Olive wood is a very hard, dense hardwood that sits well above oaks and maples on the hardness scale, but it is still softer than the world’s ultra‑extreme species like Australian buloke, lignum vitae, and desert ironwood. In practical terms, that means olive is a premium “hard” hardwood for small objects and decorative work, but not in the absolute top tier of the hardest woods ever measured.

What “hardest hardwoods” means

Hardness in wood is usually measured with the Janka test, which records the force needed to embed a steel ball halfway into the wood; higher numbers mean a harder, more dent‑resistant surface. Typical furniture hardwoods like red oak and hard maple fall around 1,200–1,450 lbf, which serves as a useful baseline when comparing truly extreme hardwoods.

The Extreme Top Tier

The very hardest woods in the world are mostly dense tropical or arid‑region species that grow slowly and pack a lot of mass into a small volume. Commonly cited examples include:

·        Australian buloke, often listed around 5,060 lbf, frequently described as the hardest known commercial wood.

·        Quebracho and lignum vitae, typically in the 4,500–4,800 lbf range, historically used where crushing strength and wear resistance are critical (bearings, heavy industrial parts).

·        Snakewood and desert ironwood, roughly 3,200–3,800 lbf, extremely dense, fine‑grained woods favored for luxury inlays, tools, and small turned items.

These species are so hard that they can quickly dull tools, are heavy to work, and are rarely used for large furniture or flooring because of scarcity, cost, and workability issues.

Where Common Hardwoods Fall

Against that backdrop, familiar temperate hardwoods look modest but still serviceable for most projects. For example:

·        Red oak and white oak typically test around 1,200–1,360 lbf, forming a benchmark for “hard but workable” structural and furniture woods.

·        Hard (sugar) maple often comes in near 1,450 lbf, making it a bit more dent‑resistant than oak and popular for floors, workbenches, and butcher blocks.

Many popular tropical decking and flooring species—like ipe or cumaru—sit well above these, often in the mid‑2,000s to mid‑3,000s lbf, bridging the gap between everyday hardwoods and the true exotics.

Olive Wood’s Hardness and Ranking

Olive wood from Olea europaea typically has a Janka hardness reported around the upper‑2,000 lbf range (often cited about 2,690–2,710 lbf), roughly double red oak and noticeably harder than hard maple. That places it in a high‑hardness band alongside or above many well‑known durable exotics used for flooring and heavy‑duty surfaces.

In curated hardness lists, olive wood usually does not appear in the very top “hardest ten” worldwide, but it clearly ranks in the broader upper tier of commercial hardwoods. Some regional variants (such as Brazilian “olivewood,” which is a different species) can test even higher, around the mid‑3,000s lbf, but these are marketed separately from true Mediterranean olive.

What this means in real‑world use

Because of its combination of high hardness, density, and fine, interlocked grain, olive wood excels in smaller, high‑wear items where both strength and visual drama matter. Typical uses include:

·        Kitchenware (cutting boards, spoons, bowls) that benefit from dent resistance and tight grain, along with a natural resistance to absorbing odors.

·        Turned objects, knife handles, pens, and religious or decorative carvings, where its swirling, contrasting grain patterns turn hardness into a premium feature.

·        Of course a great use of Olive Wood is for making resin tables for which we have a great selection at Desert Hardwoods