The Janka scale is a tool for comparing the hardness of different types of wood, whether they're common or more unusual. It works by measuring how much force it takes to push a steel ball halfway into the wood. The scale we're using here measures that force in pounds, so the higher the number, the harder the wood.
| Janka - lbf | Specie Name |
|---|---|
| 350 | Buckeye Burl |
| 380 | Aspen |
| 410 | Basswood |
| 470 | Guanacaste (Parota) |
| 490 | Butternut |
| 540 | American Chestnut |
| 540 | Poplar |
| 540 | Mappa Burl |
| 600 | Spanish Cedar |
| 800 | Genuine Mahogany |
| 830 | American Elm |
| 850 | Quilted Western Maple |
| 850 | Western Maple Burl |
| 850 | Curly Western Maple |
| 850 | Black Ash |
| 850 | Western Maple |
| 880 | Spalted Hackberry |
| 891 | Lacewood |
| 950 | Cherry |
| 950 | Tornillo |
| 950 | Curly Soft Maple |
| 950 | Cherry Burl |
| 950 | Soft Maple |
| 950 | Curly Cherry |
| 950 | Anigre |
| 950 | Ambrosia Maple |
| 960 | Peruvian Walnut |
| 1010 | Walnut |
| 1010 | Figured Walnut |
| 1020 | Holly |
| 1055 | Curly Pyinma |
| 1080 | Teak |
| 1100 | African Mahogany |
| 1100 | Figured Mango |
| 1100 | Mango |
| 1130 | Gofasa Burl |
| 1160 | Thuya Burl |
| 1170 | Koa |
| 1180 | Acacia |
| 1200 | Redheart |
| 1200 | Masur Birch |
| 1200 | Mirindiba |
| 1210 | Nicaraguan Rosewood |
| 1220 | Red Oak |
| 1220 | Curly Oak |
| 1220 | Quarter Sawn Red Oak |
| 1220 | Spalted Oak |
| 1260 | Amboyna Burl |
| 1260 | Birch |
| 1260 | Bayur Burl |
| 1260 | Curly Narra |
| 1260 | Flame Birch |
| 1260 | Birch Burl |
| 1260 | Narra |
| 1294 | Figured Makore |
| 1294 | Makore |
| 1300 | Spalted Beech |
| 1320 | White Ash |
| 1320 | Curly White Ash |
| 1320 | Swamp Ash |
| 1330 | Shedua |
| 1335 | Quarter Sawn White Oak |
| 1335 | White Oak |
| 1350 | Ebiara |
| 1360 | English Brown Oak |
| 1400 | Mayan Walnut |
| 1400 | Eucalyptus |
| 1439 | Quilted Sapele |
| 1450 | Birdseye Maple |
| 1450 | Hard Maple |
| 1450 | Curly Hard Maple |
| 1450 | Quarter Sawn Maple |
| 1450 | Bark Pocket Maple |
| 1450 | Hard Maple Burl |
| 1450 | Spalted Maple |
| 1450 | Rift Sawn Hard Maple |
| 1460 | Madrone Burl |
| 1500 | Sapele |
| 1520 | Canarywood |
| 1548 | Honey Locust |
| 1560 | Afrormosia |
| 1712 | Merbau |
| 1780 | Black & White Ebony |
| 1800 | Camphor Bush Burl |
| 1800 | Figured Camphor Bush |
| 1810 | Afzelia Burl |
| 1820 | Hickory |
| 1830 | Zebrawood |
| 1830 | Figured Zebrawood |
| 1860 | Jarrah Burl |
| 1878 | Yellowheart |
| 1900 | Red Palm |
| 1930 | Wenge |
| 1960 | Bolivian Rosewood |
| 1970 | Padauk |
| 1970 | Ziricote |
| 2010 | Bocote |
| 2020 | Black Palm |
| 2140 | Sucupira |
| 2150 | Leopardwood |
| 2160 | Goncalo Alves |
| 2200 | Chechen |
| 2200 | Honduras Rosewood |
| 2200 | Honduras Rosewood Burl |
| 2250 | Chakte Viga |
| 2318 | Spalted Tamarind |
| 2400 | Osage Orange (Argentine) |
| 2400 | Santos Mahogany |
| 2410 | Figured Bubinga |
| 2410 | Quilted Bubinga |
| 2410 | Bubinga |
| 2430 | Cochen Rosewood |
| 2430 | Indian Ebony |
| 2440 | E. Indian Rosewood |
| 2480 | Tamboti |
| 2490 | Red Mallee Burl |
| 2490 | Brown Mallee Burl |
| 2500 | Tulipwood |
| 2520 | Purpleheart |
| 2520 | Figured Purpleheart |
| 2532 | Marblewood |
| 2620 | Amazon Rosewood |
| 2690 | Jatoba |
| 2690 | Olivewood |
| 2690 | Spalted Jatoba |
| 2700 | Granadillo |
| 2720 | Madagascar Rosewood |
| 2760 | Osage Orange (USA) |
| 2900 | Bloodwood |
| 2920 | Yellow Box Burl |
| 2960 | Cocobolo |
| 3000 | Mun Ebony |
| 3080 | Gaboon Ebony |
| 3080 | Royal Ebony |
| 3150 | Angelim Pedra |
| 3200 | Pau Santo |
| 3220 | Macassar Ebony |
| 3230 | Pink Ivory |
| 3250 | Desert Ironwood |
| 3330 | Cumaru |
| 3340 | Kingwood |
| 3340 | Camatillo |
| 3370 | Grey Box Burl |
| 3390 | Mopani |
| 3510 | Ipe |
| 3590 | Brown Ebony |
| 3600 | Patagonian Rosewood |
| 3660 | Katalox |
| 3660 | Figured Katalox |
| 3670 | African Blackwood |
| 3690 | Brazilian Ebony |
| 3710 | Lignum Vitae (Argentine) |
| 3730 | Red Coolibah Burl |
| 3800 | Snakewood |
| 4380 | Lignum Vitae (Genuine) |