Below are listed the relative hardness for numerous wood species used in flooring.
Cherry wood floor hardness.
Hardwoods are better than softwoods.
It measures the force required to embed an 11 28 millimetres 0 444 in diameter steel ball halfway into a sample of wood.
Cherry ranks at 6 on a scale of 1 to 10 for density.
Woods with a higher rating are harder than woods with a lower rating.
These ratings were done using the janka hardness test.
Youtube a video demonstration of the janka hardness test in action.
The scale used in the table is pounds force.
At a massive over double african cherry at 2820 is brazilian cherry.
African cherry is a little higher with a 1110.
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.
It is considered relatively soft by woodworkers and is easy to cut and machine.
Solid hardwood flooring will always be stronger than hardwood veneer engineered flooring.
The janka hardness scale determines the hardness of a particular type of wood over another.
Wood hardness chart species alphabetical hardness species by hardness hardness mahogany honduran 800 padauk 1725 mahogany santos 2200 tabaccowood 1750 maple hard north american 1450 rosewood bolivian 1780 maple ivory 1500 bamboo carbonized 1800 maple soft 999 hickory 1820 merbau 1925 pecan 1820 mesquite 2345 yellowheart 1820.
On the janka hardness scale american cherry hardwood rates a 950.
Relative hardness of wood flooring species.
The janka scale is used to determine the relative hardness of particular domestic or exotic wood species.
The janka hardness test measures the force required to embed a 444 inch steel ball to half its diameter in wood.
Relative hardness of wood flooring 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.
Throughout the wood flooring industry the janka hardness chart is recognized as the main source for questions related to the density and relative hardness of both domestic species as well as exotic wood species from around the world.
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.
This number is relatively low due to cherry being a softer wood.
Have you had any first hand experience of choosing a softer species of wood over a harder one.
A common use of janka hardness ratings is to determine whether a species is suitable for use as flooring.
More information on the hardness of different hardwood flooring.