Birch Hardwood Hardness Scale

The scale used in the table is pounds force.

Birch hardwood hardness scale. The janka scale is used to determine the relative hardness of particular domestic or exotic wood species. On a hardness scale alder ranks just above pine and poplar. The janka test measures the amount of force needed to drive a 0 444 inch steel ball into wood to a depth equal to half its diameter. And while this example lists just some of the most popular hardwood species there are hundreds of varieties representing the north american hardwood population.

Home articles faq s hardwood flooring 101. To give some quantification to the issue of wood species hardness the lumber industry created the janka hardness scale a standard now widely accepted as the best means of ranking a wood s hardness. Sugar maple black maple sweet birch yellow birch and white ash are all strong hardwoods. Density hardness stiffness and strength hardness chart hardness chart acacia 1 750 lbs.

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. Birch wood flooring is one of the most popular and most common hardwood flooring species. The birch species can be divided into two subspecies that are most often used for flooring the yellow birch and the red birch. Because hardness is an important factor and hardness varies for each species the janka scale of hardness is an excellent tool to help identify appropriate choices.

Although classified as a hardwood alder is one of the softest of all hardwoods and is more commonly referred to as a semi hardwood. 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. Among maple birch poplar and ash sweet birch has the highest specific gravity at 0 65 with a janka measurement of 1 470.

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. A common use of janka hardness ratings is to determine whether a species is suitable for use as flooring. Both have a 1290 rating on the janka hardness scale. Woods with a higher rating are harder than woods with a lower rating.

For beginners wood charts.