
Western White Pine Western White Pine Western White Pine, Pinus monticola in the family Pinaceae, is a species of pine that occurs in the mountains of the western United States and Canada, specifically the Sierra Nevada, the Cascade Range, the Coast Range, and the northern Rocky Mountains. The tree extends down to sea level in many...	420
Basswood	410
Eastern White Pine Eastern White Pine Pinus strobus, commonly known as the eastern white pine, is a large pine native to eastern North America, occurring from Newfoundland west to Minnesota and southeastern Manitoba, and south along the Appalachian Mountains to the northern edge of Georgia.It is occasionally known as simply white pine,...	380
Balsa	100

External links

• Janka Hardness Scale For Wood Flooring Species
• Janka Hardness Scale For Wood - Side Hardness Chart of Some Woods
• USDA - Wood Handbook - Wood as an Engineering Material
• USDA - Janka Hardness Using Nonstandard Specimens
• Janka Hardness Scale For Hardwood Flooring