Janka Hardness Chart
55+ species you can search, sort, and filter — with Red Oak flagged as the benchmark and hardness bars so the differences actually register.
Verified against independent hand calculation · sources cited below
| Lignum Vitaeabout the hardest wood in the trade | 4,500 | |
| Ipe | 3,510 | |
| Cumaru | 3,330 | |
| Gaboon Ebony | 3,080 | |
| Cocobolo | 2,960 | |
| Bloodwood | 2,900 | |
| Olivewood | 2,700 | |
| Jatoba (Brazilian Cherry) | 2,690 | |
| Osage Orange | 2,620 | |
| Purpleheart | 2,520 | |
| East Indian Rosewood | 2,440 | |
| Bubinga | 2,410 | |
| Bocote | 2,010 | |
| Wenge | 1,930 | |
| Zebrawood | 1,830 | |
| Shagbark Hickory / Pecan | 1,820 | |
| Yellowheart | 1,790 | |
| Padauk | 1,725 | |
| Black Locust | 1,700 | |
| Honey Locust | 1,580 | |
| Canarywood | 1,520 | |
| Hard Maple (Sugar)the classic workbench and cutting-board top | 1,450 | |
| Sapele | 1,410 | |
| Bamboo (natural, flooring) | 1,380 | |
| White Oak | 1,360 | |
| White Ash | 1,320 | |
| American Beech | 1,300 | |
| Northern Red Oakthe traditional flooring benchmark | 1,290 | |
| Yellow Birch | 1,260 | |
| Iroko | 1,260 | |
| African Mahogany (Khaya) | 1,070 | |
| Teak | 1,070 | |
| Black Walnut | 1,010 | |
| Black Cherry | 950 | |
| Soft Maple (Red) | 950 | |
| Paper Birch | 910 | |
| Aromatic Red Cedar | 900 | |
| American Elm | 830 | |
| Honduran Mahogany | 800 | |
| American Sycamore | 770 | |
| Southern Yellow Pine (Loblolly) | 690 | |
| Douglas Fir | 660 | |
| Sassafras | 630 | |
| Spanish Cedar | 600 | |
| Red Alder | 590 | |
| Yellow Poplar | 540 | |
| Bald Cypress | 510 | |
| Western Hemlock | 500 | |
| Butternut | 490 | |
| American Basswood | 410 | |
| Eastern White Pine | 380 | |
| Quaking Aspen | 350 | |
| Western Red Cedar | 350 | |
| Paulownia | 300 | |
| Balsa | 70 |
Typical published side-hardness values at ~12% moisture content (55 of 55 species shown). Individual boards vary meaningfully — use these to compare species, not to certify a plank.
How to read this chart
Janka numbers are comparison figures, measured on clear, defect-free samples at about 12% moisture content. Real boards — with grain swirl, density variation, and different moisture — will vary around the published value. That’s fine: the chart’s job is ranking (is Hickory meaningfully harder than Oak? yes, ~40%), not certifying an individual plank.
Landmarks worth memorizing
- 350–500: soft, fast-denting — Cedar, Pine, Basswood. Carving and paint-grade country.
- 950–1,450: the furniture-and-flooring heartland — Cherry, Walnut, Oak, Ash, Hard Maple.
- 1,700–2,700: serious wear resistance — Hickory, Padauk, Purpleheart, Jatoba. Tool handles and high-traffic floors.
- 3,000+: deck-grade exotics — Ipe, Cumaru — hard on blades, gorgeous underfoot, pre-drill everything.
Frequently asked questions
What does the Janka rating actually measure?
The force needed to press a 0.444″ steel ball halfway into the wood — reported in pounds-force (lbf) in North America. It’s a dent-resistance test: Red Oak at 1,290 lbf is the traditional benchmark everything else gets compared to.
Is a harder wood always the better choice?
No. Hardness predicts dent resistance — floors, workbench tops, cutting boards — but harder woods are also harder on your edges, more prone to blotchy finishing, and often heavier and pricier. Black Walnut at ~1,010 lbf makes superb furniture precisely because workability beats armor for most projects.
Are all softwoods softer than all hardwoods?
No — the terms describe botany (conifers vs broadleaf trees), not hardness. Southern Yellow Pine (~690 lbf) out-dents Basswood (410) and Aspen (350), both technically hardwoods; Balsa, one of the softest woods on Earth, is a hardwood too.
What hardness do I need for a floor or a workbench?
Common practice: ≥1,000 lbf for residential flooring (Red Oak’s 1,290 is the classic), more for dogs and commercial traffic. Workbench tops favor Hard Maple (~1,450). Cutting boards want the 900–1,500 window — hard enough to last, soft enough to spare your knives.
Sources & further reading
- U.S. Forest Products Laboratory — Wood Handbook (mechanical properties tables)
- Values cross-checked against standard industry hardness charts (typical published figures, ~12% MC)