Floor Hardness

Wood Hardness is something most homeowners never think about and fail to ask their wood flooring contractor. Just how hard is the wood floor selected for your home or business? The Janka Hardness and Stability Charts will give you the answer.

Janka Hardness Test using White Oak (Quercus alba) as an example

Select a species of wood flooring you wish to install in your home, e.g. white oak (sample photos above) then look for the wood in the Janka Hardness Test Chart, e.g. white oak 1210 hardness, white oak .00365 stability, then proceed accordingly. The Janka Chart shows that Brazilian Walnut is 3.04 times harder than white oak. Keep in mind that the most used solid strip/plank in homes is red oak.

Use “The Janka Hardness Test Chart” and “Stability Chart” below when selecting wood flooring for your home. These charts will help you when selecting the right solid wood floor for your particular needs.

Relative Hardness and Stability of Selected Wood Flooring Species
Is the wood hard enough and will it sustain reasonable wear over the long haul?

The Janka hardness test is a measurement of the force necessary to embed a .444-inch steel ball to half its diameter in wood. It is the industry standard for gauging the ability of various species to tolerate denting and normal wear, as well as being a good indication of the effort required to either nail or saw the particular wood. Please note that this is only a partial list containing some of the most popular choices in wood flooring as well as some of the more exotic species available on the market.