Taun Hardwood Janka Scale

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.

Taun hardwood janka scale.

The higher the number the harder the wood is this should be used as a general guide when comparing various species of wood flooring. The janka hardness test measures the force required to embed a 444 inch steel ball to half its diameter in wood. The janka test measures the force required to embed a 444 inch steel ball into the wood by half its diameter. The industry standard for hardness the hardness of a wood is rated on an industry wide standard known as the janka test.

It measures the force required to embed an 11 28 millimetres 0 444 in diameter steel ball halfway into a sample of wood. 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. It is not productive to take issue with the exact number but rather understand the relative hardness of one wood to another. Woods with a higher rating are harder than woods with a lower rating.

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. This test is one of the best measures of the ability of a wood specie to withstand denting and wear. The janka test measures the amount of force required to embed a 0 444 steel ball into the wood to half of its diameter. 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 astm.

The janka scale is used to determine the relative hardness of particular domestic or exotic wood species. The timber saws and turns easily with only a moderate blunting effect on cutting edges. In laymans terms it is a way to measure a woods resistance to denting. Taun is moderately hard rated 3 on a 6 class scale in relation to indentation and ease of working with hand tools.

It is one of the best measures of the ability of a wood species to withstand denting and wear. The scale used in the table is pounds force.