The Janka Hardness Test refers to the pounds force (lbf) required to push a 0.444″ (11.28 mm) diameter steel ball halfway into a sample of wood to mimic the difficult of denting the specimen. It measures the resistance and hardness of wood and is named after its Austrian-born inventor Gabriel Janka.
The measurement comes in handy when comparing the resistance against dents and scratches of various woods particularly when used for flooring.
So the higher the Janka rating, the harder the wood and the more likely it will resist wear commonly experienced by wood with use over time. The important part to know is that the rating is mainly used to compare the hardness of woods to each other rather than the number produced being an absolute result.
Let’s take a closer look at Janka ratings and how they are used to measure and compare wood products.
Sample Janka ratings for popular wood flooring
Here are Janka ratings for 15 of the more popular wood flooring options to see how they stack up against one another. Oak is generally considered the industry standard for flooring at a Janka rating of 1360 (White Oak) and 1290 (Red Oak).
Important to remember is that many woods have different variations and can have widely ranging Janka hardness ratings as a result.
| Wood flooring type | Janka Hardness Rating | Comments |
| Brazilian walnut | 3600 | One of the hardest hardwood flooring options you will find. Also referred to as Ipe. |
| Brazilian cherry | 2350 | Very hard and dent resistant. Brazilian cherry has straight grain and a deep red color. |
| Golden teak | 2330 | Stronger than regular teak, Golden Teak has a unique appearance due to distinctive grain with a rich golden brown coloring. |
| Hickory | 1820 | Very durable to denting and scratches. Often found in logs homes and other country settings. |
| Maple | 1450 | There are many species of maple so it can vary in color, grade, quality, hardness and the grain pattern. |
| Apitong | 1390 | Known for its exceptional strength, durability, and resistance to decay, Apitong wood has become a popular choice in many demanding environments. A popular choice for truck trailer beds. |
| Australian Cypress | 1375 | A very durable wood also used in cabinetry and furniture, Australian Cypress is native to the country’s eastern states. It is a lighter colored wood with distinctive knots throughout the wood. |
| White Oak | 1360 | Slightly harder than red oak, it tends to offer a more subtle grain pattern. |
| Ash | 1320 | Seen as an alternative to oak. Widely available and tends to come in light colors. |
| Bamboo | 1300 | Bamboo is actually a grass not hardwood and its Janko rating can vary from about 1200 – 1400. Some bamboo products are cheap and of inferior quality. |
| Beech | 1300 | Beech is a strong and durable light-colored wood that is widely available. |
| Red Oak | 1290 | Slightly less harder than white oak, it tends to be more commonly available. |
| Birch | 1260 | Birch has a similar grain and color to maple but is not as hard although sweet birch has a hardness of 1470. |
| Heart Pine | 1125 | Some pine is much softer in the 380 – 870 Janka rating range but heartwood pine from the center of the tree is stronger, around 1125. |
| Walnut | 1010 | Walnut is considered a soft hardwood and is widely available throughout North America. Can have a wide color and grain variation depending on the tree. |
| Cherry | 950 | A softer wood that can dent and scratch. Good for low traffic areas but can be expensive. |
What wood has the highest Janka rating?
The Australian Buloke is rated at 5060 making it the hardest reported commercially available wood. It is predominantly grown on the east coast of Australia in the states of New South Wales, South Australia and Victoria.
The Buloke grows to 33′ to 66′ (10 m – 20 m) in height and part of the Ironwood family. It’s an evergreen that grows in a wide variety of soil types and is considered a moderately fast-growing tree.
Other than for flooring, it has a wide range of commercial uses including furniture, turned objects on a lathe, knife handles and also as a food source for some animals.
It should be noted that one major study showed Buloke to have the Janka rating of 5060 and thus is currently the hardest known wood.
What is a good Janka rating for flooring?
Experts generally suggest that a Janka rating of 1000 or better is a good rule of thumb when choosing wood flooring. When you find a hardwood option that has a Janka rating of 1000 and up, you’re choosing a strong, hard wood that is durable.
Red and white oak woods with 1290 – 1360 Janka ratings respectively are often considered to be the standard by which wood flooring is measured due to the relatively high rating and wide commercial appeal and availability of oak.
Oak has a classic, enduring look and is well known by wood lovers around the world. It’s an easily found wood and connotes a high level of quality and strength. Thus, you’ll often hear about other similar hardwood flooring options mentioned in the same breathe as oak by way of comparison.
If you look for hardwood flooring, you will notice many do fall into a similar Janka rating range as oak, give or take, although the cost and benefits of each specific species of wood can differ.
What is the most scratch resistant hardwood flooring for dog owners?
An engineered hardwood is often considered the best choice for flooring when you have a dog in the house due its high level of durability over even high quality solid hardwoods. Engineered woods not only tend to be more durable and scratch resistant than regular hardwood, they are often designed to be slip resistant so your dog won’t be sliding around as it runs.
Dog owners are often concerned about the nails of their dog scratching hardwood flooring in the home. The higher the Janka rating the harder and more scratch resistant the wood will be.
But as stated above, your first choice might be to search for an engineered hardwood to protect against your dog’s nails.
A second choice to consider is wood look tiles which are ceramic or porcelain tiles that look like wood and are also more resistant to scratches and dents.