Wood Species

Name	Wood	Janka Rating
Brazilian Redwood		3190

Brazilian Redwood
Manilkara bidentata

Also known as: Acana, Beefwood, Bolletri, Massaranduba, Nispero, Paraju, Red Balata

Origin: Central and South American

Appearance:

The sapwood of Brazilian redwood is white to light brown, while the heartwood is light to darker reddish-brown in color. The species has an straight, sometimes wavy grain and is fine and uniform in texture. This is a low to medium luster wood.

Resistance, Durability:

Brazilian redwood is highly resistant to termites and decay. The wood remains smooth under friction and is reported to have no odor. Brazilian redwood is difficult and time consuming to dry properly. Once dried, this species is very resistant to moisture absorption.

Janka Hardness: 3190

As a flooring choice, Brazilian redwood is one of the hardest species of wood. It is over one hundred and thirty-three percent harder than white oak, roughly seventy-five percent harder than hickory or pecan, surpasses Brazilian cherry's ranking of 2350 by over thirty-five percent.

Workability:

Brazilian redwood is moderately easy to saw. Pre-boring is suggested yet the wood holds nails well once applied. Gluing can be difficult to accomplish with paraju flooring. This species sands very well and polishes to a smooth surface.

Main Uses:

Brazilian redwood's uses include flooring, furniture, cabinetry, musical instruments, and shingles.

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.