Bamboo flooring’s hardness has often been touted to be nearly indestructible, but is it? In reality, the hardness of bamboo flooring can be manipulated.
Bamboo can make a great floor, but you may wish to shop at a different store if the salesperson tells you that bamboo cannot be scratched or dented.
Just like hardwood and laminate, a bamboo floor can be scratched and dented
Bamboo Flooring Hardness Facts
Some manufacturers of bamboo flooring make questionable claims regarding the hardness. In some situations, the bamboo manufacturer will base the results on a misleading hardness test. They report the Janka values of tests made on the “nodes” or knots of the bamboo plant. These knots only occupy a small fraction of the bamboo plant. The test results are not a true measure of bamboo flooring’s hardness for the overall product.
While the hardness of natural bamboo can be as hard or harder than maple, carbonized bamboo is significantly softer.
- Natural bamboo can range in hardness from 1350 – 1750 psi (pounds per square inch).
- Carbonized (aka Amber) bamboo will range from 1100 – 1300 psi as the bamboo is weakened by the carbonization process.
Janka Testing Bamboo Flooring
Janka is one of the best methods to measure the ability of wood species to withstand indentations. Janka testing should be used as a guideline and not the only consideration when comparing various species of wood and bamboo flooring. Factors such as construction and finish should also play important functions in the maintenance and durability of a bamboo floor.
A bamboo flooring hardness value is an indicator of performance and resistance to damage. All bamboo and wood flooring are natural products and will dent, ding, and scratch based on use, care, and traffic. The harder the material, the greater the resistance.
The values reported by Floor Central for the hardness of wood and bamboo flooring are from several flooring manufacturers and testing resources. As with all natural flooring products, the testing reults may vary.
Janka Ball Test
The Janka Ball test is based on ASTM D1037. The Janka test is a measure used to determine the strength and durability of wood-based fiber and particle panel materials, including flooring. The test measures the amount of force required to embed an 11.28 millimeter (0.444 inch) steel ball into wood half its diameter (0.222 inch) deep.
The Janka hardness of bamboo flooring tends to vary as it does with some wood species. Due to the thickness of available specimens, its accuracy is greater for wood than for bamboo.
Janka Hardness Tables
The chart below lists the relative hardness for numerous wood species used in flooring based on a modified Janka hardness test. The hardness of wood and bamboo flooring is generally defined as resistance to indentation. The higher the number, the harder the wood.
Wood and Bamboo | Hardness* |
| Chestnut, Domestic | 540 |
| Douglas Fir | 660 |
| Southern Yellow Pine (Long Leaf) | 870 |
| Mahogany, Honduran | 800 |
| Lacewood | 840 |
| Mahogany, African, Khaya | 845 |
| Yellow Pine, Southern | 870 |
| Black Cherry | 950 |
| North American Cherry | 950 |
| Imbuia | 950 |
| Teak | 1000 |
| Cherry, Africa, Makore | 1010 |
| Black Walnut, Domestic | 1010 |
| Aniegre | 1110 |
| Bamboo, Carbonized | 1100 – 1300 |
| Heart Pine | 1225 |
| Iroko/Kambala | 1260 |
| Yellow Birch | 1260 |
| Red Oak, Northern | 1290 |
| Angelique | 1290 |
| Walnut, African, Mansonia | 1290 |
| American Beech | 1300 |
| Ash, Domestic | 1320 |
| Vintage Oak | 1325 |
| White Oak, Domestic | 1360 |
| Cypress, Australian Hard | 1375 |
| Bamboo, Natural | 1350 – 1750* |
| Maple, Domestic | 1450 |
| Maple, Brazilian | 1500 |
| Mahogany, African, Sapele | 1500 |
| Zebrawood | 1575 |
| Wenge | 1630 |
| Teak, Striped, Shedua | 1650 |
| Patens | 1691 |
| Perdauk, African | 1725 |
| Yellowheart | 1820 |
| Hickory | 1820 |
| Pecan | 1820 |
| Purple Heart | 1860 |
| Jarrah, Australian | 1915 |
| Merbau | 1925 |
| Bubinga | 1980 |
| Goncalo Alves | 2160 |
| Rosewood, Asian | 2170 |
| Bocote | 2200 |
| Mahogany, Santos | 2200 |
| Rosewood, Honduran | 2200 |
| Mesquite | 2345 |
| Cherry, Brazilian | 2350 |
| Bamboo, Strand | 2900 – 3300* |
| Bloodwood | 3300 |
| Rosewood, Brazilian (Tamarindo) | 3000 |
| Chestnut, Southern | 3540 |
| Teak, Brazilian (Cumaru) | 3540 |
| Cherry, Bolivian | 3650 |
| Walnut, Brazilian (lpe) | 3680 |
| Ebony, Brazilian | 3692 |
As listed in this chart, natural bamboo flooring hardness will range from 1350 to 1750 psi (pounds per square inch). Carbonized (aka Amber) bamboo flooring hardness will range from 1100 to 1300 psi. Carbonized bamboo is weakened by about 30% by the carbonization process. Strand bamboo is the hardest of the bamboo products, with a range between 2900-3300 psi.
While natural bamboo flooring is harder than many wood species, and carbonized bamboo falls mid-range, don’t be fooled when a salesman tells you that it can’t be scratched or dented. Remember, even a diamond can be scratched.
