Hardness - Coating Testers are instruments used to measure a coating's resistance to permanent deformation, which is defined as its hardness. In the coatings industry this measurement serves two purposes: it indicates how well a coating resists scratching from general wear and tear, and it can show whether a coating is fully cured. An under-cured or soft coating fails early in service, so hardness testing informs both the choice of coating and the decision on whether a film is ready for use.

The right method depends on the property being assessed. Some instruments are dedicated to characterising coatings, while others are more suitable for bulk materials such as metals, plastics, rubber and elastomers. For scratch resistance, the range for the Hardness - Coating Testers includes the Pencil Hardness Tester (Wolff-Wilborn), the Sclerometer, the Clemen Apparatus and the Scratching and Shearing Instrument, each of which assesses how a coating stands up to a scratching action.

For resistance to indentation, three common methods measure the depth of penetration of a weighted tool to show how the coating resists penetration: the Buchholz Hardness Tester, the Barcol Impressor Hardness Test and the Shore Durometer. Selecting between scratch and indentation methods, and between coating-specific and bulk-material instruments, lets inspectors and coatings specialists match the test to the material and the requirement. This range of Hardness - Coating Testers is supplied by BAMR, South Africa's authorised distributor.