Janka Rating For Hardwood Floors

What does janka rating mean.

Janka rating for hardwood floors.

In hardwood flooring the score is used to determine the durability of hardwood species that it might be suitable for a home. 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. A common use of janka hardness ratings is to determine whether a species is suitable for use as flooring.

A janka rating is a hardness estimate given to wood. 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 measures the force required to embed an 11 28 millimetres 0 444 in diameter steel ball halfway into a sample of wood. Hardwoods are harder than softwoods.

The following comparison chart illustrates the relative hardness of various species of wood flooring using the janka scale. Hardwoods are better than softwoods. The janka number is found by pushing a steel ball into a 2 x 2 x 6 wood plank. The grades are arranged from softest to hardest and the number is the janka rating for that particular grade of hardwood flooring.

The janka rating scale was created to rank the various degrees of hardness throughout the different species of hardwoods.