Hardness Testing Articles

How Does Temperature Affect a Rubber's Shore Durometer?

13 Oct 2025

Most product failures aren't a great mystery. They typically happen because a small, critical detail was overlooked somewhere in the process. And when your business deals with elastomeric or rubber components, the most commonly overlooked detail is the material's specific firmness. 

That number is its durometer, and treating it as a static, unchanging property is a significant business risk. 

Tensile Strength vs Durometer: An Essential Guide

10 Oct 2025

To put it plainly, a material failure can do more than just stop a project in its tracks; it can damage your reputation and your bottom line. 

In our experience, many of these failures begin with a simple misunderstanding of material properties. The most common point of confusion we see is the tensile strength vs durometer issue. They sound related, but they measure entirely different characteristics, and the choice between them is a critical decision. 

IRHD vs Shore: A Complete Guide for Professionals

8 Oct 2025

Getting the hardness of your rubber components exactly right is a fundamental part of a successful product. 

Your Expert ASTM D2240 Durometer Guide

6 Oct 2025

Getting a material's hardness right is a critical factor for product performance. 

An incorrect value can lead to a component that feels substandard or fails prematurely. This is the precise challenge the ASTM D2240 durometer test method was made to solve. Consider it the official procedure for a specific type of indentation test that confirms how resistant or pliable your materials are. 

We’re going to outline this standard, look at its variations, and explain how you can achieve truly consistent numbers from your ASTM D2240 durometer. 

Durometer Hardness: Shore A vs Shore D Differences

3 Oct 2025

In the manufacturing sector, getting material properties right is a fundamental requirement for success. 

We have consistently seen that a product's performance, safety, and lifespan are directly tied to the pliability or rigidity of the materials used. For this reason, anyone specifying materials must have a firm grasp of the difference between Shore A and Shore D hardness. 

Understanding the Shore Hardness Test: Method, Formula & Diagram

30 Jun 2025

Shore hardness test is typically used for measuring different materials, especially the softer ones like rubbers, elastomers, and certain softer plastics, such as vinyls, polyolefins, and fluoropolymers. This method evaluates how resistant a material is to indentation, providing valuable insight into its flexibility, surface durability, and potential performance under load.

Choosing the Right Hardness Tester: A Practical Guide

25 Jun 2025

The failure of a component during final inspection is often caused by material that isn’t tough enough. Even if everything looks good on the surface, industrial specifications are non-negotiable. Maybe you’ve already run the tests and everything seemed fine, until it didn’t pass quality checks.

This kind of scenario underscores exactly why choosing the right hardness tester is so important.

How to Measure Rubber Hardness: Methods, Tools, and Best Practices

28 May 2025

Products made of rubber require a certain level of resistance in order to hold their shape, seal securely, or absorb impact without failure. But what defines that resistance? One of the earliest and most critical decisions in selecting rubber materials is determining the right level of rubber hardness.

Rockwell Hardness Testing: Method, Formula, Specs & Diagram

28 May 2025

Rockwell Hardness Testing - Measuring material hardness is a fundamental part of the quality control process. The harder the metal, the more reliable, durable, and structurally sound it tends to be.

One of the most widely used methods for this assessment is the Rockwell hardness test. It’s valued for both accuracy and flexibility. Although the test involves applying force to the subject, the load and indenter can be adjusted to match different metal types and testing needs.

Hardness Test: Methods, Applications, and Choosing the Right One

26 May 2025

Hardness test results help you understand how a material performs under pressure, scratch, or impact. The resistance a surface shows to indentation isn’t just a number, it’s often the first clue in determining whether a material can handle its intended use.