Hardness Testing Laboratories & Methods
Hardness testing measures a material's resistance to localised indentation, and is widely used to verify heat treatment, case depth and material condition.
What does it measure?
- Rockwell, Vickers, Brinell, Knoop or Shore hardness
- Microhardness traverses
- Effective and total case depth
- Weld and heat-affected-zone hardness
When is it used?
- Verifying heat treatment or surface hardening
- Incoming material identification and conformance
- Weld procedure and welder qualification support
- Supporting failure analysis of worn or cracked parts
Sample considerations
- Surfaces must be prepared and thick enough to support the chosen scale.
- Case depth traverses require a mounted and polished cross-section.
Laboratories with relevant capabilities
No directory profile currently documents this specific capability. Submit a request and we will look for laboratories that cover it.
Frequently asked questions
- Which hardness scale should I request?
- The scale depends on the material, part thickness and the feature of interest. Rockwell suits bulk metals, Vickers and Knoop suit thin sections, coatings and microstructural features.
- Is hardness testing destructive?
- The indentation itself is small but permanent. Case depth work requires sectioning, which is destructive.
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