TimberMath

Janka Hardness Chart

The Janka hardness test measures the force, in pounds-force (lbf), needed to press an 11.28 mm steel ball halfway into a wood sample — higher numbers mean harder, more dent-resistant wood. In this chart Ipe tops the list at 3,680 lbf while Ceiba sits at 240 lbf. Sort the chart by hardness, specific gravity, or density, or filter by name.

Side hardness at 12% moisture content. Click a column to sort.
Ipe imported 3,680 0.92 64.3
Marishballi imported 3,570 0.88 61.5
Manbarklak imported 3,480 0.87 60.8
Azobe imported 3,350 0.87 60.8
Bulletwood imported 3,190 0.85 59.4
Indian Rosewood imported 3,170 0.75 52.4
Macawood imported 3,150 0.94 65.7
Kaneelhart imported 2,900 0.96 67.1
Brazilian Rosewood imported 2,720 0.8 55.9
Bubinga imported 2,690 0.71 49.6
Courbaril imported 2,350 0.71 49.6
Greenheart imported 2,350 0.8 55.9
Mora imported 2,300 0.78 54.5
Goncalo alves imported 2,160 0.84 58.7
Pignut Hickory hardwood 2,140 0.75 52.4
Sucupira imported 2,140 0.78 54.5
Karri imported 2,040 0.82 57.3
Wallaba imported 2,040 0.78 54.5
Mockernut Hickory hardwood 1,970 0.72 50.3
Degame imported 1,940 0.67 46.8
Jarrah imported 1,910 0.67 46.8
Shagbark Hickory hardwood 1,880 0.72 50.3
Purpleheart imported 1,860 0.67 46.8
Pecan Hickory hardwood 1,820 0.66 46.1
Shellbark Hickory hardwood 1,810 0.69 48.2
Angelin imported 1,750 0.65 45.4
Benge imported 1,750 0.65 45.4
Peroba Rosa imported 1,730 0.66 46.1
Para-angelium imported 1,720 0.63 44
Piquia imported 1,720 0.72 50.3
Kempas imported 1,710 0.71 49.6
Black Locust hardwood 1,700 0.69 48.2
Pilon imported 1,700 0.65 45.4
Opepe imported 1,630 0.63 44
Peroba de campos imported 1,600 0.62 43.3
Honeylocust hardwood 1,580 0.6 41.9
Afrormosia imported 1,560 0.61 42.6
Pin Oak hardwood 1,510 0.63 44
Sapele imported 1,510 0.55 38.4
Sweet Birch hardwood 1,470 0.65 45.4
Willow Oak hardwood 1,460 0.69 48.2
Sugar Maple hardwood 1,450 0.63 44
Sepetir imported 1,410 0.56 39.1
Scarlet Oak hardwood 1,400 0.67 46.8
Bur Oak hardwood 1,370 0.64 44.7
Post Oak hardwood 1,360 0.67 46.8
White Oak hardwood 1,360 0.68 47.5
Rock Elm hardwood 1,320 0.63 44
White Ash hardwood 1,320 0.6 41.9
American Beech hardwood 1,300 0.64 44.7
Ramin imported 1,300 0.52 36.3
Angelique imported 1,290 0.6 41.9
Mersawa imported 1,290 0.52 36.3
Northern Red Oak hardwood 1,290 0.63 44
Keruing imported 1,270 0.69 48.2
Iroko imported 1,260 0.54 37.7
Yellow Birch hardwood 1,260 0.62 43.3
Caribbean pine imported 1,240 0.68 47.5
Swamp Chestnut Oak hardwood 1,240 0.67 46.8
Kapur imported 1,230 0.64 44.7
Black Oak hardwood 1,210 0.61 42.6
Laurel Oak hardwood 1,210 0.63 44
Green Ash hardwood 1,200 0.56 39.1
Overcup Oak hardwood 1,190 0.63 44
Water Oak hardwood 1,190 0.63 44
Black Maple hardwood 1,180 0.57 39.8
Oregon Ash hardwood 1,160 0.55 38.4
Andiroba imported 1,130 0.54 37.7
Chestnut Oak hardwood 1,130 0.66 46.1
Manni imported 1,120 0.58 40.5
Avodire imported 1,080 0.48 33.5
Southern Red Oak hardwood 1,060 0.59 41.2
Albarco imported 1,020 0.48 33.5
Southern Magnolia hardwood 1,020 0.5 34.9
Black Walnut hardwood 1,010 0.55 38.4
Teak imported 1,000 0.55 38.4
Black Cherry hardwood 950 0.5 34.9
Red Maple hardwood 950 0.54 37.7
Ocota pine imported 910 0.55 38.4
Paper Birch hardwood 910 0.55 38.4
Sande imported 900 0.49 34.2
Hackberry hardwood 880 0.53 37
Water Tupelo hardwood 880 0.5 34.9
Longleaf Pine softwood 870 0.59 41.2
Slippery Elm hardwood 860 0.53 37
Bigleaf Maple hardwood 850 0.48 33.5
Black Ash hardwood 850 0.49 34.2
Sweetgum hardwood 850 0.52 36.3
African Mahogany imported 830 0.42 29.4
American Elm hardwood 830 0.5 34.9
Western Larch softwood 830 0.52 36.3
Black Tupelo hardwood 810 0.5 34.9
True Mahogany imported 800 0.45 31.4
Dark Red Lauan imported 780 0.46 32.1
Parana pine imported 780 0.46 32.1
American Sycamore hardwood 770 0.49 34.2
Yellow Meranti imported 770 0.46 32.1
Virginia Pine softwood 740 0.48 33.5
Coast Douglas-fir softwood 710 0.48 33.5
Cucumbertree Magnolia hardwood 700 0.48 33.5
Silver Maple hardwood 700 0.47 32.8
Loblolly Pine softwood 690 0.51 35.6
Shortleaf Pine softwood 690 0.51 35.6
Mountain Hemlock softwood 680 0.45 31.4
Determa imported 660 0.52 36.3
Interior West Douglas-fir softwood 660 0.5 34.9
Primavera imported 660 0.4 28
Eastern Redcedar softwood 650 0.47 32.8
Cativo imported 630 0.4 28
Port-Orford Cedar softwood 630 0.43 30.1
Ilomba imported 610 0.4 28
Interior North Douglas-fir softwood 600 0.48 33.5
Spanish-cedar imported 600 0.41 28.7
Red Alder hardwood 590 0.41 28.7
Tamarack softwood 590 0.53 37
Yellow Cedar softwood 580 0.44 30.8
Jack Pine softwood 570 0.43 30.1
Red Pine softwood 560 0.46 32.1
Hura imported 550 0.38 26.6
American Chestnut hardwood 540 0.43 30.1
Western Hemlock softwood 540 0.45 31.4
Yellow-poplar hardwood 540 0.42 29.4
Black Spruce softwood 530 0.42 29.4
Red Spruce softwood 530 0.4 28
Banak imported 510 0.42 29.4
Sitka Spruce softwood 510 0.4 28
California Red Fir softwood 500 0.38 26.6
Eastern Hemlock softwood 500 0.4 28
Butternut hardwood 490 0.38 26.6
Grand Fir softwood 490 0.37 25.9
Limba imported 490 0.38 26.6
Lodgepole Pine softwood 480 0.41 28.7
Old Growth Redwood softwood 480 0.4 28
White Fir softwood 480 0.39 27.3
Incense Cedar softwood 470 0.37 25.9
Light Red And Red Lauan imported 460 0.34 23.8
Ponderosa Pine softwood 460 0.4 28
Eastern Cottonwood hardwood 430 0.4 28
Obeche imported 430 0.3 21
Pacific Silver Fir softwood 430 0.43 30.1
Western White Pine softwood 420 0.38 26.6
Young Growth Redwood softwood 420 0.35 24.5
American Basswood hardwood 410 0.37 25.9
Noble Fir softwood 410 0.39 27.3
Engelmann Spruce softwood 390 0.35 24.5
Balsam Fir softwood 380 0.35 24.5
Cuangare imported 380 0.31 21.7
Eastern White Pine softwood 380 0.35 24.5
Okoume imported 380 0.33 23.1
Sugar Pine softwood 380 0.36 25.2
Atlantic White Cedar softwood 350 0.32 22.4
Black Cottonwood hardwood 350 0.35 24.5
Quaking Aspen hardwood 350 0.38 26.6
Subalpine Fir softwood 350 0.32 22.4
Western Redcedar softwood 350 0.32 22.4
Northern White Cedar softwood 320 0.31 21.7
Ceiba imported 240 0.25 17.5
African Ebony imported — — —
Alaska Paper Birch hardwood — — —
American Holly hardwood — — —
Apitong imported — — —
Balata imported — — —
Balsa imported — 0.16 11.2
Balsam Poplar Cottonwood hardwood — 0.34 23.8
Bigtooth Aspen hardwood — 0.39 27.3
Black Willow hardwood — 0.39 27.3
Blue Ash hardwood — 0.58 40.5
Cedar Elm hardwood — — —
Cocobolo imported — — —
Common Persimmon hardwood — — —
East Indian Ebony imported — — —
Ekop imported — 0.6 41.9
Gmelina imported — — —
Imbuia imported — — —
Jelutong imported — — —
Live Oak hardwood — 0.88 61.5
Merbau imported — — —
Ovangkol imported — 0.67 46.8
Pacific Madrone hardwood — — —
Pau Marfim imported — — —
Pitch Pine softwood — 0.52 36.3
Pond Pine softwood — 0.56 39.1
Pumpkin Ash hardwood — — —
River Birch hardwood — — —
Roble imported — — —
Roble imported — — —
Rubberwood imported — — —
Sassafras hardwood — 0.46 32.1
Slash Pine softwood — 0.59 41.2
Striped Maple hardwood — — —
Sweetbay Magnolia hardwood — — —
Tanoak hardwood — 0.58 40.5
White Lauan imported — — —
White Meranti imported — — —
Winged Elm hardwood — — —
Yellow Buckeye hardwood — — —

Data: USDA Forest Products Laboratory, Wood Handbook FPL-GTR-282 (2021), public domain.

Reading the chart — a worked example

Suppose you are choosing between ipe and ceiba for a kitchen work surface. The ipe tests at 3,680 lbf and the ceiba at 240 lbf — roughly a 15× difference in the force needed to make the same dent. The harder top will shrug off dropped pans that would leave the softer one looking hammered within a year. Sort the Janka column descending: woods near the bottom are "shows-its-history" species, while anything in the upper half is a workhorse. Species without a published Janka value appear at the bottom with a "—".

How the Janka test works

The Janka test presses a hardened steel ball 11.28 mm (0.444 in) in diameter into the face of a conditioned wood sample until the ball is embedded to half its diameter. The force required, in pounds-force (lbf), is the Janka side hardness. The odd ball size is deliberate: at half-embedment the dent's projected area is exactly one square centimeter, making results comparable across labs and species.

Hardness predicts resistance to denting and wear — flooring, workbench tops, cutting boards, tool handles, stair treads. It does not measure stiffness or breaking strength (those are separate properties), and it says nothing about dimensional stability; for that, see the movement calculator. Values are averages at 12% moisture content, so use them to rank species rather than to guarantee any particular board. When durability is the whole point, pair a high Janka number with a high density figure and a moderate tangential/radial ratio — hard, heavy, and calm is the trifecta.

Frequently asked questions

What is a good Janka rating for hardwood flooring?
Most guidance puts everyday-durable flooring at 1,000 lbf or higher — northern red oak at about 1,290 lbf is the traditional benchmark. Softer woods still make beautiful floors; they just dent more readily under heels, chair legs, and pet claws, which some owners accept as patina.
Is a higher Janka rating always better?
No — hardness is a trade-off. Very hard woods resist dents but are harder on cutting edges, more prone to splitting when nailed, and slower to work by hand. A workbench top wants hardness; a hand-carved chair seat usually does not.
Is this side hardness or end hardness?
Published Janka figures, including these, are side hardness — the ball is pressed into the face of the board, perpendicular to the grain. End-grain hardness runs noticeably higher, which is one reason end-grain cutting boards shrug off knife edges.
Do Janka values vary within a species?
Yes. Published numbers are averages of test samples at 12% moisture content. Individual boards vary with growth rate, density, and where in the tree they were cut — treat differences of a hundred pounds-force or so between similar species as noise, not ranking.
How does Janka hardness relate to density?
Strongly. Hardness rises with density and specific gravity, since more cell-wall material per unit volume resists indentation better. The chart includes both columns so you can see the correlation — and the exceptions where grain structure makes a wood harder or softer than its weight suggests.