Wood Species

Name	Wood	Janka Rating
Afzelia		1810

Afzelia
Afzelia africana

Also known as

Afa, Beyo, Doussie, Lingue, Papayo, Uvala

Origin:

Africa - Cameroon

Appearance:

The sapwood of afzelia is pale yellow to white, while the heartwood ranges from light brown to reddish-brown. The grain is straight and slightly interlocked. The wood has a medium luster, and the texture is somewhat coarse.

Resistance, Durability

Afzelia is very hard and durable, and it has excellent resistance to attack by termites. The wood remains smooth under friction. Afzelia shows only small movement with time.

Janka Hardness: 1810

For a flooring choice, afzelia's hardness is over twice that of southern yellow pine, noticeably harder than hard maple, almost identical to hickory or pecan, and about three quarters as hard as santos mahogany.

Workability:

Afzelia has good machining qualities, and it sands to a smooth surface. When nailed, it has good holding ability. The wood has satisfactory staining and polishing ability due to yellow deposits in pores.

Main Uses:

Because afzelia wood is so hard and strong, it is among the most valuable exotic hardwood species. It is used for fine flooring, furniture, decking, stair rails, and construction.

What is a Janka Rating?

"It is one of the best measures of the ability of a wood species to withstand denting and wear. It is also a good indicator of how hard a species is to saw or nail.

The hardness of wood usually varies with the direction of the wood grain.

A common use of Janka hardness ratings is to determine whether a species is suitable for use as flooring."

Colored Bamboo

Some species have different janka ratings depending on how they have been treated.

Bamboo is one example of this. If left with a natural finish, Bamboo falls at 1380 on the hardness scale. If you carbonize it to get a darker color, the rank falls to 1180.