WHICH WOOD SPECIES ARE THE TOUGHEST?

Wood Species

Brinnell Value

Pine

1.6

Alder

2.1

Birch

2.6

European Maple

3.0

American Walnut

3.4

Iroko

3.5

Black Cherry

3.6

Oak

3.7

Beech (Copper Beech)

3.8

American Red Oak

3.8

European Red Oak

3.8

Ash

4.0

Rosewood

4.4

Jarrah

4.7

Hard Maple

4.8

Merbau

4.9

Mutenye

5.0

Sucupira

5.6

Jatoba

7.0

By their very nature, different wood species have different levels of hardness. The hardness of parquet is measured using the Brinell method. This involves a steel ball with a diameter of 10 mm being pressed against the parquet surface with a prescribed force and duration. The indentation that this leaves is then measured, and the Brinell value is calculated. The harder the wood, the higher the Brinell value. (The structure of wood means there can be variations, but the specified value is the average, taken from a large number of measurements.)