There are more than 1000 varieties of bamboo plants in the world. However the Mao variety is one of only hundreds not consumed by the Panda and has little to no environmental damage caused by its growing process and harvesting.
Mao is also an excellent choice because of its diameter, colour, structure and strength making it very suitable for the production of our bamboo flooring and bamboo furniture boards.
This kind of bamboo is very fast growing and can grow approximately 2-3 feet, when sprouting in spring, and its stalk height & diameter can reach maturity within six months.
However, it is normally harvested at 5-6 years growth to produce the bamboo products we know today.
Bamboo flooring hardness compared to other hardwoods:
Wandoo 15.0 (kn)
Compressed/Woven Bamboo Flooring 14.7 (kn)
Blackbutt 9.1 (kn)
Jarrah 8.5 (kn)
Marri 7.6 (kn)
Horizontal & Vertical Bamboo Flooring 6.0 (kn)
Tasmanian Oak 4.9 (kn)
Note: kn rates the relative hardness of a wood species.
The higher the number, the harder the wood! These ratings were determined using the Janka Hardness Test which measures the side hardness, measured by the force required to embed a 0.444 inch steel ball to half its diameter into the wood. This is one of the best measures of the ability of wood species to withstand denting and wear. It is also a good indicator of how hard a species is to saw or nail.