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Resources · Janka hardness

Wood floor hardness

How hard is your wood floor?

The Janka rating is the force, in pounds, it takes to press a steel ball 0.444 inches across halfway into a piece of wood. The higher the number, the harder the wood is to dent. Red oak, the classic American floor and the benchmark the trade measures against, is 1,290. Every number here comes from the USDA Wood Handbook or the NWFA species guide, with its source beside it.

  1. 1A steel ball, 0.444 inches across, a little under half an inch, sits on the side of a board.
  2. 2A press pushes it in until exactly half the ball is buried in the wood.
  3. 3The force it took, in pounds (lbf), is the Janka rating. The dent it leaves is narrower than a dime.
The Janka test: a steel ball 0.444 inches across is pressed into the side of a board until half of it is buried. The force it takes, in pounds, is the rating.1230.444 in steel ballhalf buriedforce, lbfthe dent, beside a dime
The Janka test, drawn to scale: the ball, half buried, and the dent beside a dime.
The whole page on one card, to save or pin
1,290lbf Red oak The benchmark the trade measures against 1,360lbf White oak 5 percent harder than red oak 1,450lbf Hard maple 12 percent harder than red oak 1,820lbf Hickory 41 percent harder than red oak 1,010lbf Walnut 22 percent softer than red oak

Every wood sold as flooring, by hardness.

41 woods sold as flooring, hardest first, from Ipe at 3,680 to Eastern white pine at 380. The 13 we carry are in oak brown, from hickory at 1,820 down to silver maple at 700. A name sold for several trees, like pine, is drawn as its range. The dashed line is red oak. Tap a name for its own page.

We carry itSold as flooringRed oak, the benchmark

  1. Ipe3,680 lbf, 2.9 times as hard as red oak · USDA Wood Handbook, 2021
  2. Cumaru3,540 lbf, 2.7 times as hard as red oak · NWFA species guide, 2004
  3. Bubinga2,690 lbf, 2.1 times as hard as red oak · USDA Wood Handbook, 2021
  4. Spotted gum2,473 lbf, 92 percent harder than red oak · NWFA species guide, 2004
  5. Brazilian cherry2,350 lbf, 82 percent harder than red oak · USDA Wood Handbook, 2021
  6. Mesquite2,345 lbf, 82 percent harder than red oak · NWFA species guide, 2004
  7. Santos mahogany2,200 lbf, 71 percent harder than red oak · NWFA species guide, 2004
  8. Tigerwood2,160 lbf, 67 percent harder than red oak · USDA Wood Handbook, 2021
  9. Sydney blue gum2,023 lbf, 57 percent harder than red oak · NWFA species guide, 2004
  10. Eucalyptus1,350 to 2,473 lbf, from 5 percent harder than red oak to 92 percent harder than red oak, by which tree · 4 colors we carry
  11. Jarrah1,910 lbf, 48 percent harder than red oak · USDA Wood Handbook, 2021
  12. Purpleheart1,860 lbf, 44 percent harder than red oak · USDA Wood Handbook, 2021
  13. Hickory1,820 lbf, 41 percent harder than red oak · 250 colors we carry · NWFA species guide, 2004
  14. Pecan1,820 lbf, 41 percent harder than red oak · 11 colors we carry · USDA Wood Handbook, 2021
  15. Padauk1,725 lbf, 34 percent harder than red oak · NWFA species guide, 2004
  16. Kempas1,710 lbf, 33 percent harder than red oak · USDA Wood Handbook, 2021
  17. Wenge1,630 lbf, 26 percent harder than red oak · NWFA species guide, 2004
  18. Sapele1,510 lbf, 17 percent harder than red oak · USDA Wood Handbook, 2021
  19. Brazilian maple1,500 lbf, 16 percent harder than red oak · NWFA species guide, 2004
  20. Merbau1,500 lbf, 16 percent harder than red oak · USDA Wood Handbook, 2021
  21. Hard maple1,450 lbf, 12 percent harder than red oak · 262 colors we carry · USDA Wood Handbook, 2021
  22. Australian cypress1,375 lbf, 7 percent harder than red oak · NWFA species guide, 2004
  23. White oak1,360 lbf, 5 percent harder than red oak · 501 colors we carry · USDA Wood Handbook, 2021
  24. Tasmanian oak1,350 lbf, 5 percent harder than red oak · NWFA species guide, 2004
  25. White ash1,320 lbf, 2 percent harder than red oak · 78 colors we carry · USDA Wood Handbook, 2021
  26. American beech1,300 lbf, about as hard as red oak · USDA Wood Handbook, 2021
  27. Northern red oak1,290 lbf, the benchmark · 449 colors we carry · USDA Wood Handbook, 2021
  28. Iroko1,260 lbf, 2 percent softer than red oak · USDA Wood Handbook, 2021
  29. Yellow birch1,260 lbf, 2 percent softer than red oak · 65 colors we carry · USDA Wood Handbook, 2021
  30. Antique heart pine1,225 lbf, 5 percent softer than red oak · NWFA species guide, 2004
  31. Southern red oak1,060 lbf, 18 percent softer than red oak · USDA Wood Handbook, 2021
  32. Black walnut1,010 lbf, 22 percent softer than red oak · 15 colors we carry · USDA Wood Handbook, 2021
  33. Teak1,000 lbf, 22 percent softer than red oak · 4 colors we carry · USDA Wood Handbook, 2021
  34. Black cherry950 lbf, 26 percent softer than red oak · 1 colors we carry · USDA Wood Handbook, 2021
  35. Red maple950 lbf, 26 percent softer than red oak · USDA Wood Handbook, 2021
  36. Longleaf pine870 lbf, 33 percent softer than red oak · USDA Wood Handbook, 2021
  37. Pine380 to 1,225 lbf, from 71 percent softer than red oak to 5 percent softer than red oak, by which tree · 4 colors we carry
  38. Douglas fir710 lbf, 45 percent softer than red oak · USDA Wood Handbook, 2021
  39. Silver maple700 lbf, 46 percent softer than red oak · 36 colors we carry · USDA Wood Handbook, 2021
  40. Southern yellow pine690 lbf, 47 percent softer than red oak · USDA Wood Handbook, 2021
  41. Eastern white pine380 lbf, 71 percent softer than red oak · USDA Wood Handbook, 2021

What the number means in a home.

A dent is wood crushed under a small point. The Janka number says how much force that takes, so it speaks to dents. Scratches are a different story: they live in the finish.

Heels and dropped things

A narrow heel or a dropped pan puts a lot of weight on a tiny spot. A harder wood takes more of it before it gives, so it marks less, or not at all.

Pets

Claws mostly mark the finish, not the wood, so the sheen and the surface matter as much as the species. A lower sheen and a textured surface show fine scratches less than a glossy, smooth one.

Chairs and furniture

A chair leg carries part of a person's weight on a small foot, many times a day. A harder wood resists it better, and felt pads under the feet do more than any species can.

What it does not tell you.

The Janka number is the wood. It says nothing about the finish on top, which is what you see and touch, and it is a lab figure from small clear samples, not a promise about a whole floor in a whole house.

An engineered floor's face is the same wood as a solid floor of that species, so it shares the number; what changes is the core under it. Luxury vinyl and laminate are not wood, and are rated with their own tests for wear, scratches and dents, so their figures do not sit on this scale.

Hardness also changes how a floor is worked: a very hard wood is slower to sand, to cut and to nail. Harder is not simply better; it is one fact about a floor among many.

Two boards in cross section: solid hardwood is one wood all the way through; engineered hardwood is a wood top layer on a core of cross plies.SolidEngineeredOne wood, top to bottomThe number is the whole boardA wood top layer on a ply coreThe number is the top layer
Solid and engineered in cross section. On both, the Janka number belongs to the wood you walk on.

Heavier wood is harder.

Hardness follows weight. Plot every American wood the Wood Handbook measured, its weight against its Janka number, and they line up along one curve: the denser the wood, the more force it takes to dent.

That is why the hardest floor woods are heavy tropical timbers, and why pines, light and soft, sit at the bottom, with one exception that proves it: old growth heart pine, dense from centuries of slow growth, is nearly as hard as red oak.

Janka hardness against specific gravity, 97 American woodsEach dot is one species from the Wood Handbook. Heavier woods, further right, are harder, higher up. The curve is fitted through all of them: hardness rises a little faster than weight.05001,0001,5002,0000.30.40.50.60.70.8Specific gravity at 12 percent moisture: heavier wood to the rightNorthern white-cedar: 320 lbf, specific gravity 0.31Atlantic white-cedar: 350 lbf, specific gravity 0.32Western redcedar: 350 lbf, specific gravity 0.32Subalpine fir: 350 lbf, specific gravity 0.32Balsam fir: 380 lbf, specific gravity 0.35Eastern white pine: 380 lbf, specific gravity 0.35Sugar pine: 380 lbf, specific gravity 0.36Engelmann spruce: 390 lbf, specific gravity 0.35Noble fir: 410 lbf, specific gravity 0.39White spruce: 410 lbf, specific gravity 0.36Western white pine: 420 lbf, specific gravity 0.38Redwood, young growth: 420 lbf, specific gravity 0.35Pacific silver fir: 430 lbf, specific gravity 0.43Ponderosa pine: 460 lbf, specific gravity 0.40Incense-cedar: 470 lbf, specific gravity 0.37White fir: 480 lbf, specific gravity 0.39Lodgepole pine: 480 lbf, specific gravity 0.41Redwood, old growth: 480 lbf, specific gravity 0.40Grand fir: 490 lbf, specific gravity 0.37California red fir: 500 lbf, specific gravity 0.38Eastern hemlock: 500 lbf, specific gravity 0.40Baldcypress: 510 lbf, specific gravity 0.46Douglas-fir, interior south: 510 lbf, specific gravity 0.46Sitka spruce: 510 lbf, specific gravity 0.40Black spruce: 530 lbf, specific gravity 0.42Red spruce: 530 lbf, specific gravity 0.40Western hemlock: 540 lbf, specific gravity 0.45Red pine: 560 lbf, specific gravity 0.46Jack pine: 570 lbf, specific gravity 0.43Yellow-cedar: 580 lbf, specific gravity 0.44Tamarack: 590 lbf, specific gravity 0.53Douglas-fir, interior north: 600 lbf, specific gravity 0.48Port-Orford-cedar: 630 lbf, specific gravity 0.43Douglas-fir, interior west: 660 lbf, specific gravity 0.50Spruce pine: 660 lbf, specific gravity 0.44Mountain hemlock: 680 lbf, specific gravity 0.45Loblolly pine: 690 lbf, specific gravity 0.51Shortleaf pine: 690 lbf, specific gravity 0.51Douglas fir: 710 lbf, specific gravity 0.48Virginia pine: 740 lbf, specific gravity 0.48Western larch: 830 lbf, specific gravity 0.52Longleaf pine: 870 lbf, specific gravity 0.59Quaking aspen: 350 lbf, specific gravity 0.38Black cottonwood: 350 lbf, specific gravity 0.35American basswood: 410 lbf, specific gravity 0.37Eastern cottonwood: 430 lbf, specific gravity 0.40Butternut: 490 lbf, specific gravity 0.38American chestnut: 540 lbf, specific gravity 0.43Yellow-poplar: 540 lbf, specific gravity 0.42Red alder: 590 lbf, specific gravity 0.41Cucumbertree: 700 lbf, specific gravity 0.48Silver maple: 700 lbf, specific gravity 0.47American sycamore: 770 lbf, specific gravity 0.49Black tupelo: 810 lbf, specific gravity 0.50American elm: 830 lbf, specific gravity 0.50Black ash: 850 lbf, specific gravity 0.49Bigleaf maple: 850 lbf, specific gravity 0.48Sweetgum: 850 lbf, specific gravity 0.52Slippery elm: 860 lbf, specific gravity 0.53Hackberry: 880 lbf, specific gravity 0.53Water tupelo: 880 lbf, specific gravity 0.50Paper birch: 910 lbf, specific gravity 0.55Black cherry: 950 lbf, specific gravity 0.50Red maple: 950 lbf, specific gravity 0.54Black walnut: 1,010 lbf, specific gravity 0.55Southern magnolia: 1,020 lbf, specific gravity 0.50Southern red oak: 1,060 lbf, specific gravity 0.59Chestnut oak: 1,130 lbf, specific gravity 0.66Oregon ash: 1,160 lbf, specific gravity 0.55Black maple: 1,180 lbf, specific gravity 0.57Water oak: 1,190 lbf, specific gravity 0.63Overcup oak: 1,190 lbf, specific gravity 0.63Green ash: 1,200 lbf, specific gravity 0.56Black oak: 1,210 lbf, specific gravity 0.61Laurel oak: 1,210 lbf, specific gravity 0.63Swamp chestnut oak: 1,240 lbf, specific gravity 0.67Yellow birch: 1,260 lbf, specific gravity 0.62Northern red oak: 1,290 lbf, specific gravity 0.63American beech: 1,300 lbf, specific gravity 0.64White ash: 1,320 lbf, specific gravity 0.60Rock elm: 1,320 lbf, specific gravity 0.63Post oak: 1,360 lbf, specific gravity 0.67White oak: 1,360 lbf, specific gravity 0.68Bur oak: 1,370 lbf, specific gravity 0.64Scarlet oak: 1,400 lbf, specific gravity 0.67Hard maple: 1,450 lbf, specific gravity 0.63Willow oak: 1,460 lbf, specific gravity 0.69Sweet birch: 1,470 lbf, specific gravity 0.65Cherrybark oak: 1,480 lbf, specific gravity 0.68Pin oak: 1,510 lbf, specific gravity 0.63Swamp white oak: 1,620 lbf, specific gravity 0.72Black locust: 1,700 lbf, specific gravity 0.69Shellbark hickory: 1,810 lbf, specific gravity 0.69Pecan: 1,820 lbf, specific gravity 0.66Shagbark hickory: 1,880 lbf, specific gravity 0.72Mockernut hickory: 1,970 lbf, specific gravity 0.72Pignut hickory: 2,140 lbf, specific gravity 0.75Pignut hickoryPecanHard mapleWhite oakRed oakWalnutCherryLongleaf pineDouglas firWhite pineHardwoodsSoftwoodsJanka hardness, lbf
Each dot is one species from Table 5-3b of the Wood Handbook, at 12 percent moisture.

Questions people ask.

What is the Janka hardness test?

It measures how hard a wood is to dent. A steel ball 0.444 inches across is pressed into the side of a board until half of it is buried, and the force that takes, in pounds (lbf), is the rating. The higher the number, the harder the wood. The test is a laboratory one: the Wood Handbook tests small clear samples of wood with no knots at 12 percent moisture.

What is a good Janka rating for a wood floor?

There is no pass mark. Red oak, at 1,290, is the classic American floor, and the trade measures everything against it. Above it, white oak (1,360), hard maple (1,450) and hickory (1,820) take more force to dent. Below it, walnut (1,010) and cherry (950) dent more easily and show a lived in look sooner, which some people choose them for.

Is white oak harder than red oak?

A little. The Wood Handbook measures white oak at 1,360 and northern red oak at 1,290, so white oak is 5 percent harder than red oak. A difference that small is not something you feel underfoot; people choose between them for color and grain.

What is the hardest wood floor?

Of the woods sold as flooring here, ipe, at 3,680, 2.9 times as hard as red oak. Of the floors we carry, hickory, at 1,820.

Does the finish change the Janka rating?

No. The rating is the wood. The finish is a thin coat on top: it takes the everyday scratches, and it can be renewed. A dent goes through the finish into the wood, and that is what the Janka number speaks to.

Does a hard floor mean no dents?

No. Every wood floor can dent. A harder wood takes more force to dent, so the same dropped pan or chair leg leaves a smaller mark, or none. A high heel or a small chair foot puts a lot of weight on a tiny spot, which is why they mark floors that shrug off a dropped book.

Why do websites list different numbers for the same wood?

Three reasons. Wetter wood measures softer, so a figure taken at 15 percent moisture reads lower than one at 12. One trade name can cover several trees: red oak may be northern red oak (1,290) or southern red oak (1,060). And every tree is a little different. We use the USDA Wood Handbook first, and where another published figure differs we show both.

Is engineered hardwood as hard as solid?

Its top layer is the same wood, so its face has the same Janka number as a solid board of that species. Under the top layer is a core of other plies, which is what makes engineered steadier through the seasons. A thicker top layer can be sanded more times.

Do vinyl and laminate have a Janka rating?

Janka is a wood test. Luxury vinyl and laminate are rated with tests of their own, for wear, scratches and indentation, so a Janka figure printed on a vinyl or laminate box is not comparable with the wood numbers on this page.

Every wood measured.

183 species, hardest first, with the source of each number. The flooring woods are in bold and have their own page.

Show all 183
Janka side hardness of 183 wood species, in pounds of force
SpeciesBotanical nameJanka, lbfkNAgainst red oakSource
Lignumvitae Guaiacum spp. 4,500 20.0 +249% USDA Wood Handbook, 2021
Ipe Tabebuia spp., lapacho group 3,680 16.4 +185% USDA Wood Handbook, 2021
Marishballi Licania spp. 3,570 15.9 +177% USDA Wood Handbook, 2021
Cumaru Dipteryx odorata 3,540 15.7 +174% NWFA species guide, 2004
Manbarklak Eschweilera spp. 3,480 15.5 +170% USDA Wood Handbook, 2021
Azobe Lophira alata 3,350 14.9 +160% USDA Wood Handbook, 2021
Bulletwood Manilkara bidentata 3,190 14.2 +147% USDA Wood Handbook, 2021
Indian rosewood Dalbergia latifolia 3,170 14.1 +146% USDA Wood Handbook, 2021
Macawood Platymiscium spp. 3,150 14.0 +144% USDA Wood Handbook, 2021
Kaneelhart Licaria spp. 2,900 12.9 +125% USDA Wood Handbook, 2021
Brazilian rosewood Dalbergia nigra 2,720 12.1 +111% USDA Wood Handbook, 2021
Bubinga Guibourtia spp. 2,690 12.0 +109% USDA Wood Handbook, 2021
Oak, tropical American Quercus spp. 2,500 11.1 +94% USDA Wood Handbook, 2021
Spotted gum Corymbia maculata 2,473 11.0 +92% NWFA species guide, 2004
Brazilian cherry Hymenaea courbaril 2,350 10.5 +82% USDA Wood Handbook, 2021
Greenheart Chlorocardium rodiei 2,350 10.5 +82% USDA Wood Handbook, 2021
Mesquite Prosopis glandulosa 2,345 10.4 +82% NWFA species guide, 2004
Mora Mora spp. 2,300 10.2 +78% USDA Wood Handbook, 2021
Santos mahogany Myroxylon balsamum 2,200 9.8 +71% NWFA species guide, 2004
Tigerwood Astronium graveolens 2,160 9.6 +67% USDA Wood Handbook, 2021
Pignut hickory Carya glabra 2,140 9.5 +66% USDA Wood Handbook, 2021
Sucupira Diplotropis purpurea 2,140 9.5 +66% USDA Wood Handbook, 2021
Karri Eucalyptus diversicolor 2,040 9.1 +58% USDA Wood Handbook, 2021
Wallaba Eperua spp. 2,040 9.1 +58% USDA Wood Handbook, 2021
Sydney blue gum Eucalyptus saligna 2,023 9.0 +57% NWFA species guide, 2004
Mockernut hickory Carya tomentosa 1,970 8.8 +53% USDA Wood Handbook, 2021
Degame Calycophyllum candidissimum 1,940 8.6 +50% USDA Wood Handbook, 2021
Jarrah Eucalyptus marginata 1,910 8.5 +48% USDA Wood Handbook, 2021
Shagbark hickory Carya ovata 1,880 8.4 +46% USDA Wood Handbook, 2021
Purpleheart Peltogyne spp. 1,860 8.3 +44% USDA Wood Handbook, 2021
Pecan Carya illinoinensis 1,820 8.1 +41% USDA Wood Handbook, 2021
Shellbark hickory Carya laciniosa 1,810 8.1 +40% USDA Wood Handbook, 2021
Shorea, bullau group Shorea spp. 1,780 7.9 +38% USDA Wood Handbook, 2021
Angelin Andira inermis 1,750 7.8 +36% USDA Wood Handbook, 2021
Benge Guibourtia arnoldiana 1,750 7.8 +36% USDA Wood Handbook, 2021
Peroba rosa Aspidosperma spp., peroba group 1,730 7.7 +34% USDA Wood Handbook, 2021
Padauk Pterocarpus soyauxii 1,725 7.7 +34% NWFA species guide, 2004
Para-angelim Hymenolobium excelsum 1,720 7.7 +33% USDA Wood Handbook, 2021
Piquia Caryocar spp. 1,720 7.7 +33% USDA Wood Handbook, 2021
Kempas Koompassia malaccensis 1,710 7.6 +33% USDA Wood Handbook, 2021
Black locust Robinia pseudoacacia 1,700 7.6 +32% USDA Wood Handbook, 2021
Pilon Hyeronima spp. 1,700 7.6 +32% USDA Wood Handbook, 2021
Opepe Nauclea diderrichii 1,630 7.3 +26% USDA Wood Handbook, 2021
Wenge Millettia spp. 1,630 7.3 +26% NWFA species guide, 2004
Swamp white oak Quercus bicolor 1,620 7.2 +26% USDA Wood Handbook, 2021
Peroba de campos Paratecoma peroba 1,600 7.1 +24% USDA Wood Handbook, 2021
Honeylocust Gleditsia triacanthos 1,580 7.0 +22% USDA Wood Handbook, 2021
Afrormosia Pericopsis elata 1,560 6.9 +21% USDA Wood Handbook, 2021
Pin oak Quercus palustris 1,510 6.7 +17% USDA Wood Handbook, 2021
Sapele Entandrophragma cylindricum 1,510 6.7 +17% USDA Wood Handbook, 2021
Brazilian maple Balfourodendron riedelianum 1,500 6.7 +16% NWFA species guide, 2004
Merbau Intsia spp. 1,500* 6.7 +16% USDA Wood Handbook, 2021
Cherrybark oak Quercus pagoda 1,480 6.6 +15% USDA Wood Handbook, 2021
Sweet birch Betula lenta 1,470 6.5 +14% USDA Wood Handbook, 2021
Willow oak Quercus phellos 1,460 6.5 +13% USDA Wood Handbook, 2021
Hard maple Acer saccharum 1,450 6.4 +12% USDA Wood Handbook, 2021
Sepetir Pseudosindora palustris 1,410 6.3 +9% USDA Wood Handbook, 2021
Scarlet oak Quercus coccinea 1,400 6.2 +9% USDA Wood Handbook, 2021
Australian cypress Callitris glauca 1,375 6.1 +7% NWFA species guide, 2004
Bur oak Quercus macrocarpa 1,370 6.1 +6% USDA Wood Handbook, 2021
Post oak Quercus stellata 1,360 6.0 +5% USDA Wood Handbook, 2021
White oak Quercus alba 1,360 6.0 +5% USDA Wood Handbook, 2021
Tasmanian oak Eucalyptus regnans, E. obliqua, E. delegatensis 1,350 6.0 +5% NWFA species guide, 2004
Rock elm Ulmus thomasii 1,320 5.9 +2% USDA Wood Handbook, 2021
White ash Fraxinus americana 1,320 5.9 +2% USDA Wood Handbook, 2021
American beech Fagus grandifolia 1,300 5.8 +1% USDA Wood Handbook, 2021
Ramin Gonystylus bancanus 1,300 5.8 +1% USDA Wood Handbook, 2021
Angelique Dicorynia guianensis 1,290 5.7 0% USDA Wood Handbook, 2021
Mersawa Anisoptera spp. 1,290 5.7 0% USDA Wood Handbook, 2021
Northern red oak Quercus rubra 1,290 5.7 0% USDA Wood Handbook, 2021
Keruing Dipterocarpus spp. 1,270 5.6 -2% USDA Wood Handbook, 2021
Iroko Chlorophora spp. 1,260 5.6 -2% USDA Wood Handbook, 2021
Yellow birch Betula alleghaniensis 1,260 5.6 -2% USDA Wood Handbook, 2021
Caribbean pine Pinus caribaea 1,240 5.5 -4% USDA Wood Handbook, 2021
Swamp chestnut oak Quercus michauxii 1,240 5.5 -4% USDA Wood Handbook, 2021
Kapur Dryobalanops spp. 1,230 5.5 -5% USDA Wood Handbook, 2021
Antique heart pine Pinus spp. 1,225 5.4 -5% NWFA species guide, 2004
Black oak Quercus velutina 1,210 5.4 -6% USDA Wood Handbook, 2021
Laurel oak Quercus laurifolia 1,210 5.4 -6% USDA Wood Handbook, 2021
Green ash Fraxinus pennsylvanica 1,200 5.3 -7% USDA Wood Handbook, 2021
Overcup oak Quercus lyrata 1,190 5.3 -8% USDA Wood Handbook, 2021
Water oak Quercus nigra 1,190 5.3 -8% USDA Wood Handbook, 2021
Black maple Acer nigrum 1,180 5.2 -9% USDA Wood Handbook, 2021
Oregon ash Fraxinus latifolia 1,160 5.2 -10% USDA Wood Handbook, 2021
Santa Maria Calophyllum brasiliense 1,150 5.1 -11% USDA Wood Handbook, 2021
White meranti Shorea spp. 1,140* 5.1 -12% USDA Wood Handbook, 2021
Andiroba Carapa guianensis 1,130 5.0 -12% USDA Wood Handbook, 2021
Chestnut oak Quercus montana 1,130 5.0 -12% USDA Wood Handbook, 2021
Manni Symphonia globulifera 1,120 5.0 -13% USDA Wood Handbook, 2021
Avodire Turraeanthus africanus 1,080 4.8 -16% USDA Wood Handbook, 2021
Southern red oak Quercus falcata 1,060 4.7 -18% USDA Wood Handbook, 2021
Albarco Cariniana spp. 1,020 4.5 -21% USDA Wood Handbook, 2021
Southern magnolia Magnolia grandiflora 1,020 4.5 -21% USDA Wood Handbook, 2021
Black walnut Juglans nigra 1,010 4.5 -22% USDA Wood Handbook, 2021
Teak Tectona grandis 1,000 4.4 -22% USDA Wood Handbook, 2021
Roble Tabebuia spp., roble group 960 4.3 -26% USDA Wood Handbook, 2021
Black cherry Prunus serotina 950 4.2 -26% USDA Wood Handbook, 2021
Red maple Acer rubrum 950 4.2 -26% USDA Wood Handbook, 2021
Ocote pine Pinus oocarpa 910 4.0 -29% USDA Wood Handbook, 2021
Paper birch Betula papyrifera 910 4.0 -29% USDA Wood Handbook, 2021
Sande Brosimum spp., utile group 900 4.0 -30% USDA Wood Handbook, 2021
Hackberry Celtis occidentalis 880 3.9 -32% USDA Wood Handbook, 2021
Water tupelo Nyssa aquatica 880 3.9 -32% USDA Wood Handbook, 2021
Longleaf pine Pinus palustris 870 3.9 -33% USDA Wood Handbook, 2021
Slippery elm Ulmus rubra 860 3.8 -33% USDA Wood Handbook, 2021
Bigleaf maple Acer macrophyllum 850 3.8 -34% USDA Wood Handbook, 2021
Black ash Fraxinus nigra 850 3.8 -34% USDA Wood Handbook, 2021
Sweetgum Liquidambar styraciflua 850 3.8 -34% USDA Wood Handbook, 2021
African mahogany Khaya spp. 830 3.7 -36% USDA Wood Handbook, 2021
American elm Ulmus americana 830 3.7 -36% USDA Wood Handbook, 2021
Western larch Larix occidentalis 830 3.7 -36% USDA Wood Handbook, 2021
Black tupelo Nyssa sylvatica 810 3.6 -37% USDA Wood Handbook, 2021
Mahogany Swietenia macrophylla 800 3.6 -38% USDA Wood Handbook, 2021
Dark red meranti Shorea spp. 780 3.5 -40% USDA Wood Handbook, 2021
Parana-pine Araucaria angustifolia 780 3.5 -40% USDA Wood Handbook, 2021
American sycamore Platanus occidentalis 770 3.4 -40% USDA Wood Handbook, 2021
Yellow meranti Shorea spp. 770 3.4 -40% USDA Wood Handbook, 2021
Radiata pine Pinus radiata 750 3.3 -42% USDA Wood Handbook, 2021
Virginia pine Pinus virginiana 740 3.3 -43% USDA Wood Handbook, 2021
Douglas fir Pseudotsuga menziesii 710 3.2 -45% USDA Wood Handbook, 2021
Cucumbertree Magnolia acuminata 700 3.1 -46% USDA Wood Handbook, 2021
Silver maple Acer saccharinum 700 3.1 -46% USDA Wood Handbook, 2021
Loblolly pine Pinus taeda 690 3.1 -47% USDA Wood Handbook, 2021
Shortleaf pine Pinus echinata 690 3.1 -47% USDA Wood Handbook, 2021
Mountain hemlock Tsuga mertensiana 680 3.0 -47% USDA Wood Handbook, 2021
Determa Ocotea rubra 660 2.9 -49% USDA Wood Handbook, 2021
Douglas-fir, interior west Pseudotsuga menziesii 660 2.9 -49% USDA Wood Handbook, 2021
Primavera Tabebuia donnell-smithii 660 2.9 -49% USDA Wood Handbook, 2021
Spruce pine Pinus glabra 660 2.9 -49% USDA Wood Handbook, 2021
Cativo Prioria copaifera 630 2.8 -51% USDA Wood Handbook, 2021
Port-Orford-cedar Chamaecyparis lawsoniana 630 2.8 -51% USDA Wood Handbook, 2021
Ilomba Pycnanthus angolensis 610 2.7 -53% USDA Wood Handbook, 2021
Douglas-fir, interior north Pseudotsuga menziesii 600 2.7 -53% USDA Wood Handbook, 2021
Spanish-cedar Cedrela spp. 600 2.7 -53% USDA Wood Handbook, 2021
Red alder Alnus rubra 590 2.6 -54% USDA Wood Handbook, 2021
Tamarack Larix laricina 590 2.6 -54% USDA Wood Handbook, 2021
Yellow-cedar Chamaecyparis nootkatensis 580 2.6 -55% USDA Wood Handbook, 2021
Jack pine Pinus banksiana 570 2.5 -56% USDA Wood Handbook, 2021
Red pine Pinus resinosa 560 2.5 -57% USDA Wood Handbook, 2021
Hura Hura crepitans 550 2.4 -57% USDA Wood Handbook, 2021
American chestnut Castanea dentata 540 2.4 -58% USDA Wood Handbook, 2021
Western hemlock Tsuga heterophylla 540 2.4 -58% USDA Wood Handbook, 2021
Yellow-poplar Liriodendron tulipifera 540 2.4 -58% USDA Wood Handbook, 2021
Black spruce Picea mariana 530 2.4 -59% USDA Wood Handbook, 2021
Red spruce Picea rubens 530 2.4 -59% USDA Wood Handbook, 2021
Baldcypress Taxodium distichum 510 2.3 -60% USDA Wood Handbook, 2021
Banak Virola spp. 510 2.3 -60% USDA Wood Handbook, 2021
Douglas-fir, interior south Pseudotsuga menziesii 510 2.3 -60% USDA Wood Handbook, 2021
Sitka spruce Picea sitchensis 510 2.3 -60% USDA Wood Handbook, 2021
California red fir Abies magnifica 500 2.2 -61% USDA Wood Handbook, 2021
Eastern hemlock Tsuga canadensis 500 2.2 -61% USDA Wood Handbook, 2021
Butternut Juglans cinerea 490 2.2 -62% USDA Wood Handbook, 2021
Grand fir Abies grandis 490 2.2 -62% USDA Wood Handbook, 2021
Limba Terminalia superba 490 2.2 -62% USDA Wood Handbook, 2021
Lodgepole pine Pinus contorta 480 2.1 -63% USDA Wood Handbook, 2021
Redwood, old growth Sequoia sempervirens 480 2.1 -63% USDA Wood Handbook, 2021
White fir Abies concolor 480 2.1 -63% USDA Wood Handbook, 2021
Incense-cedar Calocedrus decurrens 470 2.1 -64% USDA Wood Handbook, 2021
Light red meranti Shorea spp. 460 2.0 -64% USDA Wood Handbook, 2021
Mexican cypress Cupressus lusitanica 460 2.0 -64% USDA Wood Handbook, 2021
Ponderosa pine Pinus ponderosa 460 2.0 -64% USDA Wood Handbook, 2021
Eastern cottonwood Populus deltoides 430 1.9 -67% USDA Wood Handbook, 2021
Obeche Triplochiton scleroxylon 430 1.9 -67% USDA Wood Handbook, 2021
Pacific silver fir Abies amabilis 430 1.9 -67% USDA Wood Handbook, 2021
Redwood, young growth Sequoia sempervirens 420 1.9 -67% USDA Wood Handbook, 2021
Western white pine Pinus monticola 420 1.9 -67% USDA Wood Handbook, 2021
American basswood Tilia americana 410 1.8 -68% USDA Wood Handbook, 2021
Noble fir Abies procera 410 1.8 -68% USDA Wood Handbook, 2021
White spruce Picea glauca 410 1.8 -68% USDA Wood Handbook, 2021
Engelmann spruce Picea engelmannii 390 1.7 -70% USDA Wood Handbook, 2021
Jelutong Dyera costulata 390* 1.7 -70% USDA Wood Handbook, 2021
Balsam fir Abies balsamea 380 1.7 -71% USDA Wood Handbook, 2021
Cuangare Dialyanthera spp. 380 1.7 -71% USDA Wood Handbook, 2021
Eastern white pine Pinus strobus 380 1.7 -71% USDA Wood Handbook, 2021
Okoume Aucoumea klaineana 380 1.7 -71% USDA Wood Handbook, 2021
Sugar pine Pinus lambertiana 380 1.7 -71% USDA Wood Handbook, 2021
Atlantic white-cedar Chamaecyparis thyoides 350 1.6 -73% USDA Wood Handbook, 2021
Black cottonwood Populus trichocarpa 350 1.6 -73% USDA Wood Handbook, 2021
Quaking aspen Populus tremuloides 350 1.6 -73% USDA Wood Handbook, 2021
Subalpine fir Abies lasiocarpa 350 1.6 -73% USDA Wood Handbook, 2021
Western redcedar Thuja plicata 350 1.6 -73% USDA Wood Handbook, 2021
Northern white-cedar Thuja occidentalis 320 1.4 -75% USDA Wood Handbook, 2021
Ceiba Ceiba pentandra 240 1.1 -81% USDA Wood Handbook, 2021

* Measured at 15 percent moisture, which reads softer than the 12 percent of the other rows.

Sources.

  1. USDA Forest Service, Forest Products Laboratory, 2021. Wood handbook, wood as an engineering material. Chapter 5, Mechanical properties of wood, Table 5-3b. General Technical Report FPL-GTR-282, chapter by Senalik and Farber. Side hardness of small clear specimens at 12 percent moisture content: the load that embeds a 0.444 inch (11.28 mm) ball to half its diameter, the average of the radial and tangential faces. The true hickory values come from Bendtsen and Ethington (1975).
  2. USDA Forest Service, Forest Products Laboratory, 2021. Wood handbook, wood as an engineering material. Chapter 5, Mechanical properties of wood, Table 5-5b. Woods imported into the United States other than from Canada. The Handbook took these values from world literature, at 12 percent moisture content unless 15 percent is noted.
  3. National Wood Flooring Association, 2004. Wood species used in wood flooring, Technical Publication No. A200, revised edition. Relative hardness chart, page 7. Ranked by Janka hardness. Brazilian cherry, purpleheart and Thai and Burmese teak are averages there, and Douglas fir is an average of the coast, interior west and interior north figures.
  4. The data on this page, as JSON: /resources/janka-hardness?format=json.

The number is a start. The floor is the answer.

Hardness is one fact among many: the finish, the sheen, the width and how the house is lived in all count. A free visit puts one of us in your rooms to weigh them with you.