Hardness testing

The hardness of plastics is often determined by ball indentation hardness, while Rockwell hardness is often used in the United States. These tests provide information about a material's resistance to deformation or penetration.

For elastomers, a special class of plastics with rubber-like properties, Shore hardness is used. Either an indenter tip or an indenter cone is used to determine the surface hardness of the elastomer. Shore hardness is particularly important because it allows conclusions to be drawn about the elasticity and strength of the material.