Comments on: Janka Hardness

By: Elkhana

Elkhana — Mon, 08 Sep 2025 01:00:27 +0000

Please get a sample of Borneo Ironwood (Belian). The Tested Janka hardness is around 3800 pound per sq inch. This wood is among, if not, the longest lasting wood in the world. Easily goes beyond 50 years on ground contact, and its not uncommon to hear this wood to last over 100 years outside, untreated. We have evidence of this wood, used as a coffin by people, hundreds of years ago, and the coffins still in good shape, and Carbon dated to at least 700 years!

By: Phil

Phil — Sat, 12 Oct 2024 08:59:24 +0000

In reply to Yavuz.

The flame pattern in the grain and colors – it could be a species of pine from the Parana state in the south of Brasil.
Furniture restorer for 25 years in London. I live din Brasil for 18 months.

By: mat

mat — Thu, 06 Jun 2024 16:38:43 +0000

In reply to Yavuz.

They are knots of Brazilian pine know as “Pino Paraná” or “Pino Brasil”. They are know as “clavo de pino”. You can see pics and more details here: https://www.wood-database.com/parana-pine

By: Eric

Eric — Wed, 13 Mar 2024 09:56:49 +0000

In reply to Heather Ann Lynn.

Here’s a filter of all the light colored woods, sorted from heaviest to lightest. Though some of them I think you’ll have trouble finding commercially. https://www.wood-database.com/wood-filter/?fwp_color=a6bc2d12dbd5b61142f04f9209121742&fwp_sort=weight

By: Heather Ann Lynn

Heather Ann Lynn — Wed, 13 Mar 2024 06:04:08 +0000

I’m searching the internet for a club weapon replica from the Zelda game and can’t find it or anything like it. So, I’m researching to find the denser lighter woods. I’m willing to spend $300, but know I can get much cheaper like beech wood. I plan to whittle and use an electric wood burner and to oil it into a reasonable gift. Can you tell me how to best start the research side? That ‘would’ be amazing of you. Thanks so much for you’re time.

By: Yavuz

Yavuz — Sun, 04 Feb 2024 22:47:08 +0000

Hi do you know the name of this wood?is it from brazilia?

By: Thomas M Dykstra

Thomas M Dykstra — Sat, 02 Dec 2023 18:28:33 +0000

In reply to Richard L. Dillio. "I have measured Nickel hardness in Newtons. There must be a lot of woods harder than Nickel"... Interesting idea, Rich! You kind of baited a "hook" for those of us that love to work with a lot of different materials (metal, stone, wood, bone, horn, etc). So,OK: Now that you've had a couple years to ease into wood, have you found an answer? --Thom

By: Eric

Eric — Thu, 07 Sep 2023 08:35:21 +0000

In reply to Jade.

https://www.wood-database.com/wood-filter/?fwp_sort=hardness

By: Jade

Jade — Wed, 06 Sep 2023 10:15:42 +0000

Hi,

Do you have a filter where you can rank a select amount of woods by hardness?

Thank you,
Jade

By: Harry

Harry — Sun, 11 Jun 2023 07:43:28 +0000

I've worked a lot of Yew wood and although its a softwood it can seriously damage many hardwoods. Small sharp pieces were used by Vikings as nails to secure the longboat planks to the stem and stern, as they resisted saltwater better than steel (which the Vikings also developed for tolls and weaponry). So although a softwood, it can be driven through hardwood!. It is quite beautful, variagated, striking and extremely long lasting. It doesnt rot too easily either. We had 25mm quarter sawn planks laid up for 30 years in a country garage and there was no decay apart from a little deathwatch beetle in the the white sapwood. Never any holes in the darker heartwood. The source tree was over 400 years old when it was milled.

By: John Dave

John Dave — Fri, 07 Oct 2022 21:35:56 +0000

In reply to Eric. Weird. I have worked with rhododendron wood from my woods and it is much harder than every wood I have worked with, including olive.

By: Eric

Eric — Thu, 28 Jul 2022 15:37:48 +0000

In reply to John Dave.

The USDA’s technical bulletin 479 tested Rhododendron maximum and came up with a side hardness of 860 lbf in the green, undried state, but no info on dried wood. For comparison, in the document the 860 lbf value was about the same as the green hardness of red oak. https://naldc.nal.usda.gov/download/CAT86200473/PDF

By: John Dave

John Dave — Thu, 28 Jul 2022 14:56:15 +0000

Has anyone janka tested rhododendron?

By: Eric

Eric — Fri, 17 Jun 2022 05:39:16 +0000

In reply to Jim Robson. Yes, the circular indentation is equal to 1 square centimeter.

By: Jim Robson

Jim Robson — Thu, 16 Jun 2022 19:03:57 +0000

Out of curiosity do you know why they use that size of ball 0.444″ instead of say 0.5″

By: Bill Wells

Bill Wells — Wed, 13 Oct 2021 04:37:37 +0000

In reply to Peter. The Janka test measures the force (LBF) required to embed the .444" ball halfway into the wood. So that would be a distance of .222", or 5.64 mm.

By: Javier

Javier — Sun, 14 Mar 2021 05:40:01 +0000

In reply to Eric. The picoyo is the wood junction between the branch and the trunk of the tree of the Araucaria araucana, it is very high density wood. When the tree dies it degrades and they are exposed. Araucaria araucana is the hardiest species in the conifer genus Araucaria. It is a slow-growing and long-lived species, being able to exceed 1000 years.

By: Richard L. Dillio

Richard L. Dillio — Sat, 27 Feb 2021 01:47:02 +0000

In reply to ejmeier. Im 70 converting from being a retired Tool Maker to some kind of wood worker. All of this is very interesting. some of this is like comparing austenitic to martensitic. Then you run into nickel its austenitic but acts like martensitic in many ways. I know Rockwell. I will learn Janka. I have measured Nickel hardness in Newtons. There must be a lot of woods harder than Nickel. If my teachings come to mind Hardness is defined by resistance to abrasion. This form of testing must equate to pounds of pressure to certain depth of penetration. Thanks Rich

By: Eric

Eric — Sat, 13 Feb 2021 08:53:58 +0000

In reply to Alfred. I just sent you an email. Thanks

By: Alfred

Alfred — Sat, 13 Feb 2021 06:33:21 +0000

In reply to Eric. I may have wood samples for free. I would like to see you complete your collection. Do you have an email?