Most people who pull up a Janka hardness chart flooring list want one answer: how hard is red oak or maple compared with other woods, and does the number matter with a dog in the house? Hard maple is rated at 1,450 lbf and red oak at 1,220 lbf, with white oak between them at 1,350 lbf. So maple resists dents better than either oak, and that margin is worth having where claws, toys and chair legs land every day. The number describes the wood only, though. It says nothing about the finish on top of the board or the grade of the planks in the box, which is why this page reads the scale against the solid boards in our solid hardwood collection rather than as a ranking on its own. For whole-project budgets, the hardwood flooring price guide covers installation and removal.
Quick answer: Janka ratings for the species we sell
| Species | Janka hardness | Reference |
|---|---|---|
| Hard maple (sugar maple) | 1,450 lbf | Wood Database, hard maple profile |
| European beech | 1,450 lbf | Wood Database, European beech profile |
| White oak | 1,350 lbf | Wood Database, white oak profile |
| American beech | 1,300 lbf | Wood Database, American beech profile |
| Red oak (northern red oak) | 1,220 lbf | Wood Database, red oak profile |
The five reference values span 230 lbf. Beech appears twice because American and European beech carry separate figures. In relative terms, hard maple reads about 19% above red oak, and white oak about 11% above it.
That spread is real but modest. The maple and red oak boards featured below are both 19mm (3/4 inch) solid plank listed for nail-down installation, so on paper the species rating, the colour and the price are what separate them.
What the Janka test measures
The Wood Database describes a listed Janka figure as the force needed to push a steel ball 11.28 mm across into a piece of wood until half of the ball is buried. The figure applies to wood dried to 12% moisture content unless a profile notes otherwise. Because the test presses into the wood itself, a rating belongs to a species, not to a brand, a stain colour or a product line. The same reference says the number is useful for directly determining how well a wood will withstand dents, dings and wear.
No claw, dropped pan or dragged chair is involved in the test, but those events share its basic mechanism: force concentrated on a small point of the surface. That is why the scale works as a first filter for a busy house.
Why two charts can publish different numbers
Moisture condition is part of the definition, and reference sets sometimes report one species under more than one condition, so two published charts can disagree for the same wood. The five values in our table come from one reference and stay comparable with each other. Before ranking a figure from a brochure or another chart against them, check the basis behind each number.
What a Janka rating does not capture
Several parts of a finished floor sit outside the test.
- The surface finish. A rating describes the wood, while the factory coating is a separate layer on top and is the part a claw or a gritty shoe touches first.
- The grade. The Janka figure stays with the species, so Prestige, Excel and Advantage grade boards of the same wood share one number. Grade names sort boards by appearance, and our character versus select grade comparison explains what each name allows.
- The construction. Solid plank and engineered plank can show the same species on top and still suit different subfloors. The solid hardwood species, grades and finishes guide covers that choice.
- The room and the subfloor. Flatness, moisture and fastening are separate questions from hardness, and a harder species does not answer any of them.
Species choice is also a look decision. Red oak, white oak and maple differ in grain and tone well before they differ in hardness, and the species guide for Toronto homes works through that side of the comparison. For claws, accidents and stain protection specifically, our pet owner's flooring guide is the next step after this page.
Hardness and price side by side in our collection
Our solid boards are sold by the box, so each price below is converted to a per-square-foot figure by dividing the box price by the coverage in that box.
| Species | Boards in stock | Price per sq ft |
|---|---|---|
| Hard maple | 15 | $5.09 to $6.99 |
| Red oak | 19 | $5.39 to $9.99 |
| White oak | 2 | $6.69 |
| Beech | 1 | $4.99 |
Prices checked October 6, 2026. Box prices and coverage come from our current catalogue.
Set the hardness order beside the price order and two patterns appear. Hard maple sits higher on the Janka scale yet tops out lower on price: maple boards run from $5.09 to $6.99 per sq ft, while red oak stretches from $5.39 up to $9.99 per sq ft. Beech is the entry point at $4.99 per sq ft, and white oak is the narrowest choice, with two boards at $6.69 per sq ft each.
| Board | Coverage per box | Price per box | Price per sq ft |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lauzon Essential Hard Maple Sapphir | 17.0 sq ft | $99.80 | $5.87 |
| Appalachian Treebark Red Oak | 18.9 sq ft | $132.11 | $6.99 |
| Appalachian Paisley White Oak | 18.9 sq ft | $126.44 | $6.69 |
| Lauzon Essential Beech Cape Cod | 20.0 sq ft | $99.80 | $4.99 |
Hard maple: 1,450 lbf in a 4 1/4" board
Sapphir is a Canadian-made hard maple board, 4 1/4" wide and 19mm (3/4 inch) thick, listed as nail-down and in stock at $99.80 per 17.0 sq ft box. Hard maple shares the top value in the chart above, so on a main floor that sees constant traffic, its margin over both oaks is the reason to shortlist it.
Red oak: the widest price range in the collection
Treebark is a 4 1/4" Prestige Grade red oak board at 19mm (3/4 inch), in stock at $132.11 per 18.9 sq ft box. Red oak reads 1,220 lbf, the lowest value in our table. It also spans the widest price band of any species we carry, from $5.39 to $9.99 per sq ft across 19 boards in different brands, grades and colours.
White oak and beech: the middle of the scale and the entry point
Paisley is a 4 1/4" Prestige Grade white oak plank, 19mm (3/4 inch) thick, priced at $126.44 for a box covering 18.9 sq ft. White oak measures 1,350 lbf, and our two white oak colours are both $6.69 per sq ft. Beech Cape Cod is the one beech board in stock, 3 1/4" wide at $99.80 per 20.0 sq ft box. Reference charts list beech under two names: American beech at 1,300 lbf and European beech at 1,450 lbf, so read the species label on a beech product before you lean on either number.
Matching a hardness figure to the room
Use the chart to narrow the species, then let the other factors decide between the boards that are left.
- Dogs that run and skid: start at the top of the table with hard maple, then compare finishes and read the pet guide before you commit. A higher number lowers the risk of dents from a heavy dog; surface scratches are a finish question.
- Kids, toy bins and dropped cups: the gap between red oak and maple is 230 lbf, and maple boards start at $5.09 per sq ft against $5.39 for red oak, so the harder species does not cost more at the entry level of our range.
- Front halls and kitchens: these see grit as well as impact. Hardness helps with the impact, and the finish takes the grit.
- Basements and concrete slabs: hardness stops being the deciding question. Moisture and the subfloor come first, and those are covered in the solid hardwood guide linked above.
- Comparing single boards: read box price and coverage together. A $99.80 box covering 20.0 sq ft and a $99.80 box covering 17.0 sq ft do not buy the same amount of floor.
Boxes and material cost for a 500 sq ft floor
Turning a room size into whole boxes is the first step in any quote. Our default allowance for cuts and offcuts is 5% of the floor area, and the count is rounded up because flooring is sold in sealed boxes.
- Area with waste: 500 sq ft × 1.05 = 525 sq ft.
- Boxes needed: divide 525 sq ft by the coverage per box, then round up to a whole box.
- Material: boxes × box price.
| Board | Coverage per box | Boxes for 525 sq ft | Material cost |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hard Maple Sapphir | 17.0 sq ft | 31 | $3,093.80 |
| Treebark Red Oak | 18.9 sq ft | 28 | $3,699.08 |
| Paisley White Oak | 18.9 sq ft | 28 | $3,540.32 |
| Beech Cape Cod | 20.0 sq ft | 27 | $2,694.60 |
Sapphir needs 31 boxes because 525 divided by 17.0 leaves a part box that has to be bought whole. On this floor, Beech Cape Cod gives the smallest material line of the four at $2,694.60, and the two oak boards land $158.76 apart. The harder maple board also costs less than either oak on material here.
Installation, removal of the old floor, trim, delivery and 13% HST are separate lines in a full quote, and stairs or subfloor repairs are priced after the floor has been seen.
Janka hardness chart FAQ
Is red oak harder or softer than hard maple?
Softer. Red oak needs less force to dent than hard maple on the reference figures, so maple is the tougher of the two against impact.
Which of your hardwood species is hardest for dogs?
Hard maple, at the top of the reference values, followed by white oak and then red oak. Our beech board is harder to place, because the two reference figures for beech differ and the answer depends on which beech it is. For claw marks rather than dents, compare the factory finish, since that is the layer a dog's nails meet.
White oak vs red oak: which is harder?
White oak, by 130 lbf on the same reference set. The two oaks differ more in look than in hardness, so grain and colour are a fair tiebreaker between them. In our collection that choice runs to two white oak colours and 19 red oak boards.
Does a higher Janka rating mean a better floor?
Not by itself. A higher rating means more resistance to dents. It does not tell you about the finish, the grade, the subfloor under the boards or the colour you would rather live with.
How many boxes do I need for 500 sq ft?
Add the waste allowance first, which takes the area to 525 sq ft, then divide by the coverage on the box and round up. That works out to 31 boxes of the 17.0 sq ft maple board, 28 of either 18.9 sq ft oak board, or 27 of the 20.0 sq ft beech board.
Get a solid hardwood quote in Toronto and the GTA
Send us your room sizes and the species you are weighing, and we will work out the boxes and material cost for your own floor. You can request a quote online or reach us through our contact page.
Top Floorings Depot
3781 Victoria Park Avenue, Unit 1, Toronto, ON M1W 3K5
www.topfloorings.com
Call: 416-499-0117
Text: 416-770-8819