Janka Rating Hardwood Flooring
In laymans terms it is a way to measure a woods resistance to denting.
Janka rating hardwood flooring. Solid hardwood flooring will always be stronger than hardwood veneer engineered flooring. Although some tests have shown bamboo and eucalyptus to be over 5 000 on the janka scale the truth is that janka hardness ratings can vary from lot to lot even when produced by the same factory. It is also a good indicator of how hard a. So there is a variation between the janka rating and the final hardness of any hardwood flooring.
With that said as a general rule of thumb wood species used in flooring should generally have a janka rating of 1 000 or higher. Janka wood hardness scale. Order online now and pick your floor up in your local ll flooring store. The janka rating scale was created to rank the various degrees of hardness throughout the different species of hardwoods.
The industry standard for hardness the hardness of a wood is rated on an industry wide standard known as the janka test. Similar to a laminate ac rating the hardwood floor hardness determines the durability of the species. The janka number is found by pushing a steel ball into a 2 x 2 x 6 wood plank. Best price guarantee to guarantee that all customers get the best price our sales team will work with each customer to beat any validated competitive price.
It measures the force required to embed an 11 28 millimetres 0 444 in diameter steel ball halfway into a sample of wood. A common use of janka hardness ratings is to determine whether a species is suitable for use as flooring. The higher the janka rating the more dent and wear resistant a particular wood is. 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.
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 isn t to say that wood species with a janka rating in the hundreds will not work. Strand woven bamboo and eucalyptus flooring on average have janka ratings upwards of 3 800 which is much higher than traditional wood flooring. Hardwoods are better than softwoods.
The janka rating is a measure of the amount of force required to push a 444 diameter steel ball half way into a piece of wood. The janka test measures the force required to embed a 444 inch steel ball into the wood by half its diameter. The janka hardness scale determines the hardness of a particular type of wood over another. 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.