Hardness and Stability^Hardwood

Janka Hardness

The Janka Hardness test is an industry wide standardized test to determine the hardness of the wood species. The test measures the force required to embed a 0.444 inch diameter steel ball into the wood to a depth of half the ball’s diameter. The higher the number the harder the species of wood. However, there are several ways to do the Janka test such as embedding the steel ball perpendicular to the plank, or embedding the steel ball on the side of the plank. In addition, there are several factors to the result of the test. Therefore, the Janka Hardness should be treated as a general reference and not the exact hardness of the wood.

The higher the number the harder the wood.

Dimensional Stability

The dimensional stability of a wood species can be important because as a natural product, wood flooring exhibits many natural wood characteristics when expose to different humidity, temperature, and pressure levels. The measure of dimensional stability is the relative stability for the wood to retain its shape and form under the different types of environment.