Hardness testing

One of the most important physical properties that need to be measured in materials testing is hardness. The hardness characteristic of a sample will determine its uses and limitations, and its deployment in certain applications.

Hardness can be measured using a number of recognised hardness testing techniques, e.g., Rockwell, Vickers or Shore.

All forms of hardness testing involve the application of a very hard material onto the surface of the sample being hardness tested, in order to form an indent.

The indent size will be heavily influenced by the hardness of the test sample, e.g., a larger indent will form on a softer sample.

Thus, the size of the indent is measured and correlated with a set of standard hardness testing data tables to calculate the hardness.

The Vickers test can be used for all metals and has one of the widest scales among hardness tests. The unit of hardness given by the test is known as the Vickers Pyramid Number (HV) or Diamond Pyramid Hardness (DPH)

Examples of HV values for various materials:

Shore Durometers of common materials:

Shore hardness, Rockwell hardness and both standard Vickers and micro-Vickers hardness testing are available at ITA Labs and cater for a wide range of materials with different hardness values, e.g., polymers, alloys and ceramics.

If you’re looking for a hardness testing service, we provide a fast turnaround time, offer very competitive rates and we have the expertise to help you interpret the results if required.

To discuss your potential requirements, call Mark on 01727 871316