Hardwood
The term "Hardwood" refers to wood from mostly deciduous, broad leaved trees, although some tropical trees may vary from this rule. On average, hardwood is of higher density than softwood, but there is some overlap between the two groups, as there is considerable range of hardness in both groups. There are many more hardwood species than softwood, about one hundred times as many. Some common types of hardwood include: oak, beech, maple, ash, cherry and walnut. -------------------------------------------------------------------- Softwood The term "Softwood" is used to refer to wood from conifer trees. Some common types of softwood are: spruce, pine, heart-pine and cedar. -------------------------------------------------------------------- Hardness As mentioned above there is a wide range hardness for woods, both hard and soft, Following are the Janka hardness scale rating for some of the more popular wood floor types. Brazilian Walnut (Ipe) 3680 Brazilian Teak (Cumaru) 3540 Brazilian Rosewood 3000 Brazilian Cherry (Jatoba) 2350 Mesquite 2345 Santos Mahogany 2200 Hickory / Pecan 1820 Brazilian Maple 1500 Hard Maple 1430 Australian Cypress 1375 White Oak 1360 White Ash 1320 American Beech 1300 Northern Red Oak 1290 Heart Pine 1225 Black Walnut 1010 Red Cedar 900 |