How to measure the hardness of the wood?

The Brinell test is a simple but very precise way of measuring the hardness of wood.

The test was developed by the Swedish engineer Johan August Brinell in connection with the World Exhibition in Paris in 1900. It is made by pressing a small steel ball against the surface of the wood with a heavy load. The Brinell value is determined by the size of the indention made in the wood. It’s all about leaving as small an indention as possible as this indicates that the wood is very hard. This means: The higher the Brinell value, the harder and more durable is the wood floor.

As wood is a living material with a diverse structure shaped by many years of growth, the Brinell test is done many times for each wood specie, and therefore the values in the table are average values.