Hardness Testing
Indentation-based measurement of material resistance to deformation.
What It Measures
Hardness testing presses a standardized indenter into the metal surface under a controlled load and measures the size or depth of the resulting indentation. Common scales include Brinell (HB) for soft materials, Rockwell (HRC/HRB) for quick readings, and Vickers (HV) for precision. Hardness correlates with tensile strength and wear resistance.
Why It Matters
Hardness is the fastest mechanical property to measure and serves as a proxy for heat treatment verification. If a 7075-T6 plate should be 150 HB and it reads 85 HB, the heat treatment failed — and so will the part. Hardness testing catches undertreated, overtreated, and wrongly tempered material before it reaches the machine.
Standard Followed
ASTM E10 / E18 / E92 / IS 1500
Equipment Used
Brinell, Rockwell, or Vickers hardness tester with certified test blocks for calibration verification.
When You Need It
- Verifying heat treatment (T6, T651, T3, etc.)
- Incoming material inspection (quick go/no-go)
- Tool and die steel verification
- Wear-critical applications
- When full tensile testing is too slow or destructive for the batch
Pricing
Sample Report
Sample report — coming soon. We will add anonymized real reports here.