Hardness testing is of immense importance for quality assurance in industry. Although the most widely used hardness test methods for metals—Rockwell, Brinell, and Vickers—were developed between 1900 and 1925, numerous technical innovations have been made in recent years, leading to an increase in productivity and the accuracy of hardness tests.

This publication provides an overview of the hardness testing of metals, plastics, rubber, and other materials based on current standards and practices. It reports on technical developments such as the introduction of image processing in the Brinell and Vickers methods, the adaptation of hardness testing machines to process-oriented testing conditions, and the development of highly accurate and efficient calibration methods.