Hardwood Janka Rating

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.

Hardwood janka rating.

Still the very impressive janka ratings accurately depict the excellent durability of these non wood flooring products. 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. Furthermore with engineered wood flooring different materials exist underneath the top hardwood layer these layers significantly affect the floor s overall hardness. Woods with a higher rating are harder than woods with a lower rating.

The janka chart is commonly used in the flooring industry to compare hardwood flooring types. The higher the janka rating the more dent and wear resistant a particular wood is. 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 test measures the amount of force required to embed a 0 444 steel ball into the wood to half of its diameter.

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. Although not exact the scale is a good reference for which hardwood can better withstand denting and wear when compared with another wood species. A common use of janka hardness ratings is to determine whether a species is suitable for use as flooring.