Janka Wood Hardness Scale
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. In laymans terms it is a way to measure a woods resistance to denting.
It is not productive to take issue with the exact number, but rather understand the "relative" hardness of one wood to another.
The higher the number the greater its resistance to denting as it lives life.
For the woodworker it will be a good indicator on the difficulty of sawing and nailing... or maybe just moving the wood around your shop...
| California Redwood | 420 |
| Douglas Fir | 660 |
| Southern Yellow Pine (loblolly & short leaf) | 690 |
| Honduran Mahogany | 800 |
| African Mahogany | 830 |
| South American Lacewood | 840 |
| Southern Yellow Pine (longleaf) | 870 |
| Black Cherry | 950 |
American Black Walnut
| 1010 |
| Peruvian Walnut | 1080 |
| Brazilian Eucalyptus | 1125 |
| Teak | 1155 |
| Bamboo (carbonized) | 1180 |
| Larch | 1200 |
| Heart Pine | 1225 |
| Caribbean Heart pine | 1240 |
| Yellow Birch | 1260 |
| Red Oak (Northern) | 1290 |
| American Beech | 1300 |
| Ash | 1320 |
| White Oak | 1360 |
| Australian Cypress | 1375 |
| Bamboo (natural) | 1380 |
| Royal Mahogany | 1400 |
| Hard maple | 1450 |
| African Walnut/Sappelle | 1500 |
| Brazlian Maple | 1500 |
| Zebrawood | 1575 |
| Wenge | 1630 |
| Brazilian Oak | 1650 |
| Bamboo | 1650 |
| Patens | 1691 |
| Peruvian Maple | 1700 |
| Kempas | 1710 |
| African Pedauk (Padeuk/African Cherry) | 1725 |
| Bolivian Rosewood /Morado | 1780 |
| Hickory/Pecan | 1820 |
| Kempas | 1854 |
| Purpleheart | 1860 |
| Jarrah | 1910 |
| Amendoim | 1912 |
| Merbau | 1925 |
| African Rosewood (Bubinga) | 1980 |
| Grapia | 2053 |
| Jarrah | 2082 |
| Purple Heart | 2090 |
| Tigerwood | 2160 |
| Burma Mahogany | 2170 |
| Amberwood | 2200 |
| Cabreuva (Santos Mahogany) | 2200 |
| Caribbean Rosewood | 2300 |
| Mesquite | 2345 |
| Brazilian Cherry (Jatoba) | 2350 |
| Peruvian Cherry | 2350 |
| Red Walnut | 2450 |
| African Cedar / Bosse | 2600 |
| Patagonian Rosewood | 2800 |
| Bloodwood | 2900 |
| Brazilian Rosewood (Tamarindo) | 3000 |
| Brazilian Redwood | 3190 |
| Tiete Rosewood | 3280 |
| Cumaru (Brazilian Teak) | 3540 |
| Southern Chestnut, Tiete Chestnut | 3540 |
Lapacho (usually grouped with IPE Wood)
| 3640 |
| Bolivian Cherry | 3650 |
| African Pearwood/Moabi | 3680 |
Brazilian Walnut / Ipe
| 3680 |
| Brazilian Ebony | 3692 |
| Patagonian Rosewood | 3840 |
| Brazilian Tiger Mahogany | 3840 |
Curupy | 3880 |