Hardwood Janka Rating

The janka chart is commonly used in the flooring industry to compare hardwood flooring types.

Hardwood janka rating. A common use of janka hardness ratings is to determine whether a species is suitable for use as flooring. The janka hardness scale determines the hardness of a particular type of wood over another. So there is a variation between the janka rating and the final hardness of any hardwood flooring. Woods with a higher rating are harder than woods with a lower rating.

Still the very impressive janka ratings accurately depict the excellent durability of these non wood flooring products. The janka scale is used to determine the relative hardness of particular domestic or exotic wood species. 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. Although not exact the scale is a good reference for which hardwood can better withstand denting and wear when compared with another wood species.

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. It measures the force required to embed an 11 28 millimetres 0 444 in diameter steel ball halfway into a sample of wood. The scale used in the table is pounds force. Furthermore with engineered wood flooring different materials exist underneath the top hardwood layer these layers significantly affect the floor s overall hardness.