Bamboo Flooring Hardness Rating

For years bamboo was not mentioned in janka reports and list.

Bamboo flooring hardness rating.

As mentioned some forms of bamboo flooring are more durable than others so the first thing you ll want to look for is the hardness rating. Bamboo especially the strand woven variety is extremely hard in fact it s one of the hardest floors available in the market hands down. This process involves placing the bamboo under extreme heat and pressure which causes the color to change but also somewhat weakens the material. Carbonized bamboo carries a janka hardness rating of around 1 000 to 1 100 which is still considerably harder than some hardwoods.

Statistics below compare the janka hardness ratings for hardwood and bamboo flooring products. Every flooring product cali bamboo offers undergoes janka testing to ensure it will not just hold up but continue looking newly installed for years to come. With the rising popularity of bamboo as flooring the janka test has been forced to include the diverse ratings for different bamboo floors. Promising strength and hardness comparable to exotics like eucalyptus 4000 5000 janka rating strand woven bamboo is rated as one of the strongest materials on the janka scale period.

It s measured on something called the janka scale and should be a specification that s to locate in listings or on the box itself. The janka hardness test is often applied to bamboo and eucalyptus flooring products after manufacturing a process that artificially hardens the material by the addition of resins. Engineers measure the hardness and density of wood and other materials using the janka hardness scale which measures the force needed to drive a small steel ball into the material. 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.

Hardness resistance to denting bamboo flooring. Still the very impressive janka ratings accurately depict the excellent durability of these non wood flooring products. Strand woven bamboo and eucalyptus flooring on average have janka ratings upwards of 3 800 which is much higher than traditional wood flooring. The hardness of traditional bamboo flooring ranges from 1180 carbonized horizontal to around 1380 natural while newer manufacturing techniques including strand woven bamboo flooring range from 3000 to over 5000 using the janka hardness test.

A common use of janka hardness ratings is to determine whether a species is suitable for use as flooring. It measures the force required to embed an 11 28 millimetres 0 444 in diameter steel ball halfway into a sample of wood. However some bamboo flooring products are carbonized to darken it.