Vickers Hardness Test

The Vickers hardness test method consists of indenting the test material with a
diamond indenter, in the form of a right pyramid with a square base and an angle
of 136 degrees between opposite faces subjected to a load of 1 to 100 kgf. The full
load is normally applied for 10 to 15 seconds. The two diagonals of the indentation
left in the surface of the material after removal of the load are measured using a
microscope and their average calculated. The area of the sloping surface of the
indentation is calculated. The Vickers hardness is the quotient obtained by dividing
the kgf load by the square mm area of indentation.

F= Load in kgf
d = Arithmetic mean of the two diagonals, d1 and d2 in mm
HV = Vickers hardness

When the mean diagonal of the indentation has been determined the Vickers
hardness may be calculated from the formula, but is more convenient to use
conversion tables. The Vickers hardness should be reported like 800 HV/10, which
means a Vickers hardness of 800, was obtained using a 10 kgf force. Several
different loading settings give practically identical hardness numbers on uniform
material, which is much better than the arbitrary changing of scale with the other
hardness testing methods. The advantages of the Vickers hardness test are that
extremely accurate readings can be taken, and just one type of indenter is used for
all types of metals and surface treatments. Although thoroughly adaptable and very
precise for testing the softest and hardest of materials, under varying loads, the
Vickers machine is a floor standing unit that is more expensive than the Brinell or
Rockwell machines.

Vickers Hardness Number Calculator

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Force (kgf) Enter value

Mean diagonal length d (mm) Enter value

HV Result

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There is now a trend towards reporting Vickers hardness in SI units (MPa or GPa)
particularly in academic papers. Unfortunately, this can cause confusion. Vickers
hardness (e.g. HV/30) value should normally be expressed as a number only
(without the units kgf/mm2). Rigorous application of SI is a problem. Most Vickers
hardness testing machines use forces of 1, 2, 5, 10, 30, 50 and 100 kgf and tables
for calculating HV. SI would involve reporting force in newtons (compare 700
HV/30 to HV/294 N = 6.87 GPa) which is practically meaningless and messy to
engineers and technicians. To convert a Vickers hardness number the force applied
needs converting from kgf to newtons and the area needs converting form mm2 to
m2 to give results in pascals using the formula above.
 To convert HV to MPa multiply by 9.807
To convert HV to GPa multiply by 0.009807
 The Brinell Hardness Test
The Brinell hardness test method consists of indenting the test material with a 10
mm diameter hardened steel or carbide ball subjected to a load of 3000 kg. For
softer materials the load can be reduced to 1500 kg or 500 kg to avoid excessive
indentation. The full load is normally applied for 10 to 15 seconds in the case of
iron and steel and for at least 30 seconds in the case of other metals. The diameter
of the indentation left in the test material is measured with a low powered
microscope. The Brinell harness number is calculated by dividing the load applied
by the surface area of the indentation.

The diameter of the impression is the average of two readings at right angles and
the use of a Brinell hardness number table can simplify the determination of the
Brinell hardness. A well structured Brinell hardness number reveals the test
conditions, and looks like this, "75 HB 10/500/30" which means that a Brinell
Hardness of 75 was obtained using a 10mm diameter hardened steel with a 500
kilogram load applied for a period of 30 seconds. On tests of extremely hard metals
a tungsten carbide ball is substituted for the steel ball. Compared to the other
hardness test methods, the Brinell ball makes the deepest and widest indentation,
so the test averages the hardness over a wider amount of material, which will more
accurately account for multiple grain structures and any irregularities in the
uniformity of the material. This method is the best for achieving the bulk or macro-
hardness of a material, particularly those materials with heterogeneous structures.

Brinell Hardness Number Calculator

Top of Form

Force (kgf) Enter value

Diameter of ball indenter (mm) Enter value

Diameter of Indentation (mm) Enter value

 Brinell Hardness Number (HB) Result

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Rockwell Hardness Test

The Rockwell hardness test method consists of indenting the test
material with a diamond cone or hardened steel ball indenter. The
indenter is forced into the test material under a preliminary minor
load F0 (Fig. 1A) usually 10 kgf. When equilibrium has been
reached, an indicating device, which follows the movements of
the indenter and so responds to changes in depth of penetration
of the indenter is set to a datum position. While the preliminary
minor load is still applied an additional major load is applied with
resulting increase in penetration (Fig. 1B). When equilibrium has
again been reach, the additional major load is removed but the
preliminary minor load is still maintained. Removal of the
additional major load allows a partial recovery, so reducing the
depth of penetration (Fig. 1C). The permanent increase in depth
of penetration, resulting from the application and removal of the
additional major load is used to calculate the Rockwell hardness
number.

HR = E - e

F0 = preliminary minor load in kgf

F1 = additional major load in kgf
F = total load in kgf
e = permanent increase in depth of penetration due to major load
F1 measured in units of 0.002 mm
E = a constant depending on form of indenter: 100 units for
diamond indenter, 130 units for steel ball indenter
HR = Rockwell hardness number
D = diameter of steel ball
 Fig. 1.Rockwell Principle

Rockwell Hardness Scales

Minor Major Total
Value
Scal Load Load Load
Indenter of
e F0 F1 F
E
kgf kgf kgf

Diamond
A 10 50 60 100
cone

1/16" steel
B 10 90 100 130
ball

Diamond
C 10 140 150 100
cone

Diamond
D 10 90 100 100
cone

1/8" steel
E 10 90 100 130
ball

1/16" steel
F 10 50 60 130
ball

1/16" steel
G 10 140 150 130
ball

1/8" steel
H 10 50 60 130
ball

1/8" steel
K 10 140 150 130
ball

L 1/4" steel 10 50 60 130

 ball

1/4" steel
M 10 90 100 130
ball

1/4" steel
P 10 140 150 130
ball

1/2" steel
R 10 50 60 130
ball

1/2" steel
S 10 90 100 130
ball

1/2" steel
V 10 140 150 130
ball

Typical Application of Rockwell Hardness Scales

HRA . . . . Cemented carbides, thin steel and shallow case
hardened steel
HRB . . . . Copper alloys, soft steels, aluminium alloys, malleable
irons, etc.
HRC . . . . Steel, hard cast irons, case hardened steel and other
materials harder than 100 HRB
HRD . . . . Thin steel and medium case hardened steel and
pearlitic malleable iron
HRE . . . . Cast iron, aluminium and magnesium alloys, bearing
metals
HRF . . . . Annealed copper alloys, thin soft sheet metals
HRG . . . . Phosphor bronze, beryllium copper, malleable irons HRH
. . . . Aluminium, zinc, lead
HRK . . . . }
HRL . . . . }
HRM . . . .} . . . . Soft bearing metals, plastics and other very soft
materials
HRP . . . . }
HRR . . . . }
HRS . . . . }
HRV . . . . }

Advantages of the Rockwell hardness method include the direct

Rockwell hardness number readout and rapid testing time.
Disadvantages include many arbitrary non-related scales and
possible effects from the specimen support anvil (try putting a
cigarette paper under a test block and take note of the effect on
the hardness reading! Vickers and Brinell methods don't suffer
from this effect).
 HARDNESS TESTING
What is Hardness?
Hardness is the property of a material that enables it to resist
plastic deformation, usually by penetration. However, the term
hardness may also refer to resistance to bending, scratching,
abrasion or cutting.

Measurement of Hardness:
Hardness is not an intrinsic material property dictated by precise
definitions in terms of fundamental units of mass, length and
time. A hardness property value is the result of a defined
measurement procedure.

Hardness of materials has probably long been assessed by

resistance to scratching or cutting. An example would be material
B scratches material C, but not material A. Alternatively, material
A scratches material B slightly and scratches material C heavily.
Relative hardness of minerals can be assessed by reference to
the Mohs Scale that ranks the ability of materials to resist
scratching by another material. Similar methods of relative
hardness assessment are still commonly used today. An example
is the file test where a file tempered to a desired hardness is
rubbed on the test material surface. If the file slides without biting
or marking the surface, the test material would be considered
harder than the file. If the file bites or marks the surface, the test
material would be considered softer than the file.

The above relative hardness tests are limited in practical use and
do not provide accurate numeric data or scales particularly for
modern day metals and materials. The usual method to achieve a
hardness value is to measure the depth or area of an indentation
left by an indenter of a specific shape, with a specific force
applied for a specific time. There are three principal standard test
methods for expressing the relationship between hardness and
the size of the impression, these being Brinell, Vickers, and
Rockwell. For practical and calibration reasons, each of these
methods is divided into a range of scales, defined by a
combination of applied load and indenter geometry.

Hardness Testing Methods:

Rockwell Hardness Test

Rockwell Superficial Hardness Test

Brinell Hardness Test

Vickers Hardness Test

Microhardness Test

Mohs Hardness Test

Scleroscope and other hardness testing methods

 Equivalent Hardness Scale Conversion
Table
Covering Many Different Hardness Scales/Testing Methods
SCLE
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VPN ROCKWELL SCALES BRINELL U.T.S.
SCOP
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DPH BHN BHN

15 30 45 15 30 45 Kp Mp
HV/1 A B C D E F G H K 500 3000
N N N T T T si a
0 kg kg

9 8 8
1865 97 92 87
2 0 7

9 7 8
1787 96 92 87
2 9 6

9 7 8
1710 96 91 86
1 8 5

9 7 8
1633 96 91 85
1 7 4

9 7 8
1556 96 90 84
0 6 3

9 7 8
1478 95 89 83
0 5 3

8 7 8
1400 95 89 82
9 4 2

8 7 8
1323 95 88 81
9 3 1

8 7 8
1245 95 87 80
8 2 0

8 7 8
1160 94 87 79
7 1 0

8 7 7
1076 94 86 78 101
7 0 9

8 6 7
1004 94 85 77 99
6 9 8

940 8 6 7 93 84 75 97
 6 8 7

8 6 7
900 93 84 74 95
5 7 6

8 6 7
865 93 83 73 92
5 6 5

8 6 7
832 92 82 72 739 91
4 5 5

8 6 7
800 92 81 71 722 88
4 4 4

8 6 7
772 91 80 70 705 87
3 3 3

8 6 7
746 91 79 69 688 85
3 2 2

8 6 7
720 91 79 68 670 83
2 1 2

8 6 7 32 220
697 90 78 67 654 81
1 0 1 0 6

8 5 7 31 213
674 90 77 66 634 80
1 9 0 0 7

8 5 6 30 206
653 89 76 64 615 78
0 8 9 0 9

8 5 6 29 200
633 89 75 63 595 76
0 7 9 0 0

7 5 6 28 194
613 88 74 62 577 75
9 6 8 2 4

7 12 5 6 27 188
595 88 73 61 560 74
9 0 5 7 4 9

7 12 5 6 26 183
577 87 72 60 543 72
8 0 4 6 6 4

7 11 5 6 25 177
560 87 71 59 523 71
8 9 3 5 7 2

7 11 5 6 24 168
544 86 70 57 512 69
7 9 2 5 5 9

7 11 5 6 23 164
528 86 69 56 496 68
7 8 1 4 9 8
 7 11 5 6 23 160
513 86 69 55 481 67
6 7 0 3 3 7

7 11 4 6 22 156
498 85 68 54 469 66
5 7 9 2 7 5

7 11 4 6 22 152
484 85 67 53 455 64
5 6 8 1 1 4

7 11 4 6 21 149
471 84 66 51 443 63
4 6 7 1 7 6

7 11 4 6 21 146
458 84 65 50 432 62
4 5 6 0 2 2

7 11 4 5 20 142
446 83 64 49 421 60
3 5 5 9 6 0

7 11 4 5 20 137
434 83 63 48 409 58
3 4 4 9 0 9

7 11 4 5 19 135
423 82 62 47 400 57
2 3 3 8 6 1

7 11 4 5 19 131
412 82 61 46 390 56
2 3 2 7 1 7

7 11 4 5 18 128
402 81 60 44 381 55
1 2 1 6 7 9

7 11 4 5 18 125
392 80 60 43 371 54
1 2 0 5 2 5

7 11 3 5 17 122
382 80 59 42 362 52
0 1 9 5 7 0

7 11 3 5 17 119
372 79 58 41 353 51
0 0 8 4 3 3

6 11 3 5 16 116
363 79 57 40 344 50
9 0 7 3 9 5

6 10 3 5 16 113
354 78 56 38 336 49
9 9 6 2 5 8

6 10 3 5 16 110
345 78 55 37 327 48
8 9 5 2 0 3

6 10 3 5 15 107
336 77 54 36 319 47
8 8 4 1 6 6

327 6 10 3 5 77 53 35 311 46 15 104

 7 8 3 0 2 8

6 10 3 4 14 101
318 76 52 34 301 44
7 7 2 9 7 4

6 10 3 4 9 14
310 76 51 33 294 43 993
6 6 1 8 1 4

6 10 3 4 9 14
302 75 50 31 286 42 965
6 5 0 8 1 0

6 10 2 4 8 13
294 75 50 30 279 41 945
5 4 9 7 9 7

6 10 2 4 8 13
286 74 49 29 271 41 917
5 4 8 6 8 3

6 10 2 4 8 12
279 73 48 28 264 40 889
4 3 7 5 7 9

6 10 2 4 8 12
272 73 47 27 258 39 869
4 3 6 5 6 6

6 10 2 4 8 12
266 72 46 26 253 38 855
3 2 5 4 5 4

6 10 2 4 8 12
260 72 45 24 247 37 834
3 1 4 3 4 1

6 10 2 4 8 11
254 71 44 23 93 82 72 201 240 36 814
2 0 3 2 3 8

6 2 4 8 11
248 99 71 43 22 93 82 71 195 234 35 793
2 2 2 1 5

6 2 4 7 11
243 98 70 42 21 93 81 70 189 228 35 772
1 1 1 9 2

6 2 4 7 10
238 97 69 42 20 92 81 69 184 222 34 752
1 0 0 8 9

6 1 7 10
234 97 92 80 69 181 218 34 738
0 9 7 7

5 1 7 10
230 96 92 80 68 179 214 33 731
9 8 6 6

5 1 7 10
226 96 92 80 68 177 210 33 717
9 7 5 4

5 1 7 10
222 95 92 79 67 175 208 32 703
8 6 4 2
 5 1 7 10
217 95 92 79 67 171 205 31 690
8 5 3 0

5 1 7
213 94 91 79 66 169 203 31 99 683
8 4 3

5 1 7
208 93 91 78 66 167 200 30 98 676
7 3 1

5 1 7 10
204 92 91 78 65 163 195 30 96 662
7 2 0 0

5 1 6 10
200 92 91 77 64 162 193 29 95 655
6 1 9 0

5 1 6 10
196 91 90 77 64 160 190 28 93 641
6 0 8 0

5 6
192 90 9 99 90 76 63 157 185 27 91 627
6 6

5 6
188 89 8 98 90 76 62 154 180 26 88 607
5 4

5 6
184 88 7 97 90 75 61 151 176 26 86 593
4 3

5 6
180 87 6 97 89 75 60 148 172 26 84 579
4 1

5 5
176 86 5 96 89 74 59 145 169 25 83 572
3 9

5 5
172 85 4 95 89 74 58 142 165 25 81 558
3 8

5 5
168 84 3 94 88 73 57 140 162 25 79 545
2 6

5 5
164 83 2 93 88 72 56 137 159 24 78 538
1 4

5 5
160 82 1 92 88 72 55 135 156 24 76 524
1 3

5 5
156 81 0 91 87 71 54 133 153 24 75 517
0 1

5 4
152 80 91 87 70 53 130 150 73 503
0 9

148 4 79 4 90 87 70 52 128 147

 9 8

4 4
144 78 89 86 69 51 126 144
9 6

4 4
141 77 88 86 68 50 124 141
8 4

4 4
139 76 87 86 68 49 122 139
7 3

4 10 4
137 75 86 85 67 49 120 137
7 0 1

4 3
135 74 99 85 85 66 48 118 135
6 9

4 3
132 73 99 85 85 66 47 116 132
6 8

4 3
130 72 98 84 84 65 46 114 130
5 6

4 10 3
127 71 98 83 84 64 45 112 127
5 0 5

4 10 3
125 70 97 82 84 64 44 110 125
4 0 3

4 3
123 69 99 96 81 83 63 43 109 123
4 1

4 3
120 68 98 96 80 83 62 42 107 121
3 0

4 2
118 67 98 95 79 83 62 41 106 119
3 8

4 2
116 66 97 95 78 82 61 40 104 117
2 7

4 2
115 65 96 94 78 82 60 39 102 116
2 5

4 2
114 64 96 94 77 82 60 38 101 114
2 4

4 2
113 63 95 93 76 81 59 37 99 112
1 2

4 2
112 62 95 92 75 81 58 36 98 110
1 1
 4 1
111 61 94 92 74 81 57 35 96 108
0 9

4 1
110 60 93 91 73 81 57 34 95 107
0 8

3 1
108 59 93 91 72 80 56 32 94 106
9 6

3 1
107 58 92 90 71 80 55 31 92 104
9 5

3 1
106 57 91 90 71 80 55 30 91 102
8 3

3 1
105 56 91 89 70 79 54 29 90 101
8 2

3 1
104 55 90 88 69 79 53 28 89 99
8 0

3
103 54 90 88 9 68 79 53 27 87
7

3
102 53 89 87 7 67 78 52 26 86
7

3
101 52 88 87 6 66 78 51 25 85
6

3
100 51 88 86 4 65 78 51 24 84
6

3
100 50 87 86 3 65 77 50 23 83
5

3
99 49 87 85 64 77 49 22 82
5

3
98 48 86 85 63 77 49 21 81
5

3
97 47 85 84 62 76 48 20 80
4

3
96 46 85 83 61 76 47 19 79
4

3
95 45 84 83 60 76 46 18 79
3

95 3 44 84 82 59 75 46 17 78
 3

3
94 43 83 82 58 75 45 16 77
2

3
93 42 82 81 58 75 44 15 76
2

3
92 41 82 81 57 74 44 14 75
1

3
91 40 81 80 56 74 43 13 74
1

3
90 39 80 79 55 74 42 11 74
1

3
90 38 80 79 54 73 42 10 73
0

3
89 37 79 78 53 73 41 9 72
0

2 10
88 36 79 78 52 73 40 8 71
9 0

2 10
88 35 78 77 52 72 40 7 71
9 0

2
87 34 77 77 99 51 72 39 6 70
8

2
87 33 77 76 99 50 72 38 5 69
8

2
86 32 76 75 99 49 71 38 4 68
8

2
86 31 76 75 98 48 71 37 3 68
7

2
85 30 75 74 98 47 71 36 2 67
7

2
85 29 74 74 98 46 70 36 1 66
6

2
84 28 74 73 97 45 70 35 66
6

2
84 27 73 73 97 45 70 34 65
5
 2
83 26 73 72 97 44 69 33 65
5

2
83 25 72 71 96 42 69 33 64
4

2
82 24 71 71 96 42 69 32 64
4

2
82 23 71 70 96 41 68 31 63
4

2
81 22 70 70 95 40 68 31 63
3

2
81 21 70 69 95 39 68 30 62
3

2
80 20 69 69 95 38 68 29 62
2

2
80 19 68 68 94 38 67 29 61
2

2
79 18 68 67 94 37 67 28 61
1

2
79 17 67 67 93 36 67 27 60
1

2
78 16 67 66 93 35 66 26 60
1

2
78 15 66 66 93 34 66 26 59
0

77 14 65 65 92 33 66 25 59

77 13 65 65 92 32 65 24 58

76 12 64 64 92 32 65 24 58

76 11 64 64 91 31 65 23 57

75 10 63 63 91 30 64 22 57

75 9 62 62 91 29 64 22 56

74 8 62 62 90 28 64 21 56

74 7 61 61 90 27 63 20 56

73 6 61 61 90 26 63 20 55
 73 5 60 60 89 26 63 19 55

72 4 59 60 89 25 62 18 55

72 3 59 59 88 24 62 17 54

71 2 58 58 88 23 62 17 54

71 1 58 58 88 22 61 16 53

70 0 57 57 87 21 61 15 53

DPH BHN BHN

15 30 45 15 30 45 Kp Mp
HV/1 A B C D E F G H K 500 3000
N N N T T T si a
0 kg kg

SCLE
RO-
VPN ROCKWELL SCALES BRINELL U.T.S.
SCOP
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