Wood Species

Name	Wood	Janka Rating
Coffee Bean		1390

Coffee Bean
Gymnocladus dioicus

Also known as: Chicot, Coffee Nut, Coffeetree, Kentucky Mahogany, Knicker Tree, Stunmp Tree

Origin: North America

Appearance:

The sapwood of coffee bean is greenish-white, while the heartwood is light brown to light red in color. The species has a straight grain comparable to ash or red elm, and is coarse in nature.

Resistance, Durability:

Coffee bean has a natural resistance to decay, and lacks any noticeable odor. Coffee bean is difficult to dry properly while preventing splitting.

Janka Hardness: 1390

As a flooring choice, coffee bean is a relatively hard and durable wood. It is nearly identical in hardness to white oak, is roughly three quarters as hard as hickory or pecan, about forty percent harder than teak, and is only about four percent softer than hard maple.

Workability:

Coffee bean responds well to cutting tools. Pre-boring is suggested yet the wood holds nails well once applied. Glue holds well with coffee bean flooring. This species works to a good polish.

Main Uses:

Coffee bean's uses include flooring, desks, cabinets, wardrobes, and as tables.

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.