Approximate Janka hardness (lbf) and working notes for common timbers. Values vary by source and sample.
24 of 24 rows
| Western red cedar | 350 | Reddish brown | Very easy, soft | Cladding, fences, outdoor furniture |
| Eastern white pine | 380 | Pale cream | Very easy | Trim, shelving, painted furniture |
| Basswood | 410 | Cream | Very easy, carves well | Carving, blinds, models |
| Hemlock | 500 | Pale brown | Easy, can splinter | Framing, general construction |
| Poplar | 540 | Cream to greenish | Easy, fuzzy grain | Painted furniture, drawer sides |
| Alder | 590 | Light reddish brown | Easy | Cabinets, furniture, guitar bodies |
| Douglas fir | 660 | Orange-brown | Moderate, splinters | Framing, beams, doors |
| Honduran mahogany | 900 | Reddish brown | Excellent | Fine furniture, boats, instruments |
| Cherry | 950 | Pinkish, darkens to red | Excellent, scorches | Furniture, cabinets |
| Black walnut | 1010 | Dark chocolate brown | Excellent | Furniture, gunstocks, veneer |
| Teak | 1070 | Golden brown | Moderate, dulls tools | Boat decks, outdoor furniture |
| Yellow birch | 1260 | Light reddish brown | Good | Plywood, furniture, flooring |
| Red oak | 1290 | Pinkish red | Good, open grain | Flooring, cabinets, trim |
| European beech | 1300 | Pale pink-brown | Good, moves with humidity | Workbenches, chairs, tools |
| White ash | 1320 | Pale cream to brown | Good, bends well | Tool handles, bats, chairs |
| White oak | 1360 | Light to medium brown | Good, dense | Flooring, barrels, boats, furniture |
| Bamboo (strand woven) | 1380 | Pale to caramel | Hard on tools | Flooring, cutting boards |
| Sapele | 1410 | Reddish brown, ribbon figure | Good, interlocked grain | Doors, windows, furniture |
| Hard maple | 1450 | Cream to pale brown | Good, burns easily | Flooring, butcher blocks, bowling alleys |
| Wenge | 1630 | Very dark brown | Difficult, splinters | Accents, flooring, veneer |
| Hickory | 1820 | Cream to reddish brown | Difficult, very tough | Tool handles, flooring, drumsticks |
| Padauk | 1970 | Vivid orange-red | Good, fine dust | Accents, turning, instruments |
| Purpleheart | 2520 | Purple | Difficult, dulls tools | Accents, inlay, decking |
| Ipe | 3510 | Olive to dark brown | Very difficult | Decking, boardwalks |