Wood hardness is rated on the Janka scale, which measures how many pounds of force it takes to drive a 0.444" steel ball halfway into a piece of something. Lignum vitae, at 4500 Janka, is the hardest wood there is. The next hardest wood is nearly 1000 pounds softer.
Chat with our AI personalities
Lignum Vitae is the hardest trade wood on earth. It is also generally considered to be the hardest because it is the densest and heaviest, but that is different than hardness.
Australian Buloke is the hardest wood on earth.
according to Kestrelcreek Wood Identification, snake wood is the rarest wood in the world. Pink Ivory and Brazilian Rosewood are also mentioned as being very rare.