3. There are thousands of different species of trees whose wood is used in various forms. If anyone has anything to add, please PM me and I will add it. afromosia – Pericopsis elata – 1560 albarco – Cariniana spp. Interesting fact: alder is used to smoke fish and meat. We have found this to be one of the best measures of the ability of wood species to withstand denting and wear. As an example of the softest wood, Alder has a Janka Hardness number of 590. At the top of the scale is Brazilian Walnut with a Janka number of 3680. Although classified as a hardwood, alder is one of the softest of all hardwoods and is more commonly referred to as a semi-hardwood. Both Alder and Cherry are considered hard woods. Wikipedia: Janka Hardness Test . ALDER Light weight with a tight grain structure with no real noticable grain lines, Alder is perfect for bodies. Mids are pronounced but it still has a nice rounded bottom and and bright top end. Janka Hardness Scale. The Industry Standard for Hardness. Woods with a higher rating are harder than woods with a lower rating. 4/4 Shipped from NY: $ 8.40 Shipped from FL: $ 9.50 The price difference is caused by shipping costs and local availability. The Janka test measures the amount of force required to embed a 0.444 steel ball into the wood to half of its diameter. Wood Species: Lb f: … Retrieved 28 August Retrieved 20 December This number is incredibly useful in directly determining how well a wood will withstand dents, dings, and wear—as well as indirectly predicting the difficulty in nailing, screwing, sanding, or sawing a given wood species. Alder (Red) 590. I've even made poplar look like mahogany in color, but not grain. The Janka scale is used to determine the relative hardness of particular domestic or exotic wood species. 590. Wood Hardness Chart Species (Alphabetical) Hardness Species (by Hardness) Hardness Afromosia 1560 Basswood 410 Amberwood 2200 Butternut 490 Amendoim 1360 Chestnut, Domestic 540 Angelique 1290 Douglass Fir 660 Aniegre 1110 Yellow Pine, Short Leaf 690 Ash, Domestic / White 1320 Sycamore, American 770 Ash, Victorian 1010 Yellow Pine, Long Leaf 870 Bamboo, Carbonized 1800 Mahogany, … The hardness of wood is rated on what is known as the Janka scale and is built on the Janka Hardness test. It measures the force required to embed an 11.28 millimetres (0.444 in) diameter steel ball halfway into a sample of wood. The higher the force, the harder the wood. 7. Workability. Even following all precautions and maintenance guidelines, this flooring will show a bit more wear and tear than floors made of hardwood that ranks higher on the Janka scale. Janka Hardness and Wood Species. Western red alder is very abundant in the U.S. forest and under-utilised. The test measures the pressure required to embed an 11.28mm (.444 in) diameter steel ball into wood to half the ball's diameter. Alder is used as a substitute for higher end woods to lower the cost. Heartwood is formed only in trees of advanced age and there is no visible boundary between sap and heartwood. Western red alder is very abundant in the U.S. forest and under-utilised. It can also be measured in kilograms or newtons, depending on where you are. Alder can be either painted or stained, depending on your application. Its sapwood is light to white in color, and its heartwood varies from gray to brown. JANKA WOOD HARDNESS RATINGS . In the U.S., numbers listed as a wood’s “Janka hardness rating” represent the pounds of force required to embed the steel ball halfway. It reflects the force in pounds required to push a small steel ball into the wood. The Janka hardness test measures the lb/in2 required to embed a .444-inch steel ball to half its diameter in wood. Basswood has a Janka hardness rating of 410, which is near the soft end of the hardness scale. Hemlock. You can refer to the Janka Hardness Scale in a number of situations. This force is recorded in both pounds-force (lbf) and kilo-Newtons (kN). Janka Hardness. Chestnut. Alder Wood Lumber janka hardness: 590 For more info on the janka hardness scale CLICK HERE. Woods with a higher rating are harder than woods with a lower rating. I don’t know the scientific specs on alder’s hardness. 9. All the woods listed below fall somewhere in-between. We have a wide variety of products using the types of wood listed below. 2. Janka Hardness Value: 590. Common Name: Red Alder, Western Red Alder Janka Hardness: 590 Tree: 60-100 ft tall, 1-2 ft trunk diameter Distribution: North American Pacific Coast Properties: Light tan to reddish brown in color, with no noticeable difference between heartwood and sapwood. Another paintgrade option would be Rubberwood. It is a measurement of the amount of force needed to embed a .444" steel ball into wood to half the ball's diameter. Lighter than some of its wood counterparts, this hardwood member of the birch family has been used to make gorgeous renditions of everything from guitars to dining room tables. This test measures the relative hardness of various woods based on the amount of force needed to embed a 0.444 inch steel ball into wood to half the ball’s diameter. When Choosing Flooring For Your Home. Common Thicknesses are 4/4, 5/4, 6/4, 8/4. The Janka test measures the force required to embed a .444 inch steel ball into the wood by half its diameter. Alder. The hardest commercially available hardwood is hickory, and it is five times harder than aspen, one of the “soft” hardwoods. Janka Hardness Scale The Janka scale rates the relative hardness of wood. Janka Rating System When in doubt about the type of wood to select for your cabinetry, flooring, furniture or millwork project, refer to the Janka Rating System, which measures the relative hardness of woods. There may be variations of more or less than 20% on the scale, since this is a scientific test. Basswood. Janka hardness is the amount of force it takes to push an 11.28 mm (.444”) steel ball into a plank of wood to half the ball’s diameter. As far as hardness goes here is a comparison of native American woods as measured using the Janka Hardness Scale. These days a lot of makers use it as a primary show wood, and it can be stained to mimic other woods like cherry. It is stable and used extensively in furniture and cabinet making. Please include a link to your source. 420. 8. Wood is an extremely common building material and is also used widely for crafts, art and other projects. Generally speaking, softwoods tend to be softer than their hardwood counterparts. HARDWOOD JANKA RATINGS *Red Oak with a Janka rating of 1290 is the industry benchmark for comparing the relative hardness of different wood species. View Product Gallery. Balsa. The Janka hardness test provies a relative scale where the higher the number indicates the harder the wood. This method leaves a hemispherical indentation with an area of 200 mm2. 500. 410. A common use of Janka hardness ratings is to determine whether a species is suitable for use as flooring. White Ash (Fraxinus americana) grows throughout Eastern North America. 100. The Janka hardness rating measures wood to rate its suitability for flooring. Eastern White Pine. A soft wood with a straight grain and fine texture. The following ratings are taken from The Janka Hardness Scale. Western White Pine. This is why alder hardwood floors are recommended for homes where a rugged floor is acceptable. Region: West Coast USA Janka/Hardness: 590 lbf (2,620 N) Weight: 28 lbs/ft3 (450 kg/m3) NORTHERN ASH Swamp Ash's lesser known cousin. The Janka hardness test is the international standard for measuring the resistance of a sample of wood to denting and wear. Because of that, the term for this unit of measure is pound-force. By comparison, Brazilian ebony is an extremely hard wood, rated at 3692 on the Janka scale. 6. To give you a sense of the scale: Brazilian … Species: 4/4 planed to 0.85″* 5/4 planed to 1.10″* 6/4 planed to 1.35″* 7/4 planed to 1.60″* 8/4 planed to 1.85″* 12 / 4: Janka Hardness Rating* Alder It measures the force required to embed a 11.28 mm (0.444 in) diameter steel ball halfway into a sample of wood. It is also a good indicator of how hard or easy a species is to saw or nail. Janka Hardness of the Woods of Wyrmwood. The wood is fairly straight-grained with a uniform texture. At one time it was used a lot for the understructure in upholstered furniture (and probably still is). The Janka Side Hardness test measures the force required to press an 11.28mm (0.444 inch) steel ball to half its diameter cross-grain into a block of wood. The Janka Hardness Test was conducted by measuring the amount of force necessary to embed a .444 inch steel ball into side of the wood up to one half of its diameter to determine its hardness rating, which is then recorded on the Janka Hardness Scale. The rich tones allow for a staining similar to ... than hard maple. It is one of the best measures of the ability of a wood species to withstand denting and wear. Woodworkers measure the hardness of a wood species by using the Janka hardness test. Often a more economical option, Rubberwood is also part of the Maple family. Cuipo . 10. The scale used in the table is pounds-force. Bulk Discounts Available. Alder, a relative of birch, is almost white when freshly cut, but quickly changes with exposure to air, becoming light brown with a yellow or reddish tinge. Alder LATIN NAME: Alnus rubra OTHER COMMON NAMES: red alder, Western red alder, Western alder . There is a hardness scale called the Janka Hardwood Scale which tests the impact resistance of woods and is used primarily by flooring companies to demonstrate the durability of their flooring. The Janka test measures the amount of force required to embed a 0.444" steel ball into the wood to half of its diameter. Note that Janka measures are not absolute, but do provide an excellent reference when determining which woods are generally harder than others. 5. However, there are plenty exceptions to that. Note: The Janka Hardness scale is a method of determining the hardness of the wood. Other than grain patterns almost any wood can be finished to look like another as far as color goes. The Janka hardness test (from the Austrian-born emigrant Gabriel Janka, 1864–1932) measures the resistance of a sample of wood to denting and wear. It's expressed in psi, or pounds-per-square-inch. 4. 540. The Janka test measures the necessary force to embed a .44″ diameter steel ball halfway into a piece of wood. For more information on Janka hardness, see the following resources: The Wood Database: Janka Hardness. Janka Hardness Scale ( Below downloaded from wikipedia ) Janka hardness test The Janka hardness test measures the resistance of a sample of wood to denting and wear. The Janka rating for red alder, the most commonly used in flooring, is 590. . Color darkens and reddens with age. Ash. Hickory / Pecan, Satinwood 1820 Afzelia / Doussie / Australian Wormy Chestnut 1810 Bangkirai 1798 Rosewood 1780 African Padauk 1725 Blackwood 1720 Merbau 1712 Kempas 1710 Black Locust 1700 Highland Beech 1686 Wenge, Red Pine, Hornbeam 1630 Tualang 1624 Zebrawood 1575 True Pine, Timborana 1570 Peroba 1557 Sapele / Sapelli, Kupa'y 1510 Curupixa … They run the test by forcing a metal ball into the surface of a board with a machine to see how much force it takes to penetrate halfway into a board. What Kind of Wood Is Alder?. It is a great tool for comparing densities of different species of wood. 380. Larch. Northern Red Oak, for example, has a Janka hardness rating of 1290. Alder LATIN NAME: Alnus rubra OTHER COMMON NAMES: red alder, Western red alder, Western alder . One of the first things you’ll notice when you begin working with wood is the sheer variety of possible woods to work with. For smaller or larger quantities, call for pricing and availability. Janka Hardness Value: 590. The hardness of a wood is rated on an industry wide standard known as the Janka test. This test is one of the best measures of the ability of a wood specie to withstand denting and wear. JANKA HARDNESS SCALE: 590. Ebony measures 3,220 on the Janka scale; balsa wood measures 100. It is actually the same density as Cherry on the Janka hardness scale. If you’re in the market for new cabinets, there's a good chance you’ve heard about alder wood. The Janka scale is used to determine the relative hardness of particular domestic or exotic wood species. Applications. 1.